Researchers are keeping an eye out for the Cuban treefrog to see if it spread to new areas thanks to Hurricane Dorian
Hurricane Dorian has passed, but people and ecosystems are still dealing with its fallout. In the wake of a major storm, it’s not just people who migrate. Plants and animals can hitch a ride on floodwaters, leading to the spread of invasive species. To track — and potentially stem — these sudden migrations in the wake of disasters, researchers build maps to predict how floods and storms might spread aggressive crayfish, propeller-tangling plants, and even frogs that secrete eye-irritating “slime” into new territories.
Since 2017, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has monitored the spread of species after every major storm in the US. It developed “storm tracker” maps after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Houston area and allowed…