Seychelles millipedes and invasive plants

This is a video of a Seychelles giant millipede, attacked by a crab.

Vulnerable Seychelles giant millipedes change their behaviour in response to the presence of non-native plants, a study finds.

Photos are here.

Herbivores (species that eat plants; e.g. caterpillars) consume more non-native (introduced from other places) oak leaf material in areas with diverse native plant communities than in less diverse communities. Why diverse plant communities tend to resist invasion by non-native plants, remains uncertain. Researchers from the Illinois Natural History Survey and the Morton Arboretum have been examining the potential role of herbivores on the invasion of non-native plant species in diverse plant communities. Read more here.

International scientists have developed a database with in-depth information on over 600 plant species, including the black pine, prickly cactus, thyme, milkweed, wild garlic and baby root orchid. Called the “COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database“, it is currently the world’s largest open-access source of endangered, native and feral plant demographics. Read more here.

The Hottentot fig is as beautiful as it is harmful. Native to South Africa, it is recognisable by its large yellow or light pink flowers and its unique other names: Ice Plant or Pigface. The Hottentot Fig was introduced in several countries, including around the Mediterranean Sea, for medicinal and ornamental purposes and to control soil erosion. However, its impressive propagation and seed production rates led to the quick colonisation of vast areas, and the Hottentot Fig became an invasive species in Portugal. It is currently considered one of the 100 worst invasive species on the plane: here.

Related articles

• New Californian millipede discovery (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• The Leggiest Millipede Has 750 Legs (presurfer.blogspot.com)
• Light shed on leggiest millipede (bbc.co.uk)
• A Millipede That (Almost) Lives Up To The Name (npr.org)
• World’s Leggiest Animal Found Near Silicon Valley (news.nationalgeographic.com)
• World’s leggiest millipede put under microscope. (zedie.wordpress.com)
• VIDEO: Leggiest millipede caught on camera (bbc.co.uk)
• Millipede’s 750 Wiggling Legs Snag World Record (livescience.com)
• Leggiest Millipede Has 750 Legs, Lives Near Silicon Valley (sciencespacerobots.com)
• Video: This 750-Leg Millipede is the Leggiest Creature in the World (blogs.smithsonianmag.com)