tl;dr: an invasive beetle began infesting kudzu in 2009 and has set it back. It's no longer a major invasive thread.
Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
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Re: Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
#42tl;dr: an invasive beetle began infesting kudzu in 2009 and has set it back. It's no longer a major invasive thread.
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Re: Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
#43[dead]
Re: Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
Have the Zeroth Nations weighed in or did none of them survive the First Nations' arrival?
From a country freaking out about its borders a handful of centuries after completed the largest land grab in history…
From a country freaking out about it's borders while holding onto the symbol of the Statue of Liberty...
> Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
Re: Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think it's a photo.
It's by Laura Plageman: "Response to Print of Kudzu, Texas, 2010, archival pigment print, editions variable" https://photolp.com/project/response-land It's not exactly a photograph, but it's not a painting either.
It looks like these works are prints that have been crumpled and/or torn, then photographed? Some of these are very neat
Re: Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
#46The whole concept of "invasive species" had always been a bit confusing to me. When does a plant or animal brought here from overseas start being considered native? Kudzu has been growing in America since before my ancestors can't here, am I still considered invasive based on the history of Europeans invading this continent?
You know it’s not really a well defined concept. A friend recently pointed out that whitetail deer can be considered invasive in most of North America. While the Eastern woodlands are certainly their original habit, we have eliminated the wolves that would predate upon them. In the absence of predators their populations have exploded - sometimes causing serious ecological issues in the exact same way we see with inva…
Oh that's really ingesting, we have plenty of whitetail deer in my area and never thought about whatever they night technically be invasive.
We also have a species of tree called the princess tree. Most consider it invasive because it grows and propogates so quickly, it's originally from Asia if I'm not mistaken. Personally I really like it and have transplanted a few into our posture for fast shade growth and hope to harvest it for wood in 8-10 years.
Re: Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
From a country freaking out about its borders a handful of centuries after completed the largest land grab in history…
From a country freaking out about it's borders while holding onto the symbol of the Statue of Liberty... > Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
A poem attached to the pedestal is neither a legal document nor a statement from the creator of the statue nor was the country asked if that poem was in line with their values. It's one person's personal viewpoint that got amplified by a small group of people with its placement. Not sure why you think it's some kind of "Gotcha!" or founding statement of the country's mission.
Re: Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Somehow an equilibrium was reached. I'm not exactly sure why the first year was so severe. Isn't that obvious? It's a species specialized to feed on one plant, and it met a huge amount of that plant which was previously undisturbed by its preying. The result is explosive, actually exponential growth, until there are more beetles than the plant stock can support. Then the beetle population collapses, and after that a…
It is not at all specialized on a single plant. It seems to like almost any leguminous plant. The reason it's considered invasive is because of the large variety of commercially important crops it also feeds on like cowpeas, soy beans, green beans, etc. Kudzu, wisteria, etc are not as commercially important but also are eaten
Ah, I assumed that it was specialized because it's called "kudzu bug" in the article. Still, the same logic applies: the species encountered a new habitat where its particular niche was probably not filled, enabling explosive growth.
Re: Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
#49There are places in Washington, DC, and its suburbs where the kudzu can be quite dense.
Re: Kudzu, the vine that never ate the south (2015)
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is not at all specialized on a single plant. It seems to like almost any leguminous plant. The reason it's considered invasive is because of the large variety of commercially important crops it also feeds on like cowpeas, soy beans, green beans, etc. Kudzu, wisteria, etc are not as commercially important but also are eaten
Ah, I assumed that it was specialized because it's called "kudzu bug" in the article. Still, the same logic applies: the species encountered a new habitat where its particular niche was probably not filled, enabling explosive growth.
I read up more and it's actually many many non-leguminous plants it attacks too. Seems like basically anything. There are native pests like that for pretty much every plant that grows in large populations so I highly doubt it found a new niche. It's success specifically seems to be due to just how much of a generalist it actually is
A more likely, though surely still incomplete, explanation may be due to the fact that the insecticides you need to repel it are broad spectrum and would kill beneficial insects just as well. Most other bugs that fulfill this ecological role have very targeted insecticidal sprays. So they end up at a comparative disadvantage to this generalist
A more likely explanation for their sudden decline imo is that there was probably some virus or other disease that evolved to pray on this now-ubiquitous bug. The bug also has a very particular relationship with its symbiotic gut microbes that seems really important. Such a virus/disease could also have targeted this symbiote. Either way I think the more likely explanation is that this generalist was countered with something that learned to specialize in it