Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 08:39:47 -0500 (CDT) From: Paul Burkhardt <burkhard@aries.scs.uiuc.edu> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4119$foo@default> Subject: Re: Here we go again...
Hi Paul and list,
> > I almost always see D.rotundifolia, D.intermedia and D.
> > filiformis growing near each other. Would introducing VFT to such an
> > area really cause harm?
> >
> Or d. capillaris... I just can't picture that tiny sundew going on a
> murderous rampage through the bogs
But what's the point? Why add D. capillaris to a bog where it doesn't
naturally exist? I don't mean to pick on you Paul or anyone else, but I
fail to understand the reasoning behind just planting CPs everywhere.
> Again, the simple fact of outdoor artificial bogs at locations
> anywhere close (defined as a bird's ability to fly from my backyard bog
> to a natural bog) to a natural bog make most of the introduction
> hysteria just that... hysteria. Or does the wind know to steer clear of
> natural bogs?
First off, how important are birds to the pollination and distribution of
CPs? I would consider it practically nil. If a bird does manage to carry
off either a plant or seed pod and drops it off into a bog which doesn't
contain that particular species, the chances of it establishing itself
would also be very small. There just wouldn't be enough biomass to offset
the environmental pressures. Sowing seeds is very different. In this case,
there is a much more dense distribution as well as greater quantity, and
if one is particular interested in success, then choosing or making a
'clearing' for these seeds could easily be done. The truth is, animals
will never match what humans can do as far as distributing non-indigenous
plants.
Paul Burkhardt
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