Anthony Ricciardi | Lightnews

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 7h

This has happened several times before:
Aral Sea (a large inland lake)
Lake Amik, Turkey
Ulaan Lake, Mongolia
Lake Poopó, Bolivia
Lake Chad
Tulare Lake, California
etc

Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 19h

"Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has lost over 90% of its water since the 1970s due to damming, drought, and agricultural demands.... This ecological catastrophe serves as a stark warning about the consequences of water mismanagement in an era of climate change"

#Iran 🇮🇷

How Iran Destroyed it’s Largest Lake.

YouTube video by Urban Atlas

youtu.be

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 7h

www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-bio...

India’s natural areas losing 15,500 sq km a year to fast-spreading invasive species

New study warns invasive alien plants are spreading across 15,500 km² of India’s natural areas annually, threatening biodiversity, farmland, and livelihoods. Driven by climate change and land-use shif...

www.downtoearth.org.in

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 7h

news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Introduced species are changing how seeds move on islands, global study shows

Virginia Tech’s contribution helped reveal how the loss of native dispersers and the rise of invasive species are transforming island forests.

news.vt.edu

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 7h

www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/gal...

Scientists sound alarm over explosive invasion threatening major islands: 'They're really loud'

The Galápagos Islands are facing a fast-moving threat from an unexpected source: Fowler's snouted treefrogs.

www.thecooldown.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 16h

I adore @ellecordova.bsky.social. www.facebook.com/ellecordovam...

544K views · 30K reactions | Protect science! 🧪 It’s the most precious thing we have. #science | Elle Cordova

Protect science! 🧪 It’s the most precious thing we have. #science

www.facebook.com

Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 19h

"Lake Urmia, once the largest lake in the Middle East, has lost over 90% of its water since the 1970s due to damming, drought, and agricultural demands.... This ecological catastrophe serves as a stark warning about the consequences of water mismanagement in an era of climate change"

#Iran 🇮🇷

How Iran Destroyed it’s Largest Lake.

YouTube video by Urban Atlas

youtu.be

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 1d

Scientists want their articles cited. We hope our work will be used to clarify concepts, shape ideas, fuel debates, or inspire new research.

But I think most of us would rather not be cited than to have our work egregiously misinterpreted. For example, see the thread below
bsky.app/profile/ecoi...

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · Nov 21

Have you ever published a scientific article that's been incorrectly used to promote flawed arguments or ideology? Example: Ricciardi & Cohen 2007 found that nonnative spp with exceptionally high colonization success &/or rates of spread did not typically cause strong impacts on native populations.🧵

coastalreview.org @coastalreview.bsky.social · 2d

Guest commentary: Invasive species pose a serious challenge for ecosystems that have not evolved alongside them, and such is the case with NC's crystal skipper and the nonnative horses allowed to roam the barrier islands that are the butterfly's only habitat.
coastalreview.org/2025/12/opin...

Opinion: For whose benefit are barrier island horses? | Coastal Review

Guest commentary: Invasive species pose a serious challenge for ecosystems that have not evolved alongside them, and such is the case with North Carolina's crystal skipper and the nonnative horses all...

coastalreview.org

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 2d

2] The report is similar to the IPCC report on climate change, in terms of reporting the scientific consensus that a form of human-driven global change (in this case, #bioinvasion) is a major & growing threat to biodiversity, ecosystems, and human well being. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Curbing the major and growing threats from invasive alien species is urgent and achievable

Nature Ecology & Evolution - This Perspective highlights the global consensus on the urgency and growing threat of invasive alien species, and management needs, as found by the 2023 report on...

www.nature.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 2d

1] The global threat posed by invasive non-native species is outlined in the 2023 IPBES assessment report, the most comprehensive analysis of its kind. Its findings are based on the work of 80 international experts reviewing 13,000 scientific papers. Their conclusions are unequivocal. ipbes.net/ias

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 3d

Polynesian rats, introduced with the arrival of colonists circa 1200, rapidly grew into a massive population and consumed most of the island's tree seeds, thereby preventing forest regeneration after humans cleared land for cultivation. #bioinvasion phys.org/news/2025-11...

Studies show how the giant statues on Rapa Nui were made and moved—and what caused the island's deforestation

Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is often portrayed in popular culture as an enigma. The rationale is clear: The tiny, remote island in the Pacific features nearly 1,000 enormous statues—the moa...

phys.org

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 3d

A study of introductions of large herbivorous mammals outside their native range suggests they do more harm than good to local biodiversity. Only 1 in 5 impacts is positive. Positive effects on certain native species often come at a cost to other natives. #bioinvasions www.unifr.ch/news/en/3344...

Saving a species but at the expense of others?

The way to hell is paved with good intentions. In the hope of saving certain endangered species and ecosystems, some conservation projects propose the introduction of large plant-feeding mammals int...

www.unifr.ch

Roostersworldja @roostersworldja.bsky.social · 4d

The mongoose was introduced to Jamaica in 1872 to control rats in sugar cane fields but it quickly became one of the worst invasive species on the island. It preys on our native lizards, snakes, frogs, birds, and their eggs, pushing some species to extinction and others to the brink.
Q

Dr Manu Saunders @manusaunders.bsky.social · 4d

Kudos to the scientists who contributed the evidence to show that feral horses cause irreparable damage to ecosystems. This bill protected an invasive species in one of Australia's most important alpine national parks; repealing it is a major win for the environment www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...

