Spotted lanternflies, Japanese barberry, Oriental bittersweet – When plants and animals like these invade our environment, they can disrupt other organisms that are native to the region. But can we stop these species? And should we?

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

If you’ve ever seen a shrubby plant with red leaves, chances are, it’s a Japanese barberry- an invasive plant in Rhode Island. And If you’ve seen a spotted lanternfly, you’ve seen an invasive insect.

It seems like invasive species are all over the place. But what exactly are they, and should we do anything about them?

We had Andrea Li and Leo Nachamie from our Possibly Team look into this.

Andrea Li: Hi, Megan!

Leo Nachamie: Hello!

Megan Hall: So first of all, what exactly is an invasive species?

Andrea Li: That’s a great question. To find out, we talked to Dov Sax, a Professor of Environment and Society at Brown University. He says you first have to understand the difference between native and non-native species.

Dov Sax: A native species is normally defined as something that has historically been found in some part of the world, and a non-native is something that has arrived more recently, often introduced by humans.

Leo Nachamie: Non-native species make up a huge part of our global economy. Cows, for example, are not native to the US. But our lives would be pretty different without them.

Megan Hall: Is invasive species just another name for non-native?

Andrea Li: No. A non-native species becomes invasive when it starts to hurt the other things around it.

Dov Sax: The strict scientific definition for invasive is usually something that is problematic, whether it’s to human health or the economy or to native species.

Leo Nachamie: That’s where an insect like our good friend the spotted lanternfly comes in. They’re considered invasive because they decrease the yield of various crops.

Andrea Li: And L.A’s palm trees are actually not native. Some argue that they’re invasive because they can pose a pretty big fire risk. Whether they’re really invasive is up to debate, though.

Megan Hall: Wait, we don’t know for sure?

Leo Nachamie: Yeah, the definition of “invasive” actually gets pretty hazy. Dov says…

Dov Sax: Invasive is in the eye of the beholder, and any individual non native species will have a multitude of benefits and costs different groups of people might perceive some of those particular benefits or costs as being larger than the others.

Megan Hall: Got it. But let’s suppose almost everyone agrees that a species is invasive. Is there anything we can do about it?

Andrea Li: According to Dov, it might be possible to get rid of that species if it’s in a really small area.

Leo Nachamie: But in the case of bigger areas…

Dov Sax: Once something is spread out far across the landscape, then your only real option is what’s called biological control, or bio control, and that’s usually introducing other non-natives that we want to help us control a particular species.

Megan Hall: How do those other non-natives help?

Andrea Li: Dov says,

Dov Sax: The way that works is you go to the native range of the invasive species in question, and look for some predator that evolved with it that’s good at eating it.

Megan Hall: Woah. Does that work?

Andrea Li: Not exactly.

Dov Sax: It’s not possible to completely remove it. It’s possible to knock back its abundance.

Megan Hall: But if we do choose to use bio controls, do the other nonnative species also become invasive and out of control?

Leo Nachamie: As you might expect, biocontrol caused a lot of unintended damage when it first kicked off in the 1800s.

Andrea Li: For example, the harlequin ladybug was introduced to control aphids. Turns out, it carries a harmful parasite. It also ended up displacing native ladybugs.

Leo Nachamie: But today, the process for introducing a non-native species is a lot more rigorous.

Dov Sax: People that do this, federal and state agencies that are now very careful and do years of testing before they introduce something. I’m unaware of any good examples of bio control done in the last few decades that really backfired in any way.

Andrea Li: Which means that when invasive species are out of control, it’s really the best, and only, tool we have in most cases.

Megan Hall: Got it, Thanks, Andrea and Leo!

That’s it for today. You can find more information, or ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, at askpossibly.org. You can also subscribe to Possibly wherever you get your podcasts or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Bluesky at “askpossibly”

Possibly is a co-production of Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and Ocean State Media.

The post What should we do about invasive species, and should we do anything at all? appeared first on TPR: The Public’s Radio.

