Native/Non-Native Composite (IMAGE)
Caption
Princeton researchers found that invasive species can take on important biological roles -- such as pollination -- in the very ecosystems threatened by them. The researchers compared the survival of three native plant species in New Zealand, both in an environment where endemic pollinators had all but vanished and in a nature preserve where native vertebrates still occur. They found that invasive and non-native species such as the ship rat (top left) and the silvereye (top right) were just as important to the health of native plants as endemic pollinators such as the short-tailed bat (bottom).
Credit
Images by David Pattemore
Usage Restrictions
None
License
Licensed content