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Spread Rate
How rapidly the taxon can spread and expand its range in California in the absence of management.
0 = No spread. Taxon remains localized, and often do not persist.
1 = Low rate of spread. Infrequent or inefficient dispersal beyond existing populations. Population sizes remain stable.
3 = Moderate rate of spread. Efficient dispersal occurs locally but population remains within a natural boundary (such as a particular water body or natural area surrounded by human development). Populations expand slowly.
5 = High rate of spread. Numerous opportunities for natural and human-aided dispersal over long distances. Populations can rapidly increase in size.
Spread Amount
How much of California can be infested by the taxon.
0 = Virtually none. There are few suitable habitats or agricultural commodities within the state.
1 = Low amount of spread. The taxon can occupy only a handful of niches (ecological or agricultural) in California, and does not invade any high-value habitats or agricultural commodities.
3 = Moderate amount of spread. The taxon can occupy a significant number of ecotypes in California, which may invade high-value habitats or agricultural commodities.
5 = High amount of spread. The taxon has broad habitat requirements, and can occupy a wide range of ecotypes or ecological niches found in California, and invades high-value habitats or agricultural commodities.
Ecological
Includes damage to ecosystem processes (e.g. geomorphology, hydrology, fire regime, soil or water chemistry, primary productivity) as well as native community composition, structure, interactions, and genetic integrity.
0 = No ecological damage.
1 = Limited ecological damage. Influences ecosystem processes and/or native communities to a minor degree (e.g. has a perceivable but mild influence on soil nutrient availability, reduces the population of one or more native taxon).
3 = Moderate ecological damage. Causes significant disruption of ecosystem processes and/or native communities (e.g. increases sedimentation rates along streams or coasts, reduces areas of open water important to waterfowl, alters water chemistry, alters rate of water retention, reduces ecosystem productivity, substantially reduces the population of one or more native taxon).
5 = Severe ecological damage. Extensive, perhaps irreversible alteration of one or more ecosystem process and/or extensive alteration of native communities (e.g. alters geomorphology, hydrology, or fire frequency, fixes substantial levels of nitrogen in the soil which favors non-native taxon, forms a complete monotype, results in the extirpation of one or more native taxon, significant impacts to one or more native taxon of special concern).
Agricultural
Includes damage to crops, livestock, forestry, horticulture and aquaculture.
0 = No agricultural damage.
1 = Limited agricultural damage. Causes minor impact to agriculture (e.g. somewhat reduced yields, reduced forage for livestock, small increase in susceptibility to fire, some impact to urban agriculture).
3 = Moderate agricultural damage. Causes significant impact to agriculture (e.g. major reduction in yields, loss of livestock, loss of markets by contaminants, compromised genetic integrity of crop taxon, major damage to urban agriculture).
5 = Severe agricultural damage. Extensive damage to one or more major commodities (e.g. potential to shut-down portions of an industry).
Infrastructure
Includes damage to roads and bridges, buildings, water conveyance and quality, flood and fire protection, utility rights of way, and other infrastructure.
0 = No infrastructure damage.
1 = Limited infrastructure damage. Causes minor impact to physical infrastructure (e.g. minor damage or impediments to dams, roads, railways, fences, power lines, flood control ditches).
3 = Moderate infrastructure damage. Causes significant impact to physical infrastructure (e.g. major damage or impediments to dams, roads, railways, fences, power lines, flood control ditches).
5 = Severe infrastructure damage. Extensive damage to one or more major infrastructure components. Potential to render parts of infrastructure unusable, with replacement costs that would be extreme.
Cultural
Includes damage to tribal, historic, archaeological, aesthetic, or recreational resources. Recreational resources affected include especially camping, hiking, boating, fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching.
0 = No cultural damage.
1 = Limited cultural damage. Causes detrimental impact on one or more cultural resource (e.g. diminished opportunities for fishing, obstacles to hiking, degradation of scenic attributes including landscaping).
3 = Moderate cultural damage. Causes significant impact to a major cultural resource (e.g. significantly reduced opportunity for a popular recreational activity, disturbance of an historically important landscape, significant damage to landscaping/gardening).
5 = Severe cultural damage. Elimination, possibly irreversibly, of one or more major cultural resources (e.g. destruction of a major tribal collecting area, destruction of a major archaeological site, destruction of a popular recreational activity, major damage to landscaping/gardening).
Health
Includes damage of public health through disease, toxicity, and physical injury.
0 = No health damage.
1 = Limited health damage. Causes low level physical injury (e.g. laceration from thorns, shells of zebra mussel, mildly toxic organisms).
3 = Moderate health damage. Causes potentially significant illness (e.g. provides habitat for a disease vector or organism, moderately toxic organisms).
= Severe health damage. Causes extensive, potentially lethal health impacts. (e.g. pathogens or vectors for a major disease, deathly toxic organisms).
Ecological
Includes ecological services such as pollination, forage, and structure for native species.
0 = No ecological benefit.
1 = Limited ecological benefit. Provides replacement ecological services comparable to those provided by native species it replaces, maintaining the habitat value of invaded areas.