Controversial 'Brumby Bill' recognising horses' heritage value dumped

A widely criticised bill recognising the heritage value of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park will be scrapped in a move celebrated by the Invasive Species Council.

www.abc.net.au

Professor Euan Ritchie @euanritchie.bsky.social · 4d

Honestly, when will unis and other research orgs collectively say enough is enough, and invoice them for all our unpaid labour that drives publishers MASSIVE profits?

The Money in Scientific Publishing danielroelfs.com/posts/the-mo... @danielroelfs.com

#KnowledgeSlavery

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 7d

Which should come as no surprise to most zoologists. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Integrative phylogenomics positions sponges at the root of the animal tree

Determining whether sponges or ctenophores root the animal tree has important implications for understanding early animal evolution. Here, we examined support for these competing hypotheses by constru...

www.science.org

Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 7d

Many people still imagine beekeeping and honey making are somehow 'good for nature'.

But it's the *total* opposite.
share.google/1csfRNfR3lnL...

“A beehive is as natural as a pasture of grazing sheep.” Why beekeeping is causing a huge problem for wild bees – according to scientists | Discover Wildlife

A dramatic rise in the number of managed beehives is negatively impacting wild pollinating insects

share.google

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 7d

The passion that drives researchers. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...

Researcher cries after finding rare flower in Indonesia

A team of researchers describe the "magical" experience of finding a rare species of flower in bloom deep in the Sumatran rainforest after a 23-hour trek.

www.abc.net.au

ICES - International Council for the Exploration of the Sea @icesmarine.bsky.social · 8d

🗺️What role does marine debris play in the spead of non-indigenous species on Oceanic Islands in the Northeast Atlantic?
Experts in our Working Group on Marine Bioinvasions (WGBIOINV) tell us more 🗺️ www.ices.dk/news-and-eve...

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 10d

wildlife.org/watch-once-e...

Watch: Once extinct, reintroduced snails glow with hope - The Wildlife Society

Conservationists conduct the largest release ever of recovering extinct-in-the-wild snails

wildlife.org

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 11d

Both countries have harmonized regs for ships entering the seaway, mandating saltwater flushing of ballast tanks. Lakers (domestic ships) are exempt. But they move organisms between ports in the Great Lakes. Canada requires them to install systems to treat ballast water. www.wpr.org/news/conflic...

Tensions mount over conflicting ballast water regulations on the Great Lakes

American shippers are at odds with the Canadian government over its regulations that require all Great Lakes vessels or “lakers” to install systems to treat their ballast water by 2030.

www.wpr.org

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 11d

In the 1960s NATO scientists treated biodiversity as a strategic asset. Inspired by Charles Elton, they viewed complex ecosystems as being less vulnerable to disruption by warfare: www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/o.... Now economists are recognizing risks of biodiversity loss www.iflr.com/article/2a63...

Biodiversity concerns set to be the next frontier after climate change

With the rise of natural capital initiatives such as the TNFD, systemic risk issues related to ecosystem collapse will soon receive the same amount of attention as climate change

www.iflr.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 12d

2/2] The study supports the view (Ricciardi et al. 2011) that invasions should be managed as natural disasters, with similar investments in infrastructure & emergency response plans to protect against extreme events (like a major earthquake or wildfire) whose occurrence is unlikely but unacceptable.

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 12d

Another reminder: Biological invasions are at least as costly as earthquakes, floods & wildfires. Their prevention deserves similar precautionary investments as those applied to extreme natural hazards. #bioinvasions
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Biological invasions are as costly as natural hazards

Natural hazards — such as storms, floods, and wildfires — can be disastrous phenomena and so can biological invasions, for which impacts are often irr…

www.sciencedirect.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 12d

A reminder, from the 2023 IPBES assessment of invasive alien species. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Invasive species cost humans $423bn each year and threaten world’s diversity

At least 3,500 harmful invasive species recorded in every region on Earth spread by human activity, says UN report

www.theguardian.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 12d

Quote: "There are a more living cells on Earth — a million trillion trillion (or 10^30 in math notation, a 1 followed by 30 zeros) — than there are stars in the universe or grains of sand on our planet."
www.nytimes.com/2023/12/01/s...

Exactly How Much Life Is on Earth? (Published 2023)

www.nytimes.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 12d

theweek.com/environment/...

The UK’s surprising ‘wallaby boom’

The Australian marsupial has ‘colonised’ the Isle of Man and is now making regular appearances on the UK mainland

theweek.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 13d

Agreed.
bsky.app/profile/ecoi...

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · Dec 8

Controversial view: If one defines 'nonnative' in evolutionary terms (as I do), then humans are properly viewed as nonnative outside of Africa. If you define 'invasive' as being superabundant, spreading rapidly & causing ecological disruption, then the human species fits that definition too. 🧵 1/n

Emerald Ash Borer Network @emeraldashborer.bsky.social · 14d

Researchers in New Hampshire are studying how ash loss from #EmeraldAshBorer may mirror the disappearance of American chestnut, tracking impacts on forest biodiversity, soil and ecosystem health.

Read more: newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/10/13/w...

#InvasiveSpecies #Entomology 🧪🌍🍁

What can the emerald ash borer reveal about the long-ago loss of American chestnut? • New Hampshire Bulletin

For more than 70 years, the American chestnut tree has, mostly, been absent from the landscape. But historical accounts of its grandeur and the tons of nutritious seeds it produced every fall have mad...

newhampshirebulletin.com

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 14d

bsky.app/profile/ecoi...

Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · Nov 9

Two flawed rhetorical arguments are repeatedly used to downplay the risks of introduced non-native species.
One argument is:
“The vast majority of non-native species are not a threat to native biodiversity or ecosystems (so concern about them is overblown)”.
This overlooks a few crucial points...🧵

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