Research by Topic

The USGS Invasive Species Program provides methodologies, information, and research to address the threat of invasive species to ecosystems and native species. As the primary research agency within the Department of the Interior, the Program places special emphasis on lands and waters managed by the Department. The Program supports cooperative efforts to document and monitor the introduction and spread of invasive species, study the ecology of invaders and factors in the resistance of habitats to invasion, to forecast probabilities and locations of future invasions, provide methods and information to assess and manage risks, and develop methods to prevent and control invasive species and minimize their environmental impacts.

USGS scientists conduct research on invasive species in all regions of the US and in a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as well as on a variety of taxa, including aquatic invertebrates, fish, terrestrial invertebrates, terrestrial vertebrates (birds, mammals etc.), reptiles, and plants. USGS research on invasive species is guided by the USGS Invasive Species Program Five Year Program Plan.  This plan outlines goals, strategies, and requirements for significantly increasing USGS efforts during the next five years to help Department of the Interior managers and the nation respond more rapidly and effectively to the growing threats from invasive species. Primary areas of research include:

• conducting research and developing methods and technologies to prevent the introduction of invasive species;
• identifying and reporting new invasions and assess risks to natural areas and waters;
• assessing changes and distributions of established invaders;
• determining the effects of invasive species and susceptibility of habitats to invasion;
• providing approaches to contain, reduce, and eliminate populations of invasive species and restore habitats and native species; and
• providing and coordinating the collection, synthesis, and accessibility of invasive species information.
  
  

The long-term goals of the USGS Invasive Species Program are driven by the need to provide the knowledge and tools to support effective science-based strategies for prevention, early detection, and prompt eradication of new invaders and for control of rapidly spreading species representing all major taxonomic groups of invaders in U.S. ecosystems. Specific long-term goals and the kinds of activities that will be conducted to meet them can be found in the following topical research goals, as defined in the Strategic Plan.  Additionally, Invasive Species Research projects can be found by searching the Science Center pages.

Effects of Invasive Species - Nonindigenous Fishes  | Ballast water | Ecological Effects | zebra mussels | Asian clams | carbon dioxide effects | Pre-fire fuel Manipulation		Early Detection and Rapid Assessment of New Invaders - Brown Treesnake Research | Ballast Treatment | Cichlid fishes | Ecological Forecasting | Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database | Forecasting and Mapping | Early Detection | Rapid Assessment Forecasting (ED/RR) | Southwest Exotic Plant Information Clearinghouse (SWEPIC) | Southwest Exotic Plant Mapping Project (SWEMP) | Nutria Population Dynamics | Seedbank | Seedling ecology | Scleria lacustris
Information Management - Intermountain Restoration Project | Ecological Forecasting | Distributed Databases (NISbase) |  Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database | Documenting and Mapping Invasive Species | Early Detection/Rapid Assessment | Fire | Southwest Exotic Plant Information Clearinghouse (SWEPIC) | Southwest Exotic Plant Mapping Project (SWEMP)		Control and Management of Invasive Species - Arid Sagebrush | Ballast Treatment  | Repellant and Attractant Pheromones | Bighead | Silver Carp | Intermountain Restoration Project | Native and Invasive Riparian Plant Distributions | Mouflon | Forest Ecosystems Restoration |Fire Effects | Pinyon Juniper | Invasive Annual Grasses | Western Ecosystem | Fire | Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) Growth | Sagebrush Steppe | Weed Control | zebra mussels | Asian clams| Nutria Population | Palila Restoration | Feral Cats | Sea Lamprey Control | Alien Yellowjackets	"The Parasitic Sea Lamprey: A Great Lakes Invader" (Video)
Prevention - Species Analyst Model | zebra mussels | Nonindigenous Fishes | Ballast water | Asian clams | pre-fire fuel reduction		Monitoring and Forecasting ofInvasive Species - Cichlid fishes | Species identification | Species distribution | Ecological Forecasting Models | NAS Database | NAS Alert System | Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |  Documenting, Forecasting and Mapping Invasive Species | Early Detection | Rapid Assessment Forecasting (ED/RR) | Asian Swamp Eel (Monopterus Synbranchidae) | Southwest Exotic Plant Information Clearinghouse (SWEPIC) | Southwest Exotic Plant Mapping Project (SWEMP) | Nutria Population | Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) | Species distribution | Seedbank | seedling ecology | Scleria lacustris