Look around: Verdant water hyacinths, towering Australian pines and colorful Brazilian pepper trees are populating our landscape everywhere 麻豆精品 S� and causing havoc.
These and hundreds of other invasive plant species are taking over Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 beautiful natural environment, and in the process crowding out native species and reducing many animal habitats. That topic is the latest in UCF biology Professor Linda Walters 麻豆精品 S� series of books, which are distributed free for young readers to understand and help take care of the world around us.
Silent Takeover! Invasive Plants in Florida is Walters 麻豆精品 S� ninth book written with colleagues, students and family members, and this 28-page volume is a warning about the unwanted plants growing in waterways, forests, fields and even our backyards.
麻豆精品 S淚t is very important that this book is read by the next generation, 麻豆精品 S� says co-author Katherine Harris 麻豆精品 S�18, who received her bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in biology as a Burnett Honors Scholar and was involved with the university 麻豆精品 S檚 Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab. 麻豆精品 S淭oday 麻豆精品 S檚 kids are so used to hearing about all the environmental problems that their generation will have to deal with, to the point that kids feel it is impossible to make a difference. I hope this book gives kids the opportunity to be informed and to feel that they can have a positive impact on the environment. 麻豆精品 S�
This book 麻豆精品 S檚 team also included Samantha Yuan 麻豆精品 S�08 麻豆精品 S�14MS, who holds UCF bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 and master 麻豆精品 S檚 degrees in biology and is the research and outreach manager of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 麻豆精品 S檚 invasive plant management section, and Owen Fasolas, a Winter Park artist and designer.
Young readers can find out about some of the most harmful invasive plants, the problems they cause to the natural ecosystems and how 麻豆精品 S渢o help keep Florida native and wild. 麻豆精品 S�
In Silent Takeover!, young readers can find out about some of the most harmful invasive plants, the problems they cause to the natural ecosystems and how 麻豆精品 S渢o help keep Florida native and wild. 麻豆精品 S�
Walters, a UCF Pegasus Professor, says her series of biology books has been funded by grants and has mirrored her research agenda over the past decade. The books have been on topics such as protecting oyster reefs, invasive species from home aquariums dumped into waterways, sea-level rise, shoreline stabilization, and endangered birds. Funding has come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Sea Grant, and the Florida Department of Environmental ProtectionFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Why is Walters interested in pushing these topics for her books?
麻豆精品 S淗onestly, how can you not be interested in these things, 麻豆精品 S� she asks, adding that without natural habitats 麻豆精品 S渙ur lives would be much poorer in terms of every measure of quality of life you can think of 麻豆精品 Se humans have trashed them, so it is also up to us to understand and restore them with great urgency now. 麻豆精品 S�
This edition 麻豆精品 S檚 distribution will push her total books in print to nearly 80,000 copies given out at schools, events and by requests through the years. Some agencies, such as the state 麻豆精品 S檚 Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, purchase copies for their outreach events.
麻豆精品 S淚 have no interest in making money off our books, 麻豆精品 S� Walters says. 麻豆精品 S淭he goal is to distribute the various conservation messages far and wide. 麻豆精品 S�
Walters says that even in our high-tech generation, children like to read a book that they 麻豆精品 S檙e interested in. 麻豆精品 S淵ou can hold it, read and reread it with someone you care about, and enjoy the art, 麻豆精品 S� she says.
She also loves to hear anecdotes about the books from parents, such as when they say their children 麻豆精品 S渨ant one of our stories read to them night after night after night 麻豆精品 S� or that 麻豆精品 S渢heir kids take the lessons totally to heart and won’t let them speed in their speedboats when near oysters or inappropriately care for their aquarium plants and pets. 麻豆精品 S�
As for what we can do to counteract invasive species, Harris said perhaps the best thing people can do is to stay informed on the subject.
麻豆精品 S淢any invasive plants are allowed to spread because people unknowingly plant them in gardens or throw out unwanted aquarium plants and houseplants, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淧eople can contribute to keeping Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 native plants and animals thriving by making a conscious effort to stay informed and plant only native species. 麻豆精品 S�
Educators and others who would like a printed copy of 麻豆精品 S淪ilent Takeover! Invasive Plants in Florida 麻豆精品 S� can contact Linda Walters at Linda.Walters@ucf.edu. Digital copies of all of Walters 麻豆精品 S� books are available in the university 麻豆精品 S檚 STARS archives at .
