IOWA: New NSF- funded study looks at freshwater snail invasion
In a new study, biologists at the University of Iowa looked at why a type of freshwater snail that has invaded ecosystems worldwide has been so successful. Their conclusion: The lineages that were the most successful invaders matured and reproduced more quickly than noninvasive counterparts within the species.
The NSF-supported study was published in the journal Oecologia.
“"Humans are moving more and more species around the world, leading to an ever-increasing number of species invasions,” says Sam Scheiner, a program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology. “Learning to control such invasions is more important than ever.”
"A lot of invasive species research focuses on prevention measures. We have so many invasive species, once they're there and established, it's harder to get rid of them," says Maurine Neiman, the study’s senior author. "If we can find some way to predict what would be good invasive species, we could implement prevention measures."