Latest news with #UniversityOfSouthBohemia
Khaleej Times
26-05-2025
- Science
- Khaleej Times
Invasive species cost trillions in damages, say researchers
From river-clogging plants to disease-carrying insects, the direct economic cost of invasive species worldwide has averaged about $35 billion a year for decades, researchers said Monday. Since 1960, damage from non-native plants and animals expanding into new territory has cost society more than $2.2 trillion, 17 times higher than previous estimates, they reported in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The accelerating spread of invasive species -- from mosquitoes to wild boar to tough-to-eradicate plants -- blights agriculture, spreads disease and drives the growing pace of species extinction. Earlier calculations based on highly incomplete data were already known to fall far short of reality. To piece together a more accurate picture, an international team of researchers led by Ismael Soto, a scientist at the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, compiled data on 162 invasive species whose costs have been well documented in at least a handful of countries. They then modelled the economic impact for 78 other countries such as Bangladesh and Costa Rica, for which no data was previously available. "We expected an underestimation of invasion costs, but the magnitude was striking," Soto told AFP. Due mainly to high volumes of trade and travel, tens of thousands of animal and plant species have taken root, sometimes literally, far from their places of origin. Europe is by far the continent most affected by the phenomenon, followed by North America and Asia. "Plants were the most economically damaging group, both for damage and management," Soto said. "Cost hotspots include urban coastal areas, notably in Europe, eastern China, and the US." Animals can cause devastating damage too. Wild boar, for example, destroy crops, cornfields and vineyards, while mosquitoes -- with expanding ranges due to global warming -- impose direct costs to human health by spreading diseases such as dengue and malaria. Another example is Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that is very common in Europe and requires costly eradication programmes. "Our study is based on only 162 species," Soto noted. "Our figure is probably still an underestimate of a wider problem, and therefore the real economic costs could be even higher." Using a broader definition -- including indirect costs such as lost income -- the UN's biodiversity expert group, IPBES, has calculated the total cost to society of invasive species at about $400 billion annually.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Invasive species cost trillions in damages: study
A wild boar runs over a glade in a forest in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Paris, France — From river-clogging plants to disease-carrying insects, the direct economic cost of invasive species worldwide has averaged about US$35 billion a year for decades, researchers said Monday. Since 1960, damage from non-native plants and animals expanding into new territory has cost society more than $2.2 trillion, 17 times higher than previous estimates, they reported in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The accelerating spread of invasive species -- from mosquitoes to wild boar to tough-to-eradicate plants -- blights agriculture, spreads disease and drives the growing pace of species extinction. Earlier calculations based on highly incomplete data were already known to fall far short of reality. To piece together a more accurate picture, an international team of researchers led by Ismael Soto, a scientist at the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, compiled data on 162 invasive species whose costs have been well documented in at least a handful of countries. They then modelled the economic impact for 78 other countries such as Bangladesh and Costa Rica, for which no data was previously available. 'We expected an underestimation of invasion costs, but the magnitude was striking,' Soto told AFP. Due mainly to high volumes of trade and travel, tens of thousands of animal and plant species have taken root, sometimes literally, far from their places of origin. Europe is by far the continent most affected by the phenomenon, followed by North America and Asia. 'Plants were the most economically damaging group, both for damage and management,' Soto said. 'Cost hotspots include urban coastal areas, notably in Europe, eastern China, and the US.' Animals can cause devastating damage too. Wild boar, for example, destroy crops, cornfields and vineyards, while mosquitoes -- with expanding ranges due to global warming -- impose direct costs to human health by spreading diseases such as dengue and malaria. Another example is Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that is very common in Europe and requires costly eradication programmes. 'Our study is based on only 162 species,' Soto noted. 'Our figure is probably still an underestimate of a wider problem, and therefore the real economic costs could be even higher.' Using a broader definition -- including indirect costs such as lost income -- the UN's biodiversity expert group, IPBES, has calculated the total cost to society of invasive species at about $400 billion annually.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientist reveals world-first footage of subalpine wooly rat, a rodent species as big as a domestic cat
