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Invasive (Pagad, S. & Wong, L.J., 2020. Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - Turks and Caicos Islands. Version 1.2. Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG). Checklist dataset. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15468/ytdnvt);
High levels of mortality of pine trees (Malumphy et al., 2012). (Carey, E. et al (2014). Plant conservation challenges in the Bahama archipelago. The Botanical Review,80, pp.265-282);); It spread quickly from 2005-2010 killing over 97% of pine trees and contributed to pine decline. Scale subjects trees to water and food stress, and its honeydew causes sooty mould to grow on needles, slowing photosynthesis. Scale attacks most severely on branch tips and new growth. Trees die from the top down over the course of a year. Between 2005-2012, the population of Caicos pine was reduced by 97.3% causing an alternate stable state (exclusion of fire) in its ecosystem. (Resource Manco, B.N., Turks & Caicos Islands Terrestrial Ecosystems and Endemic Wildlife & Caicos Pine Case Study. Terrestrial Ecologist, Department of Environment & Coastal Resources, Turks & Caicos Islands Government - Turks & Caicos Islands Terrestrial Ecosystems and Endemic Wildlife - TCI_GBNNSS_Manco_2019.pdf);
Native to North America. Pine tortoise scale is usually in its slow reproductive bark dwelling phase in its natural range, but in TCI only the constantly reproducing needle dwelling phase exists. It is predicted that even with Caicos Pine Recovery Project efforts North Caicos population will reach functional extinction. (Carey, E. et al (2014). Plant conservation challenges in the Bahama archipelago. The Botanical Review,80, pp.265-282););
It arrived in Turks and Caicos Islands on cut live Christmas trees possibly around the 1990s. (Resource Manco, B.N., Turks & Caicos Islands Terrestrial Ecosystems and Endemic Wildlife & Caicos Pine Case Study. Terrestrial Ecologist, Department of Environment & Coastal Resources, Turks & Caicos Islands Government - Turks & Caicos Islands Terrestrial Ecosystems and Endemic Wildlife - TCI_GBNNSS_Manco_2019.pdf);
Pagad, S. & Wong, L.J., 2020. Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - Turks and Caicos Islands. Version 1.2. Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG). Checklist dataset. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15468/ytdnvt; Carey, E. et al (2014). Plant conservation challenges in the Bahama archipelago. The Botanical Review,80, pp.265-282);