Climate Change: Challenge of Invasive Species

Pam FullerFlorida Integrated Science Center

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Changes in Habitat Suitability

• Water temperature, depth, velocity, and timing

• Intensity and timing of hydrologic and fire regimes

• Physical, chemical, and biological components of habitat

• Advantage to invasive species: many are habitat generalists

Response of Plants and Animals

Climate change will shift

• Where species are located: range shifts

• Timing of biological events: phenology

• Biotic interactions: predation and competition

Climate Change and Invasive Species

Climate change alters

• Means of transport and introduction

• Establishment of additional species

• Impact of existing invasive species

• Distribution of existing invasive species

• Effectiveness of control strategies(modified from Hellmann et al. 2007)

Nonnative Diseases & Pathogens: Ichthyophonus

• Protozoan parasite

• Yukon chinook salmon

Jim Winton, Western Fisheries Research Center

June10

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1991-1996

25 year Yukon temperature means

July August September

Month

1981-1990

1975-1980

June10

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1991-1996

25 year Yukon temperature means

July August September

Month

1981-1990

1975-1980

Prevalence of Ichthyophonus in the Yukon River System

• Study comparing growth of worldwide ecotypes

• Found in all 50 states

• Different habitat here

• Stems are shorter toward northern range limit

• Purple loosestrife is likely to spread northward with climate change, too dry for southern expansion

Purple Loosestrife and Climate Change

Northernmost limit in North America,

Amos, northern QuebecPurple loosestrife grows in gaps of white poplar forest in Turkey

light gap

Beth Middelton, National Wetlands Research Center

USGS Database Resources

Pam Fuller, Florida Integrated Science Center

Predicting Range Shifts

Catherine Jarnevich, Fort Collins Science Center

Kudzu

Current distribution with future habitat

Conclusions• Prevention, detecting, monitoring, and controlling invasive species is a resource-intensive management endeavor

• Complicated by uncertainties regarding climate change

• Understanding and working to minimize these uncertainties will become increasingly important with further environmental stressors

• Baseline information on species distribution is critical to future management success

• Modeling efforts to predict future scenarios will become increasingly important to resource managers

• USGS will continue to work with partners to maintain and improve databases and provide research to help managers make more informed decisions