A scientist has discovered a species of rat that measures more than 2.5ft-long in Papua New Guinea. The species, called the subalpine woolly rat, has sharp incisors, thick fur, and clawed paws measuring three inches. It is three times the size of a brown rat and new footage has revealed one of them scampering across a tree branch at night, likely in search for food. Frantisek Vejmelka works for the Biology Center of the Czech Academy Of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. He said: 'It's astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied.' 'How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?' The species only lives in the steep highlands of Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea. Until now, the subalpine woolly rat (Mallomys istapantap) has been known to science only from a handful of museum specimens. First described in 1989 based on historical museum material, it was last recorded 30 years ago and had never before been photographed. But the Czech researcher's new photos and video footage show the animal in its natural habitat for the first time. During his six-month expedition, he worked with local tribes to survey Mount Wilhelm, the highest peak in Papua New Guinea which reaches 14,793ft above sea level. According to expert's measurements, the subalpine woolly rat is a length of 2.7ft, including the tail and weighs nearly 4.4lb. This compares to an average length of about 2.3ft of 8lb to 10lb for the domestic cat. Meanwhile, the average brown rat today has a body length of about 11 inches and usually weighs 0.44-0.66lb. Vejmelka also gathered data on the rat's diet, parasites, activity patterns, movement, and other aspects of its lifestyle. According to the expert, the nocturnal species leads a hidden life in remote, hard-to-reach areas, which explains why it's so understudied. It climbs trees at night, hides in underground burrows or tree canopies during the day, and feeds exclusively on plant matter. Vejmelka's work, published in the journal Mammalia, contributes to a deeper understanding of the biodiversity of New Guinea's underexplored tropical mountains. He said: 'These are the first specimen records in 30 years for this spectacular mammal poorly known to science. 'Camera trap images and video, as well as photographs of the habitat and hunting with indigenous people, deepen our understanding of the activity patterns, locomotion, diet, intrageneric elevational partitioning, and behavioral ecology of the woolly rats.' New Guinean woolly rats, together with the giant cloud rats of the Philippines, are the largest rodents belonging to the murine family. They are found only in the steep highlands of New Guinea covered in pristine rainforest. However, the subalpine woolly rat is not the largest rat in the world. The world's biggest rat in terms of length is the Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), which reaches 3ft-long, including the tail, which makes up half of its total length. Another big rat species is the Malagasy giant rat (Hypogeomys antimena) found in Madagascar, which can grow to about 2ft. But the largest rodents to ever have walked the Earth – including Josephoartigasia monesi and Phoberomys pattersoni – are now extinct. Unusually large animals from history known as 'megafauna' typically died out due to climate and environmental shifts, plus human hunting.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Science
- The Sun
Massive ‘giant woolly RAT' triple the size of regular rodent found as enormous creatures dubbed ‘largest in the world'
A RARE species of giant woolly rat has been documented in photos and video footage for the first time ever. The elusive, nocturnal Subalpine Woolly Rat, or Mallomys istapantap, can be found high up in the mountains of New Guinea. 3 3 New Guinean Woolly rats are some of the largest murine rodents in the world - and are triple the size of the average rodent in the UK or US. Despite its total length of 85cm, 8cm-long paws, and body weight of roughly 2kg - the giant woolly rat has evaded researchers for decades. The species was last recorded 30 years ago and had never before been photographed until now. František Vejmělka, a Czech doctoral candidate from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, is the first person to scientifically document the Subalpine Woolly Rat in the wild. With help from several local tribes, Vejmělka was able to document the rare species while on a six-month expedition from the base to the summit of Mount Wilhelm - the highest peak in Papua New Guinea at 4,509m high. "It's astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied," said Vejmělka. "How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?" The creatures are typically found in regions up to 3,700metres high. Its nocturnal habits - and the inaccessibility of its habitat - have made it extremely difficult to observe in the wild. And until now, the Subalpine Woolly Rat was known to science only from a handful of museum specimens. Vejmělka documentation means scientists now have biometric measurements of the creatures. They also have knowledge other aspects of its lifestyle, such as the animal's diet, parasites that affect them, and activity patterns. The shaggy-furred rat climbs trees at night, hides in underground burrows or tree canopies during the day, and feeds exclusively on plant matter. "If it weren't for the indigenous hunters who accompanied me in the mountains and helped me locate the animals," said Vejmělka. "I would never have been able to collect this data." 3
