What kind of weed is hogweed and how dangerous it is, probably today it is no longer necessary to explain to anyone. Considerable funds are allocated annually to fight it, but the preponderance is still on the side of the invader. Sosnovsky's hogweed is rapidly exploring new territories - he also made it to the Arctic.
The hogweed has already reached the Arctic
This came as an unpleasant surprise for scientists, discovering
insidious plant in Yamal, at the latitude of Cape Kamenny and Seyakhi.
How he got there and why he survived
The situation is really unexpected, because it is known that long-standing attempts to cultivate hogweed in the Irkutsk region were unsuccessful - the climate turned out to be too harsh for him. It was in those years when a bright future was predicted for the plant as a forage crop. What has changed since then, if the weed appeared in Yamal, where it is no warmer than in Irkutsk?
Scientists explain what happened to climate change: according to observations, over the past 50 years, the average annual temperature in the area of Cape Kamenny has increased by almost a degree - and this degree has probably become critical.
There is still hope that the hogweed will not survive the arctic frosts
However, there is still a hope that the harsh Arctic conditions will not allow the hogweed to gain a foothold in Yamal. Leading Researcher of the Department of the History of Earth Sciences, Institute of Natural Science and Technology. S. I. Vavilov RAS Nadezhda Ozerova
He speaks
:"
Maybe it was some kind of short-term favorable conditions when he took up there and grew up. But maybe this is where it all ends. It may not be able to form a generative population there and continue its distribution. There is not enough data yet to speak about it unambiguously
Researchers associate the very fact of the appearance of hogweed in the Arctic with human activity: presumably the seeds of a dangerous weed were accidentally brought to Yamal with transport. Well, favorable weather conditions allowed them to germinate.
Why is everyone so worried about this?
The natural world of the Arctic is unique. But, thanks to global warming, changes are already taking place in it: new species of plants and animals, previously uncharacteristic of this area, appear and are actively settling, the landscape of the tundra is changing. So far, these changes are not critical, although they are alarming scientists. But the appearance in the region of such an aggressive weed as Sosnovsky's hogweed poses a real threat to the ecosystem of the Arctic and Subarctic.
The appearance of hogweed can disrupt the entire ecosystem of the Arctic and Subarctic
This plant is known for its ability to suppress and displace native flora. It, in turn, serves as a forage base for local species of animals (for example, reindeer moss, which feed on reindeer), which means that the changes will affect them as well. Member of the expert council of the Ministry of Construction on the formation of a comfortable urban environment, adviser to the head of the Krasnodar city administration on water-green infrastructure, botanist Alexander Vodyanik
He speaks
:"
If the adaptation at a sufficiently deep level has occurred to the length of the day, then the attack on the tundra has already begun. And the tundra is not ready for cow parsnip at all. And there a hogweed can score, as they say, anyone
What to do now?
Obviously, the hogweed population found in the Yamal Peninsula needs strict control. There is still a possibility that the weed will not take root in the local climate, but some suggest to destroy it without waiting for the natural development of events - the potential threat is too great. While researchers are waiting for spring to assess the situation.
Read also about hogweed and the fight against it:
What is a hogweed and how to deal with it Fighting a hogweed: fines and subsidies The country went out to fight a hogweed. Who wins? Giant hogweed. Biography in quotes and comments
