Oak virus

[devonwoody]

report last night on the BBC news are that British Oaks are under threat from a virus.

No Elm, Oak whats next?

 

[MikeG.]

I understand that this is caused by a disease carried by Rhodedendrons, and that there is a £25,000,000 campaign to eradicate this alien from the wild.

The oak disease has only affected 20 to 30 trees so far........it doesn't look catastrophic. It is just another example of how much we have wrecked this planet........

Mike

 

[devonwoody]

I have a new theory on what killed off the dinosaurs.

The humble bee or its equivalent millions of years ago died of a virus and the vegetation could not be pollinated, no plants survived, no food for the next chain up and so on.

And now I keep hearing that our bees are under threat.

 

[Paul.J]

The Horse Chestnut is another.
Here is a link.

 

[MikeG.]

I have a new theory on what killed off the dinosaurs.

But the old theory is just fine.....no need for a new one!

Think on this though...........how long would humans survive without bees?

And there is a Radio 4 play shortly postulating on what would happen if grasses (inc. wheat & rice) were destroyed by a virus.......

We're doomed, Mr Mainwaring!

 

[devonwoody]

The Horse Chestnut is another.
Here is a link.

I had forgotten about that one.

Well I've got some plastic pen blanks for turning perhaps plastics will be the way to go in the near future, plastic boxes, urgh.

 

[Corset]

I think this is a really interesting example of plant warfare. The Rhodedendrons are carrying a virus that kills of other trees that compete with it. They already affect the soil to prevent germination of other plants. All around us evolution is fighting to produce the top dog and we are skewing the balance.
I expect in the past the climate would have prevented the spread of the rhodedendrums but as we have warmed up the plant has little check. As a fast growing shrub it can adapt quicker than the trees and as a result is causing carnage. It is like a very advanced biological warfare.
While i do agree that the world is changing quickly and it is doom and gloom, it is also fascinating as unexpected problems develop everywhere. If we don't travel this could probably be halted but that is just not going to happen we have to just keep adapting our solutions to control the changes.
Owen

 

[MikeG.]

Yes, its fascinating!

The main issue though is lack of local resistance to imported disease. In the Himalayas where the rhodedendron originates, I have no doubt that everything that evolved in the same ecosystems has evolved defences to its chemical warfare. It wasn't until someone came along and transplanted the things over here, where there was no resistance, that there was a problem.

Japanese knotweed isn't a problem in Japan........

Mike

 

[Jenx]

"RABBITS / AUSTRALIA" --
The human hand meddling by putting things where they don't belong, seems to backfire with reasonable regularity.

 

[Grinding One]

I heard it was snakes to kill off the rabbits,and now over run with snakes :roll:

 

[Jenx]

Mongooses next then ! :wink:

 

[MikeG.]

How about the cane toad? An absolute classic.............introduced from Hawaii into Oz to prey on a pest of sugar cane, and it didn't even bother to do that. Now, it has reached Kakadu national park, and is poisonous to anything that tries to kill it. Complete nightmare.

Then there's the American Signal Crayfish.......the (American) Grey Squirrel.........rats.......

What a damn mess.

Mike

 

[devonwoody]

And we have been to the moon

 

[Jenx]

ha ha ha ha ha ..................................
.......

have we indeed :wink:

 

[Grinding One]

How about the cane toad? An absolute classic.............introduced from Hawaii into Oz to prey on a pest of sugar cane, and it didn't even bother to do that. Now, it has reached Kakadu national park, and is poisonous to anything that tries to kill it. Complete nightmare.

Then there's the American Signal Crayfish.......the (American) Grey Squirrel.........rats.......

What a damn mess.

Mike

Damn ,we can not find any squirrels the Southerners have eaten them all up now rats well we have them in abundance :lol:

 

[Ironballs]

I've read a few articles on the collapse of the bee populations and it is serious, there are lots of nervious scientists waiting to see how the colonies have survived the current winter.

We would survive without bees as they aren't the only pollinators, but not with the current world population, it would have to be MUCH smaller

 

[devonwoody]

Looks like unemployment might be corrected, give all a camel hair brush and a sun hat.