Help ! Someone wants to introduce water hyacinths to a protected island
I currently work on an isolate island in the middle of an ocean. We have a strict bio security protocol to prevent any invasive species from being introduced.
My superiors want to introduce water hyacinth to clean an artificial pool we have. We were told the roots of the hyacinth will digest algae and heavy metals amongst other pollutants. I told them it was a terrible idea.
Considering water hyacinth is one of the most invasive plant species in the world and it’s illegal to introduce in many different countries worldwide, I need to know whether hyacinth can spread from one pond to the next. We know some of its proliferation happens through its root system, but can its spores or seed be disseminated into a nearby natural pond (thereby probably killing a lot of its biodiversity) ? Perhaps through anemochory ? Zoochory ?
Can’t seem to find any information surrounding the hyacinth’s reproduction and seed dispersal.
Tldr: how does water hyacinth reproduce and can it spread from one pond to another around 200-300m away ?
Update: Thank you for all your answers. The superiors in question don’t give a damn about the biosec protocols even though they helped write it ! Losing my mind out here… I’ll keep you guys updated on further developments. XX
Posted Sep 6, 2023, 11:48 PM UTC