Early Detection and Rapid Assessment of New Invaders

The Invasive Species Program identifies and reports new invasions and assesses risks to natural areas and waters.  As part of their strategic plan, they strive to:

• Develop methods for improved taxonomic identification, including molecular applications
• Develop field survey and mapping methods for early detection
• Design reporting networks
• Synthize available information on species distribution and ecology in native and invaded ranges
• Take advantage of geographic information system (GIS) technologies and methodologies for modeling and forecasting to help predict potential spread and probable risks of species new to the U.S. and outbreaks of established invasions in new ecological regions, ecosystems and watersheds
• Develop assessments to support decisions on response strategies

Below is a sampling of research conducted in USGS Science Centers that deal with Early Detection and Rapid Assessment of New Invaders:

• Application of Species Analyst Model to Predict Establishment and Potential Dispersal of Nonindigenous Fishes - (Principle Investigator: Jim Williams, FISC)
  
  
• Brown Treesnake Research Strategies - (Principle Investigator: Gordon Rodda, FORT)
  
  
• Building Experimental Capacity to Assess Ballast Treatment Effectiveness and Residual Risk - (Principle Investigator: Scott Smith, WFRC)
  
  
• Cichlid fishes of the Southeastern United States: Identification, Distribution, and Environmental Considerations - (Principle Investigator: Howard Jelks, FISC)
  
  
• Developing Ecological Forecasting Models With High Performance Computing (in partnership with NASA) - (Principle Investigator: Tom Stohlgren, FORT)
  
  
• Development of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database - (Principle Investigator: Amy Benson, FISC)
  
  
• Documenting, Mapping, and Predicting Invasive Plants, Animals, and Diseases in the United States - (Principle Investigator: Tom Stohlgren, MESC)
  
  
• ED/RR Technical Assistance - (Principle Investigator: Randy Westbrooks, NWRC)
  
  
• NBII Invasive Species Information Node - (Principle Investigator: Catherine Jarnevich, MESC)
  
  
• Non-native, Invasive Plant Information for the Southwest: Southwest Exotic Plant Information Clearinghouse (SWEPIC)and Southwest Exotic Plant Mapping Project (SWEMP) - (Principle Investigator: Kathryn Thomas, SBSC)
  
  
• Seed Bank and Regeneration Ecology of the Invasive Sedge, Scleria lacustris,in Seasonal Marshes of Florida - (Principle Investigator: Colette Jacono, FISC)