Invasive species on Earth might prove useful on Mars

Mars_B4_Moon · 2024-03-31 18:18:45

Perhaps Mars will have large Biosphere structures or Domes with plant and animal life
any plant, inspect or mammal that invades on Earth and rapidly multiples is a danger to the ecosystem but Mars-biosphere will be completely new.

A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a garden or on a farm a particular situation, the weed is sometimes considered invasive also growing where it conflicts with human preferences, or goals, the term "weed" has no botanical significance what one person considers a weed another might consider a nice plant. On Earth there is constant digging of weed to remove it or dumping of plant killing chemicals into soil, the weed is species that can survive in diverse environments and reproduce quickly, a weed might be used to create biofuel or alcohols, the word "weed" is also used as street slang for Cannabis also known as marijuana. Weeds might have changed as human evolution changed, they may have come from rapidly-evolving plants taking advantage of human-disturbed environments, on Mars the ground or environment of a Biodome may be disturbed by robots.
The plants and animals will make biochemistry that can be used to change Mars, most of the early species selected may have to be invasive species from high elevation, dry desert or cold climates with little sunlight but which spread rapidly when introduced to another region.

if artificial Lakes are made perhaps an invader Frog on Earth is useful or made edible

plant and animal might be selectively bred and improved, they would also need to resist toxins in 'Mars Dust' and higher levels of radiation

Invasive species on Mars might be useful but on Earth

are non-native organisms that, when introduced to an area out of its native range, disrupt the community they invade. Non-native (exotic) refers to species occurring outside of their historic distribution. Invasive species have been intentionally or unintentionally introduced by humans into an ecosystem in which they did not evolve. Human transportation of people and goods, including the intentional transport of organisms for trade, has dramatically increased the introduction of species into new ecosystems.
https://bio.libretexts.org/Courses/Ever … ve_Species

invasive species, any nonnative species that significantly modifies or disrupts the ecosystems it colonizes
https://www.britannica.com/science/invasive-species

Here are some examples of invader tree, flower, insect or animal, or fish farm all of these [;any and creature may one day have use inside a Biosphere farm.

The Dandelion is a common plant all over the world, is considered a weed in some contexts. Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska lists Taraxacum officinale as the most common invasive species in the park and hosts an annual "Dandelion Demolition" event where volunteers are trained to remove the plant from the park's roadsides.
https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/n … pecies.htm
latex produced exhibits the same quality as the natural rubber from rubber trees
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 … 114547.htm
a Chinese company, invested $450 million into making commercially viable rubber from dandelions
http://www.rubbernews.com/article/20171 … ion-rubber
However the Dandelion could have many uses, in herbal medicinal demands and it also known to attract pollinating insects and release ethylene gas, which helps fruit to ripen.

Tussilago farfara invading Canada commonly known as coltsfoot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up8RVD1dqjM
Asian carp species in North America that have been destructive to native habitats.
https://thefishsite.com/articles/the-po … production
The gorse, lex europaeus, common gorse, furze or whin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Western Europe, gorse was used in some areas for feeding to horses and other livestock. Gorse (Ulex europaeus) was introduced to New Zealand in the early stages of European settlement. It is now a major invasive plant species with millions of dollars spent on its control, Biological pest control of gorse has been investigated since the 1920s, n different killing agents have been released in New Zealand but results have been mixed

English ivy identification and control
https://kingcounty.gov/en/legacy/servic … nglish-ivy
Understanding The Invasive Nature Of Chinese Wisteria Trees In Washington State
https://shuncy.com/article/is-the-chine … n-wa-state
Apocalypse Sow: Can Anything Stop the Feral Hog Invasion?
https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/tex … e-country/
They’ve overrun nearly the entire state, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage annually in spite of widespread attempts at eradication—including traps, contraceptives, and a heavily armed Ted Nugent.

The great Gypsy Moth war: A history of the first campaign in Massachusetts to Eradicate the Gypsy Moth, 1890-1901
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio … _1890-1901
Kudzu: The Invasive Vine that Ate the South
https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/w … e-species/
Kudzu looks innocent enough yet the invasive plant easily overtakes trees, abandoned homes and telephone poles.

Pace of growth: Up to a foot per day
Edible? Yes. Kudzu leaves, flowers and roots can be eaten. The root should be cooked.

Invasive Birds cloned for a Mars colony?