The post What should we do about invasive species, and should we do anything at all? appeared first on Possibly.

Red seaweed has been washing up on Rhode Island beaches for years, but what is it? This week on Possibly we explain what’s causing this red seaweed to appear, how it’s different from harmful “red tides” and how it might help the planet.

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. Today we’re answering a question from listener Lynne Donelly, who saw something a bit unusual:

Lynne Donnely: What is all that red seaweed that I saw on the beach the other day? Where did it come from? What do we use it for?

Megan Hall: To find out, we had Christine Peng and Emma Mejia look into this question. Welcome, Christine and Emma!

Christine Peng: Hi, Megan!

Emma Mejia: Hello!

Megan Hall: So, what was it exactly that Lynne saw on the beach? Should we be concerned about the red seaweed washing up on shores?

Christine Peng: Well Megan, we described the scene Lynne saw to marine ecologist and Salem State University Professor Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis, and she says:

Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis: “That red seaweed is actually a non-native species, called Dasysiphonia japonica. It’s a beautiful, fluffy red seaweed.”

Emma Mejia: Beautiful probably isn’t the word most people would use to describe it…

Christine Peng: It can often be smelly, and swimming in it can be ticklish and uncomfortable, especially if you get it stuck in your hair.

Emma Mejia: Now, a lot of people might be scared of seeing reddish material in the water and think that means there’s a “red tide.”

Megan Hall: A red tide?

Christine Peng: Yes! Red tides are technically known as harmful algal blooms.

Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis: “Harmful algal blooms can refer to seaweeds but it typically refers to teeny teeny teeny tiny microscopic algae”

Christine Peng: These tiny algae feed on excess nutrients in the water, which makes them grow out of control in a “bloom”.

Emma Mejia: They can be dangerous because some of them create toxins, which end up building up in shellfish that humans eat.

Christine Peng: But the stuff Lynne saw? That’s seaweed, which is known as macroalgae.

Megan Hall: So seaweed is bigger algae, which is fine, but the teeny tiny “red tide” algae can be toxic?

Christine Peng: Exactly. One you have to look at through a microscope, while the other is big enough to just pick up with your hands.

Megan Hall: So, should we be worried about the red seaweed washing up on shores?

Christine Peng: Well, the red seaweed on Rhode Island beaches isn’t toxic by itself. But, it can be annoying and even harmful in other ways.

Carol Thornber: “These seaweeds typically are not toxic in and of themselves, but they can be very harmful in terms of the impacts they have on the environment and the impacts they have on our state’s economy.”

Emma Mejia: That’s Carol Thornber. She’s a marine environmental scientist and the Dean of the School for the Environment at UMass Boston.

Carol Thornber: “If you have large amounts of seaweed washing up on our beaches in the middle of the summertime, that can have really significant negative impacts on the part of the economy that runs on tourism”

Christine Peng: For example, mats of decomposing seaweed can suck up oxygen in the water, trap bacteria, and create a smell that keeps people away from the beach.

Emma Mejia: Plus, it makes it harder to catch fish. . .

Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis: “It can be a real problem for the fishing industry because it accumulates in such high quantities that it clogs their nets”

Emma Mejia: Still, seaweed isn’t all bad news. It plays a role in ecosystems, absorbs carbon, and even works as a fertilizer. Today, scientists are looking into ways to use it for biofuel, animal feed, and even alternatives to plastic.

Christine Peng: So, if you see red seaweed on the beach, it might look messy, but it’s not the same as a dangerous red tide. In fact, it could play a role in solving some environmental problems!

Megan Hall: Great! Thanks, Christine and Emma!

That’s it for today. You can find more information, or ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, at askpossibly.org. You can also subscribe to Possibly wherever you get your podcasts or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Bluesky at “askpossibly”

Possibly is a co-production of Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and Ocean State Media.

The post Should we be concerned about red seaweed washing up on Rhode Island’s beaches? appeared first on TPR: The Public’s Radio.

The post Should we be concerned about red seaweed washing up on Rhode Island’s beaches? appeared first on Possibly.

