The population of Britains humble ladybird is in decline - thanks to an invasion of Asian harlequin ladybirds, who not only compete for food but now have been proven to actually eat the British ladybird.
Research has shown that, in some areas, over a 3 year period the harlequin ladybird rose from 0.1% of the population to around 40%. During the same period the British species of ladybird halved.
First arriving in Southern England seven years ago, the harlequins spread has been explosive, now being found as far afield as the north and Scotland.
"How the rise of harlequins will affect UK ecosystems, apart from that we can expect to see less of our native ladybirds and more of the harlequin, still remains unknown" said Dr Andrew Salisbury of the Royal Horticultural Society.
One foreign population increases at the expense of the local population, competes for limited resources, and the numbers of the indigenous species dwindle.
Soon the native species is a minority, pushed into terminal decline, forced out of its own habitat and walking the road to becoming rarity or extinction.
Anyone else see any interesting parallels there?
The population of Britains humble ladybird is in decline - thanks to an invasion of Asian harlequin ladybirds, who not only compete for food but now have been proven to actually eat the British ladybird.
