2008 Woodie Awards
Briefs
Issue date: 4/20/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Exotic species can degrade ecosystems, ISU researcher finds
Idaho State University stream ecologist Dr. Colden Baxter is the primary author of a study showing that exotic species can degrade not only the ecosystems they invade, but also adjacent habitats as well.
The study shows that introducing non-native rainbow trout into streams can affect a range of wildlife, from native fish and other aquatic organisms to predators in the adjoining forest.
"Fish Invasion Restructures Stream and Forest Food Webs by Interrupting Reciprocal Prey Subsidies," by Baxter and Drs. Kurt Fausch, Masashi Murakami and Phillip Chapman, was recently published in the prestigious professional journal Ecology.
Baxter joined the ISU faculty in December as assistant professor in the department of biological sciences. He was previously at Colorado State University.
"The theme of my research is crossing boundaries in nature and among scientific disciplines," says Baxter. "This study did both, but also crossed cultural boundaries, as the research was conducted during three summers spent in northern Japan."
The study examined the invasion of non-native rainbow trout in Hokkaido. It showed that the consequences of introducing exotic trout in native systems have been underestimated and include both direct and indirect effects.
According to Baxter, "The direct effects are simply 'who eats whom?'" The indirect effect, that introducing non-native rainbow trout can affect predators in the adjacent forest, was eyebrow-raising.
Idaho State University stream ecologist Dr. Colden Baxter is the primary author of a study showing that exotic species can degrade not only the ecosystems they invade, but also adjacent habitats as well.
The study shows that introducing non-native rainbow trout into streams can affect a range of wildlife, from native fish and other aquatic organisms to predators in the adjoining forest.
"Fish Invasion Restructures Stream and Forest Food Webs by Interrupting Reciprocal Prey Subsidies," by Baxter and Drs. Kurt Fausch, Masashi Murakami and Phillip Chapman, was recently published in the prestigious professional journal Ecology.
Baxter joined the ISU faculty in December as assistant professor in the department of biological sciences. He was previously at Colorado State University.
"The theme of my research is crossing boundaries in nature and among scientific disciplines," says Baxter. "This study did both, but also crossed cultural boundaries, as the research was conducted during three summers spent in northern Japan."
The study examined the invasion of non-native rainbow trout in Hokkaido. It showed that the consequences of introducing exotic trout in native systems have been underestimated and include both direct and indirect effects.
According to Baxter, "The direct effects are simply 'who eats whom?'" The indirect effect, that introducing non-native rainbow trout can affect predators in the adjacent forest, was eyebrow-raising.