Spotted lanternflies have been hopping around Rhode Island this year. Maybe you’ve been told to squish them when you see them. But why? This week on Possibly we’re taking a closer look at our new insect neighbors.

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

You may have seen spotted lanternflies flying around Rhode Island or heard about them on the news. Today, we’re looking into the question of what we should do when we see them.

We had Andrea Li and Hamid Torabzadeh from our Possibly Team look into this.

Andrea Li: Hi, Megan!

Hamid Torabzadeh: Hello!

Megan Hall: Before we talk about what to do with lanternflies, can you just describe what they look like for people who haven’t seen them?

Andrea Li: Yes, they’re actually kind of pretty. When their wings are closed, they just look like grey insects dotted with black spots. But when they open their wings, they reveal a red, black and white pattern underneath.

Megan Hall: Yeah, I’ve  been seeing a lot of  these spotted lanternflies recently. I think I’m supposed to kill them? But why?

Andrea Li: To find out, I talked  to Cynthia Kwolek. She works for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management in the Department of Agriculture.

Cynthia Kwolek: Spotted lantern flies are an invasive plant hopper from China. They feed from the sap on several types of trees and plants. They decrease the yield of different fruits. So that’s why we are concerned here. We’re trying to protect our vineyards.

Hamid Torabzadeh: According to Cynthia, spotted lanternflies are popping up all over the state.

Cynthia Kwolek: We started seeing spotted lantern fly populations show up in Rhode Island in 2021. And then we saw another population spring up in 2022 in Smithfield, Rhode Island. And since then, it has spread east into North Providence, Providence and East Providence, and then into Pawtucket and Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln.

Megan Hall: So what should we do if we see them around?

Andrea Li: This question is actually very relevant for me because a spotted lanternfly flew onto my face the other day. I asked Cynthia and she said,

Cynthia Kwolek: I know this will sound gruesome, but the best thing that the typical citizen could do is just squish them. In addition to squishing them, just being aware to not move them out of this area.

Megan Hall: Not move them?

Andrea Li: That’s because we want to make sure they  don’t find their way into farms.

Megan Hall: Well, what about pesticides? Should I use those if I see a spotted lanternfly?

Hamid Torabzadeh: Cynthia says only if you hire an expert.

Megan Hall: Got it. Then, what does the future look like for spotted lanternflies in the U.S.?

Hamid Torabzadeh: If you’re worried about protecting agriculture, it’s not looking too good. But if you are a spotted lanternfly, you have a very bright future ahead.

Cynthia Kwolek: Unfortunately, I think that spotted lanternfly is going to be something we’re going to have to live with long term. I don’t think that it’s a pest that will be able to eradicate entirely.

Andrea Li: But, there are some biological forces that may keep the lanternflies in check. Look at Pennsylvania, for example. There,

Cynthia Kwolek: Not only is there a native pathogenic fungus that seems to attack nymphs, there’s also predators that are realizing, like this is not a poisonous food, that they can eat it as a good food source. And then the other aspect that we have hoped for is some sort of biological control, so USDA and several cooperators are looking into the release of a parasitic wasp that could potentially keep the population in check.

Hamid Torabzadeh: But there’s still research to be done before releasing this wasp.

Andrea Li: For now, local environmental agencies are asking people to report spotted lanternfly sightings.

Hamid Torabzadeh:Here in Rhode Island, you can do that on the Department of Environmental Management’s website, unless you live in Providence or Kent counties. DEM already knows the  lantern flies are there.

Andrea Li: And of course. If you see them, squash them.

Megan Hall: Great! Thanks, Andrea and Hamid.

That’s it for today. You can find more information, or ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, at askpossibly.org. You can also subscribe to Possibly wherever you get your podcasts or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Bluesky at  “askpossibly”

Possibly is a co-production of Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and Ocean State Media.

The post What should you do when you see spotted lanternflies? appeared first on TPR: The Public’s Radio.

The post What should you do when you see spotted lanternflies? appeared first on Possibly.