The common myna is native to Asia, with its initial home range spanning Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, peninsular Thailand, Indochina, Japan (both mainland Japan and the Ryukyu Islands) and China
http://www.oiseaux.net/birds/distributi … .myna.html
it now scientifically ranks among of the world's worst invasive species, how will it deal with soil toxins or increased radiation or lower gravity inside an artificial Mars Biosphere

Invasive species of large cactus
https://web.archive.org/web/20120504104 … l&card=S12
The maritime pine or cluster pine, Pinus pinaster, is a pine native to the south Atlantic Europe region and parts of the western Mediterranean. It is a hard, fast growing pine bearing small seeds with large wings. Pinus pinaster is an invader species but is widely planted for timber in its native area, being one of the most important trees in forestry in France, Spain and Portugal, useful source of turpentine and rosin, a source of flavonoids, catechins, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic acids, dietary supplement derived from extracts .
http://www.agrotec.pt/noticias/resinage … esperanca/
Lupinus arboreus, commonly known as the tree lupin in the USA, in some areas outside its native range, it is considered invasive and can pose problems for local ecosystems
https://plantiago.com/lupinus-arboreus/
Eastern mosquitofish or Gambusia holbrooki is a species of freshwater fish, which invaded the Philippines introduced from Florida also described as invasive species in Australia.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8717293
Chromolaena odorata ames include Siam weed, rouge plant, Christmas bush, jack in the box, devil weed it has dangers it is toxic to cattle and can also cause allergic reactions
https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/bioco … a-odorata/
Demographic model for Aleppo pine invading Argentinean grasslands
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a … 0022002447
Children’s Book in Japan Caused Japan’s North American Raccoon Problem
https://japaninformer.com/how-japan-inh … n-problem/
European Rabbits almost Took over Australia
https://academic.oup.com/book/53172
Chinese mitten crab also known as the Shanghai hairy crab, import of the species and trade in the species is forbidden in the whole of the European Union. https://web.archive.org/web/20170303185 … 43&from=EN It was reported in 1995 that residents of Greenwich saw Chinese mitten crabs coming out of the River Thames, and in 2014 one was found in the Clyde, in Scotland. The crabs have also been known to take up residence in swimming pools. In some places, the crabs have been found hundreds of miles from the sea. There is concern in areas with a substantial native crab fishery, such as the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and the Hudson River in New York (both locations where the crabs were first spotted in 2005), as the impact of the invasion by this species on the native population is unknown. Chinese mitten crabs have also invaded German waters, where they destroy fishing nets, hurt native fish species and damage local dams, causing damage of up to 80 million Euros. The crab meat is believed by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners to have a "cooling" (yin) effect on the body. Crabs from Yangcheng Lake are especially prized, since they are perceived to have sweeter meat. The Crab can easily tolerate many pollutants and take up heavy metals, can can expand in toxic polluted waters where other species may die.
Argentine ant an ant native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil, it might be risking to bring them to a Biodome but they might have use in consuming Leaves or Dead Material or perhaps feeding a Shrews, feeding an Ant-Eater, Aardvark, Frogs, Birds, Lizards.

Cold Regions, Tundra Plants & Climate

Red foxes colonizing the tundra: genetic analysis as a tool for population management
https://link.springer.com/article/10.10 … 016-0910-x
Invasives inching into boreal forests raise climate concerns
https://wildlife.org/invasives-inching- … -concerns/
Alaska’s most fearsome terrestrial invasive is the lovely, unstoppable Japanese knotweed
https://www.kcaw.org/2023/12/01/alaskas … -knotweed/
Japanese knotweed is classed as an unwanted organism in New Zealand and is established in some parts of the country
https://web.archive.org/web/20130212024 … c-knotweed
Bohemian knotweed, a hybrid between Japanese and giant knotweed that produces huge quantities of viable seeds, now accounts for about 80 per cent of knotweed infestations in British Columbia.
https://www.macleans.ca/society/science … ating-b-c/

Knotweed use?

popular with beekeepers, and its young stems are edible, making it an increasingly popular foraged vegetable with a flavour described as lemony rhubarb
an important source of nectar for honeybees, at a time of year when little else is flowering. Japanese knotweed yields a monofloral honey, usually called bamboo honey by northeastern U.S. beekeepers, like a mild-flavored version of buckwheat honey
Ground-feeding songbirds and gamebirds also eat the seeds.
Knotweed can grow up to 30 cm per day, hence it is a fast-growing vegetable tolerant of poor quality soils
It is eaten in Japan as sansai or wild foraged mountain vegetable. In Europe, young shoots have been used in restaurant cuisine

Dry Conditions

Bullfrogs and Mediterranean grasses flourish where they once never existed. Estimates are that exotic plants dominate as much as 60 percent of the vegetative cover of the Sonoita Creek Patagonia Reserve, the first Nature Conservancy area designated in Arizona.
https://news.arizona.edu/story/native-s … k-ua-press
At Grand Canyon, carp and catfish pervade the Colorado River, and tamarisk and red brome thrive along its banks.
How did these species get here? Why have their invasions been so successful? How have land managers stopped and failed to stop the incursions?

Invasion in the Desert: Why Some Plant Species are Survivors
https://news.arizona.edu/story/invasion … -survivors

Li is focusing on two of the coexistence mechanisms that are theorized to be the most effective, termed "storage effect," which refers to the fact that gain in population growth under good conditions can be stored even when species experience bad conditions, and "fitness-density covariance," which refers to how well species can build up population in their favorable habitat.

