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Water hyacinth, a fresh and charming water flower, once known as the "green devil", its beauty and practicality make people irresistible. However, behind this seemingly perfect plant, lies an amazing history of invasion. How did it go from a tranquil flower in South America to a nightmare for the waters of the world? We will delve into the origins, invasion and damage to the ecosystem of water hyacinths.
Water hyacinth, scientific name phoenix lily, looks like a peacock feather, which is intoxicating. It floats on the surface of the water, and the flowers emit a light purple-blue color, with a light yellow spot in the center, resembling the eyes of a peacock. This plant has an extremely short stem, but an exceptionally well-developed root system, a base covered with green petioles containing inflatable air chambers that store and supply air, allowing it to survive in water.
It is native to South America and was only an ornamental plant at the time. However, a return from an American explorer changed everything. At the 1844 Exposition, the water hyacinth became famous for its high appearance, and people hailed it as "a purple flower crown that can decorate the world". But what is even more amazing is that the water hyacinth is not just a beautiful flower, it also has practical functions such as purifying water quality, absorbing heavy metal elements, and releasing methane to supply fuel. It can even be used as feed and papermaking raw materials, making it the perfect plant in people's eyes.
However, with the introduction of water hyacinth, the problems it brought began to appear. The beauty and versatility of water hyacinth attracts people all over the world who introduce it to their own countries, however, this seemingly harmless act has unknowingly become a threat to global waters. Water hyacinth has rapidly spread to more than 60 countries, becoming a huge challenge for local water management, and some countries have even blacklisted it as invasive species. On the mainland, water hyacinths flooded at the same rate, sparing cities, villages, and mountains. In 2012, the Fujian Minjiang River formed a "grassland" of about 2 square kilometers on the surface of the water.
Large-scale water hyacinth growth can cause water flow to become blocked, turning the water into a stagnant water. This has a huge negative impact on water traffic, shipping and trade, and ships cannot pass in time, resulting in traffic paralysis and serious damage to biodiversity. Water hyacinths, with their exceptionally strong ability to survive, absorb nutrients from the water, squeezing other plants and plankton to the brink of survival, and fish die due to lack of access to dissolved oxygen.
The horror of water hyacinth also lies in its amazing reproductive ability. They can not only reproduce sexually, but also proliferate rapidly through asexual reproduction. In just 5 days, a single water hyacinth can grow new plants, and after 3 months, their numbers can surge to 25,000, covering more than 120 hectares of water per year. The adaptability of water hyacinth is also amazing, whether it is hot or cold, it is difficult to stop its growth. Even, by cutting the water hyacinth stem into segments and throwing it into the river, they can survive tenaciously and multiply along the current.
However, even in the face of such a terrifying invader, people are not helpless. In order to control the crazy growth of water hyacinths, people have taken a variety of methods. In addition to physical salvage and chemical herbicides, there is also a way to "trap" water hyacinths, confinement them to a certain area by setting up a mesh fence. This seemingly simple measure turned out to be effective, the water hyacinth could not cross the fence and spread outward, just as Sun Wukong could not leave the Five Finger Mountain.
Another effective method is to introduce water hyacinth weevils, natural enemies that prey exclusively on water hyacinths and control their numbers within a controlled range. This initiative has achieved remarkable results in some areas, the growth of water hyacinth has been suppressed, and the ecology of the water has been restored. However, despite certain successes, the water hyacinth has not completely disappeared,
It is still raging in some areas. Not long ago, Jinshan District, Shanghai, had to carry out a large-scale salvage and remove 74 tons of water hyacinth, which reminds us once again that the fight against this "green devil" is far from over. The threat of water hyacinth cannot be completely eradicated, and we need the whole society to work together to prevent and control this ecological disaster.
However, the story of the water hyacinth also gives us a vivid ecological lesson. Its beauty is like a beautiful magic box, intoxicating, but behind it lies a profound lesson of ecological balance. Water hyacinths reproduce quickly and adapt so well because ecosystems lack natural control mechanisms and natural enemies to limit their numbers. This also underscores the importance of ecological balance, where each member of the ecosystem has a unique role to play and if this balance is broken, it will lead to unpredictable consequences.
Have we ever seen a water hyacinth and what are our impressions of it? The beauty and aggressiveness of water hyacinths teaches us to be more cautious about introducing alien species, while also teaching us the importance of cherishing and protecting native ecosystems. Environmental protection is not only a responsibility, but also a commitment to future generations. The story of water hyacinth teaches us that ecological balance is fragile and that we must work together to ensure that our planet continues to present diverse and beautiful faces.
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