GreenWatch

B. McPherson Small but a big problem -- zebra mussels Warmer ocean temperatures are blamed for the shutdown of a major electrical producer in Germany. The EON SE plant at Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea was forced to shut operations because of marine mussel infestation.  The power plant normally produces enough electricity to light 1.5 million homes. “We usually scrape tons of mussels out of the area where the cooling water flows during the plant’s usual revisions, but this time there were so many that we couldn’t wait for the next inspection,” Markus Nitschke, a spokesman for EON, said by phone from Dusseldorf today. “The warmer temperatures have caused this infestation.” Bloomberg News Invasive mussels are causing additional expense and operating hazards around the world. Some species may be native to an area, but slight changes in their environment like temperature change may favour more rapid reproduction. Other species are introduced to an area where there are...

B. McPherson   California is the latest state to be hit with the invasive fly that carries what is called Greening Disease . It was first identified in March of 2012 and has citrus growers on high alert. The culprit spreading the disease is a tiny flying insect, a psyllid fly. It has established itself in Florida where it was discovered in the citrus groves in 1998. Now California is fighting the difficult battle against this unwelcome pest from Asia. The fly damages the citrus tree in two ways. It sucks juices from the new growth, leading to stunted and deformed growth. More seriously, it carries a bacterium that causes the greening disease. There is no treatment and no cure. Citrus trees must be cut down and destroyed to slow the spread of the disease. Once they are infected with Candidatus liberbacter , they are doomed in any case. Once infected any fruit produced is deformed, small and has a bad taste. Humans have aided the spread of the disease as well. The 1...

B. McPherson Miami is being slimed by giant snails. It will do no good to call on GhostBusters. This job is too big for them. Giant African land snails have invaded the tropical state and are wreaking havoc on the vegetation. Miami is making a concerted effort to corral these molluscs before they can do more harm. They feast on at least 500 plant species; their slime trails and feces are unsightly; and they can even munch through stucco to get the calcium they need for their shells. Over 1000 are caught and destroyed in Miami each week. More than 100 000 have been gathered since the fall of 2011. It may be like trying to bail out a boat with a teaspoon. The double sex   snails can produce 1200 eggs four and five times a year. The hermaphrodites are both male and female so both of the mating pair produces offspring. Some people look at them and see cute, mobile lawn ornaments but they are sadly mistaken. These invaders can be killers. They play host to the rat lun...

B. McPherson Rat eradication program is underway in the Galapagos Islands The government of Ecuador and conservation groups have embarked on a rat eradication program on the sensitive islands. Since Europeans began landing there in the 17 th century the rat population has grown unchecked. Both the black rat ( Ratus ratus ) and the Norway rat are present. It is estimated that there are now 10 rats for every square metre of land. The operation currently underway on the island of Pinzon is estimated to kill 180 million rats. Nearly 22 tonnes of rat poison are being dumped for the rat banquet. As a precaution, to prevent hawks and iguanas from eating the dead rodents, they have been temporarily captured. While the killing of any animals is against most conservation efforts, the rats eat the eggs of birds and reptiles. On Pinzon, no tortoise has hatched for a century due to their predation. Eight small islands and islets have been cleared of rats since the program was begu...

B. McPherson Does food as entertainment justify chancing the genetic pollution of our wild animals? The commercial distribution of GMO fish as pets has biologists worried about wild fish stocks. A genetic engineering company, Yorktown Technologies, debuted a glow in the dark variant of the zebra fish as GloFish in 2003. The natural variety is a native of south east Asia and is not found in N. America. They originally were marketed as pets glowing green in the dark. Now they are available in five colours – Starfire Red, Electric Green, Sunburst Orange, Galactic Purple and Cosmic Blue. The GloFish are touted as the first genetically modified organism as a pet. Recently GloFish has made available to the public, glowing green tetras for the home hobbyist . While the GM zebra fish are unable to survive in the wild in N. America, the tetras can. South Florida is particularly at risk for these creatures to establish themselves. S. America is also at risk. The GM fish are ba...