Sleeping weeds in Australia awake. Why? Climate change!

William Atkins
Thursday, 26 March 2009 20:36

Science - Climate

Sleeper weeds may suddenly appear after certain natural occurrences such as drought, flood, fire, climate change, or change in land or water management.

For additional information on “sleeper weeds,” please go to the Australian Government website “Sleeper weeds.”

The website states, “Sleeper weeds are not always recognised as a significant problem, even though the potential threat they pose to industry, people or the environment may be extreme.”

Dr. Scott, a weed and insect ecology and biological control expert, described their likely movement in our warmer climate, “We found that climate change will cause most of these weeds to shift south, with wet tropical species making the greatest move – over 1000km.”

And, “The regions most at threat from alert and sleeper weeds, both under the current climate and under climate change, are south east Australia, followed by the south west.”

The sleeper weed species found to “pose the greatest threat under climate change” are the: Karroo thorn (Acacia karroo), rosewood (Tipuana tipu) and kochia (Bassia scoparia).

The two sleeper species found to have the “highest risk of establishing [themselves] in new areas” were the: white weeping broom (Retama raetam) and fringed dodder (Cuscuta suaveolens).

Dr. Scott contends that: “The predicted move south by both native and introduced plants would produce a ‘vacuum’ in northern Australia so, to prevent lurking species from invading, a new list of alert and sleeper weeds for this region needs to be developed.”

To learn more about weeds in Australia, go to the Australian Government website "About Weeds."

You might think they are only weeds, but the Australian Goverment has a different view on them. It states, "Invasive weeds are among the most serious threats to Australia's natural environment and primary production industries. Weeds have major economic, environmental and social impacts in Australia, causing damage to natural landscapes, agricultural lands, waterways and coastal areas."