3 ms·

You'd still need some human control, to stop invasive species (eg the Kudzu vine comes to mind) from killing off other species.

jdmichal 9y ago
Yes. Nature is not static. If your goal is a static status quo, that will still require human intervention.
undersuit 9y ago
Human control is the exact reason why Kudzu is an invasive species.
- Jetroid 9y ago
  Kudzu is an invasive species because it out-competes other types of flora. It is not an invasive species purely because of human control. True, humans have helped it affect other species by moving them, but if Kudzu somehow (perhaps a form of geological change happens in thousands of years like a land bridge, or continental shift, or maybe the seeds are simply moved by some migrating population of bird) reached these new ecosystems by it's own means, it would still be an invasive species. My point is that unless there is some way to restrict which 'biomes' different organisms can inhabit, some invasive species will outcompete others, particularly if some less competitive species are evolved for specific niche environments only found on Earth. This segregation is not likely to happen naturally as it has on earth, and thus the idealistic diversity and preservation that yohann305 was hoping for wouldn't occur without human intervention and control.
  - lightbyte 9y ago
    An invasive species is by definition something not native to an area. >if Kudzu somehow (perhaps a form of geological change happens in thousands of years like a land bridge, or continental shift, or maybe the seeds are simply moved by some migrating population of bird) reached these new ecosystems by it's own means, it would still be an invasive species. If the plant migrated on it's own than that area is now its native area.
    - Jetroid 9y ago
      No, an invasive species is one that is an alien to the area and that is likely to cause damage to the ecosystem it is now present in. [1] Human influence is the main cause, but species may get there by other means. [2] Transport vector is unimportant to the definition of invasive species or not. One study considers a definition where species which are native but that are causing ecological damage could be considered an 'invasive species'. [3] Also from [3]: > Invading propagules begin as residents in a potential donor region (stage 0), some of which are taken into the transport vector (stage I), usually by humans. If these propagules survive transport and release to become introduced (stage II), they have the potential to establish (stage III) in a novel environment. Note that 'stage I' notes 'usually by humans', not 'by humans'. Ie. a species which uses some natural phenomena as a transport vector can still be considered an invasive species. [1] says similar - "Human actions are the primary means of invasive species introductions." - implying that non-human methods are also possible for invasive species introductions. It's nonsensical to say that as soon as something migrates using a natural phenomena that it becomes a 'native' to that area. [1] https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/whatis.shtml https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/whatis.shtml [2] https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/toolkit/vectors.shtml https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/toolkit/vectors.shtml [3] http://www.esf.edu/efb/parry/502_reading/colautti2004.pdf http://www.esf.edu/efb/parry/502_reading/colautti2004.pdf

jdmichal 9y ago

Yes. Nature is not static. If your goal is a static status quo, that will still require human intervention.

undersuit 9y ago

Human control is the exact reason why Kudzu is an invasive species.

Jetroid 9y ago
Kudzu is an invasive species because it out-competes other types of flora. It is not an invasive species purely because of human control. True, humans have helped it affect other species by moving them, but if Kudzu somehow (perhaps a form of geological change happens in thousands of years like a land bridge, or continental shift, or maybe the seeds are simply moved by some migrating population of bird) reached these new ecosystems by it's own means, it would still be an invasive species. My point is that unless there is some way to restrict which 'biomes' different organisms can inhabit, some invasive species will outcompete others, particularly if some less competitive species are evolved for specific niche environments only found on Earth. This segregation is not likely to happen naturally as it has on earth, and thus the idealistic diversity and preservation that yohann305 was hoping for wouldn't occur without human intervention and control.
- lightbyte 9y ago
  An invasive species is by definition something not native to an area. >if Kudzu somehow (perhaps a form of geological change happens in thousands of years like a land bridge, or continental shift, or maybe the seeds are simply moved by some migrating population of bird) reached these new ecosystems by it's own means, it would still be an invasive species. If the plant migrated on it's own than that area is now its native area.
  - Jetroid 9y ago
    No, an invasive species is one that is an alien to the area and that is likely to cause damage to the ecosystem it is now present in. [1] Human influence is the main cause, but species may get there by other means. [2] Transport vector is unimportant to the definition of invasive species or not. One study considers a definition where species which are native but that are causing ecological damage could be considered an 'invasive species'. [3] Also from [3]: > Invading propagules begin as residents in a potential donor region (stage 0), some of which are taken into the transport vector (stage I), usually by humans. If these propagules survive transport and release to become introduced (stage II), they have the potential to establish (stage III) in a novel environment. Note that 'stage I' notes 'usually by humans', not 'by humans'. Ie. a species which uses some natural phenomena as a transport vector can still be considered an invasive species. [1] says similar - "Human actions are the primary means of invasive species introductions." - implying that non-human methods are also possible for invasive species introductions. It's nonsensical to say that as soon as something migrates using a natural phenomena that it becomes a 'native' to that area. [1] https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/whatis.shtml https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/whatis.shtml [2] https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/toolkit/vectors.shtml https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/toolkit/vectors.shtml [3] http://www.esf.edu/efb/parry/502_reading/colautti2004.pdf http://www.esf.edu/efb/parry/502_reading/colautti2004.pdf