Marsh and Salt Damp areas

Sporobolus anglicus common cordgrass a species of cordgrass that originated in southern England, introduced to Asia, Australia, New Zealand and North America, where it has proved to be a serious invasive species causing extensive damage to natural saltmarsh ecosystem.
http://spartina.org/
'Building Soil with Salt Marshes' topic
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=5474

High Elevations

Invasive alien plant species dynamics in the Himalayan region under climate change
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6131134/
Are Non-native Plant Species a Threat to the Alps? Insights and Perspectives
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.10 … -67967-9_5

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2024-04-01 02:36:00)

tahanson43206 · 2024-03-31 19:23:16

This post is reserved for an index to posts that may be contributed by NewMars members over time.

This topic seems (to me at least) to have potential for development.

There may be some overlap with other topics that consider introduction of life forms to Mars.

The title invites a tight focus.

While suggestions for plants or animals to consider may be contributed, actual experiment on Earth would be more valuable to future readers.

(th)

Mars_B4_Moon · 2024-04-01 02:59:44

Tahanson I was thinking experimentation might be done through a local Mars Society or Local 'Science Group' where invasion has already taken place or where plant animal is native upon seeing reports that government and nations have put such extreme restrictions on invader species.

stack exchange discussions

https://space.stackexchange.com/questio … ts-on-mars

https://space.stackexchange.com/questio … lt-on-mars

https://space.stackexchange.com/questio … ts-on-mars

Earth related video on the threat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spTWwqVP_2s

Reptile, Vines, Rabbits

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2024-04-01 04:20:33)

Mars_B4_Moon · 2024-05-06 05:03:19

Plants in the Light of Ionizing Radiation: What Have We Learned From Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Other “Hot” Places?
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pl … 00552/full

Similar to accident sites, atomic bomb test sites offer a wide range of radionuclides and radiation levels that could be exploited for experimental tests of radiation effects on plant growth. For example the United States detonated 67 atomic bombs at the Marshall Islands and the Soviet Union tested 456 bombs in Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan. Vast quantities of radionuclides persist in these regions yet to our knowledge, there have been very few studies concerning the biological impacts of the fallout. Studies of organisms living in these regions could offer insights concerning evolved adaptive responses as most testing ended more than 60 years ago in these areas, or about twice as long since the Chernobyl accident which occurred in 1986.

In contrast to atomic bomb test sites and accidents at nuclear facilities, there are geographic regions where naturally occurring radiation can reach very high levels (three orders of magnitude above global mean levels), as found in India, China, Iran, Turkey, Namibia, and Brazil among others

In space, and on Mars, the radiation environment consists of the solar electromagnetic spectrum and a diverse array of charged particles from both within and outside our solar system (Nelson, 2016). Terrestrial and even low earth orbit environments are largely shielded from these sources because of the Earth’s magnetosphere and atmosphere which deflect most of the heavy ions stemming from galactic cosmic radiation. Because of this, it is extremely difficult to conduct experiments on Earth that mimic the space environment for biologically relevant time periods.

The Sandy Rocky Cold High Altitude Farm or Rock Garden, Lithophytes are plants growing in or on rocks, NH3 Lithophytes consume atmospheric ammonia. Asarina is a flowering plant genus, the trailing snapdragon, native to France and Spain and introduced in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, not really considered an invader, Pests and Diseases - None worth mentioning..
https://www.rainyside.com/plant_gallery … mbens.html
Ferns some of the oldest plants on Earth that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers, on Earth they make a significant input to the nitrogen nutrition of rice paddies, Ferns are the national emblem of New Zealand. Lantana flowering plants are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but are an introduced species of invaders in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region, South and Northeastern part of India and Bangladesh. Pinguicula is a plant which can be used as insect pest control, commonly known as butterworts, they hey use sticky, glandular leaves to lure, trap, and digest insects, its properties were used by Scandinavians to ferment milk, Europeans applied butterwort leaves to the sores of cattle to promote healing, the plant produce a strong bactericide. Some species have lost to others and some are re-established by conservation programs, restoration of Takahe population, long threats of extinction a flightless bird of New Zealand, South Island Takahe now find protection in Fiordland National Park the largest national park, Mars could have unique gardens saving certain life from extinction.

Australia

$423 billion per year and rising: The cost of invasive species revealed
https://invasives.org.au/media-releases … -revealed/

Zombie plants coming back to life
https://www.blogto.com/city/2024/04/inv … rio-lakes/
A pesky invasive plant species is wreaking havoc across Ontario lakes, and aquatic experts say its complete eradication is unlikely.
Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) — also known as the "zombie plant" — gets its nickname from its ability to come back to life even after being severed from its root.
The plant was first found in Ontario in Lake Erie in 1961 and has since spread throughout all of the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, as well as the inland lakes throughout the province.

Plant ‘time bombs’ highlight how sneaky invasive species can be
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/pla … ystem-time
The sycamore maple seemed harmless for over 300 years. Then it started growing out of control

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#1 2024-03-31 18:18:45

Invasive species on Earth might prove useful on Mars

#2 2024-03-31 19:23:16

Re: Invasive species on Earth might prove useful on Mars

#3 2024-04-01 02:59:44

Re: Invasive species on Earth might prove useful on Mars

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