Control and Management

USGS is applying decision analysis to identify cost-effective methods for controlling invasive species like the Argentine black and white tegu.

Melaleuca is an invasive tree that is highly problematic in the Everglades, threatening native wildlife and habitat. USGS is helping to improve management strategies for the invasive plant.

Invasive species threaten biodiversity around the world, especially on islands. USGS scientists are helping to identify fish species that have the greatest potential to invade the fresh waters of Microneisa.

Title of Study Plan : Residual toxicity testing and chemical characterization of ballast water following treatment with NaOH, sparging with scrubbed marine diesel engine exhaust, and aeration

Thousands of hectares of retired farmland are planted with tallgrass prairie species each year. If the methods used and resulting characteristics of these prairies are recorded, compiled, and analyzed, they can provide a valuable resource for evaluating seed mixes, planting methods, and post-planting management. Toward this end, collaborators in the Prairie Reconstruction Initiative, funded by the...

In managing invasive species, land managers and policy makers need information to help allocate scarce resources as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Introduced rats are notorious predators of birds and their nests worldwide, but especially on remote islands. Rats ( Rattus exulans ) first arrived in Hawai‘i with Polynesian colonists about 1,000 years ago, resulting in deleterious consequences for native birds and ecosystems. Since Western contact in 1778, two additional rat species have become established in Hawai‘i, including the highly...

If invasive plants are producing pollen and nectar used by native pollinators, what happens when a manager decides to control the invasive plant? Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is addressing this question and has found that pollinators are adept at changing their resource acquisition strategies as abundantly flowering invasive species decline. In addition, it appears that the invasive...

Red swamp crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii) and Rusty crayfish ( Faxonius rusticus ) are invasive crayfish species in nearly all Great Lakes states (https://nas.er.usgs.gov/viewer/omap.aspx?SpeciesID=217). Both species are a concern in Michigan because they can displace native crayfish populations, their feeding behavior reduces habitat for amphibians, juvenile fish, invertebrates, and waterfowl...

Lampricides are usually ordered and produced in large quantities every two or three years depending on projected need. The majority of the lampricides are used within three years. The chemical stability of lampricides stored under normal standard operating procedures is not known beyond three years. Product that has been stored for more than 3 years has to be tested for percent active ingredient...

Islands and atolls throughout the Pacific have been impacted by invasive ant species. Threatening native ants and other arthropods with their aggressive behavior and ability to colonize large geographic areas, invasive ants pose one of the most serious threats to island ecosystems. This project focuses on three areas of the Pacific: American Samoa, Rose Atoll, and Johnston Atoll.

The USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) provides regulatory affairs assistance to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), state and private partners in matters regarding numerous registrations of the lampricides TFM and niclosamide in the U.S. and Canada. The result of this technical...