Giving Compass' Take:

• Two new studies focus on taking an integrated approach to the management of aquatic invasive species.

• What are some other sustainable and non-toxic ways of dealing with pests? How can philanthropy advance these solutions? 

• Learn how invasive plants play a role in sparking wildfires.

Though small and somewhat nondescript, quagga and zebra mussels pose a huge threat to local rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Stewards of local waterways, reservoirs, and water recreation areas remain vigilant to the possibility of infestation by these and other non-native organisms.

Now, researchers are adding to this arsenal of prevention measures with the two studies in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management.

“With integrated pest management you’re looking for multiple ways to manipulate vulnerabilities of a pest, targeting different life stages with different methods in a combined way that can reduce the pest population with minimal harm to people and the environment,” says Carolynn Culver, a research scientist based at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an extension specialist with California Sea Grant who also holds an academic appointment at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

“Often there is concentrated effort on controlling one part of the life cycle, like removing adults—which are easier to see—without thinking about the larvae that are out there.”

Read the full article about dealing with invasive species without toxic stuff by Sonia Fernandez at Futurity.