Science suggests that it would prefer you not call an invasive species,  invasive …

Firstly, it may hurt their feelings, and secondly, given that it’s successful in outcompeting the local fare means it’s possibly superior (owning Adonis DNA), and may simply be species extincting a weaker occupant of the same resource …

In short, as history is written by the victors, it’s merely a Darwin thing, not a full fledged invasion.

To illustrate the peaks and valleys of successful science allow me to mention how a recent study in Japan illustrates how a terrestrial snail has a 15% chance of survival given their digestion by birds and crapped out after the full tour of the gastrointestinal tract …

This is the first study of its kind to show that the bird’s and their droppings are able to disperse living snails to other geographical locations. One snail managed to show the researchers that entire snail families could be transported by the birds. Not long after being ingested, one small gave birth to juveniles not long after passing through the gut of the bird.

Turn of the century studies have shown that diatoms can pass through a bird gut unharmed, given the armor of snails and their small size it’s not surprising that incomplete digestion might occur and birds might disperse a viable population outside their normal range.

In our continual battle against “Superior Darwin-esque victor-species” birds (ducks especially) may well be responsible for a portion of their travels.

Think didymo, mussels and snails …

… and for the Invasive chuckle of the week …

The Giant Salvinia is one of the more horrific invasives being battled intensely in the Southern United States. It spreads faster than daylight and completely chokes off lakes and waterways – rendering them impossible to navigate due to sheer volume of weed.

Giant salvinia is able to double in number and biomass in less than three days in optimal conditions and forms dense mats on still waters. The plant can regenerate even after severe damage or drying. The explosive growth of giant salvinia not only adversely affects the natural ecological system of the infested region, but it also causes considerable economic damage and sanitation problems.

… and has recently been found to cure cancer in humans, go figure.

I’ll wait until the AMA confirms the finding before grabbing a couple handfuls for my tub, a vain attempt to make up for all them cheap cheroots I sucked down earlier.