3 = Moderate ecological benefit. Provides additional ecological services, increasing the habitat value of invaded areas.
5 = High ecological benefit. Provides important ecological services to degraded areas so they can then support more complex habitats. Provides a tool that helps in restoration.
Agricultural
Includes benefits to crops, livestock, forestry, horticulture and aquaculture.
0 = No agricultural benefit.
1 = Limited agricultural benefit. Is a minor commodity or supports a minor commodity (e.g. minor horticultural species).
3 = Moderate agricultural benefit. Is a major commodity or supports a major commodity (e.g. pollen source for honeybees, popular horticultural species).
5 = High agricultural benefit. Essential to an entire industry (e.g. high value timber species).
Infrastructure
Includes benefits to roads and bridges, buildings, water conveyance and quality, flood and fire protection, utility rights of way, and other infrastructure.
0 = No infrastructure benefit.
1 = Limited infrastructure benefit. Provides minor benefits to physical infrastructure (e.g. low-maintenance landscaping, minor erosion control ).
3 = Moderate infrastructure benefit. Provides significant benefits to physical infrastructure (e.g. major erosion control, major improvements to water quality).
5 = High infrastructure benefit. Provides exceptional benefits to one or more major infrastructure components. Essential for function of infrastructure, with replacement costs that would be extreme.
Cultural
Includes benefits to tribal, historic, archaeological, aesthetic and recreational resources. Also includes pets and ethnic uses.
0 = No cultural benefit.
1 = Limited cultural benefit. Provides minor benefit (e.g. part of an iconic or historic landscape, used in crafts, plays a role in activities of particular ethnic groups).
3 = Moderate cultural benefit. Provides significant benefit to a constituency (e.g. popular pets, popular game animals).
5 = High cultural benefit. Essential to major cultural activities (e.g. irreplaceable game species for popular long time sport).
Health
Includes benefit to public health through medicinal uses.
0 = No health benefit.
1 = Limited health benefit. Provides minor medicinal benefit (e.g. salve, compounds valued by ethnic groups).
3 = Moderate health benefit. Provides significant medicinal benefit (e.g. curative medicines are produced from the taxon).
5 = High health benefit. Provides major medicinal benefit (e.g. essential life-preserving medicines are produced from the taxon).
Detection
Includes taxon and propagule size, location, and pathways.
0 = Not possible to detect.
1 = Very difficult to detect. Requires a major, long-term investment of human and financial resources. Taxon and propagules are small and are found and spread through unknown or inaccessible locations and pathways (e.g. insect larva on pallets in shipping containers).
3 = Moderately difficult to detect. Requires a significant investment of human and financial resources. Taxon and propagules are fairly visible and are found and spread through known, accessible locations and pathways (e.g. mollusks on recreational boat hulls).
5 = Easy to detect. Requires a relatively minor investment of human and financial resources. Taxon and propagules are readily apparent and are spread only through limited, known pathways (e.g. large plants that only spread vegetatively).
Control
Includes taxon persistence, accessibility, and susceptibility to available control measures.
0 = Not possible to control.
1 = Very difficult to control. Requires a major, long-term investment of human and financial resources. Taxon are hard to get to, very difficult to kill, and propagules persist for a long time (e.g. aquatic mollusks, plants that resprout/have a long-lived seed bank/reproduce both vegetatively and sexually).
3 = Moderately difficult to control. Requires a significant investment of human and financial resources. Taxon and propagules are fairly accessible, can be killed with moderate efforts, and propagules have limited persistence.
5 = Easy to control. Requires a minor investment of human and financial resources. Taxon and propagules are readily accessible, can be killed with straightforward methods, and can be fully eradicated within a few years. (e.g. large weeds with short-lived seed banks)
Entry Tools
Degree to which regulatory barriers to prevent entry into and transport within California are in place.
0 = Nothing in place.
1 = Minor barriers in place. Minor regulatory restrictions on taxon and hosts with some surveillance.
3 = Some barriers in place. Regulatory oversight on taxon and hosts with restricted trade. (e.g. B-rated pests)
5 = Strong barriers in place. Strict legal prohibition of taxon or its hosts is in place, with infrastructure in place for interception (e.g. A-rated pests that are actively looked for at points of entry).
Control Tools
Degree to which control of the taxon within California is mandated.
0 = No mandates.
1 = Minor mandates in place. Local mandates for control in place, or informal mandates established through non-governmental organizations.
3 = Some mandates in place. Mandatory containment of taxon where regionally established and mandatory control of taxon where not yet established.
5 = Strong mandates in place. Eradication is mandated (e.g. A-rated pests)
Outreach Tools
Degree to which outreach campaigns for the taxon within California are in place.
0 = No outreach.
1 = Minor outreach in place. Some education materials exist and passive outreach occurs (e.g., signs posted at public access points, information cards made available at public events).
3 = Some outreach in place. Education materials exist and active outreach occurs sporadically and/or after a new taxon or infestation is discovered.
5 = Strong outreach in place. Education and outreach materials and programs exist and are actively provided to targeted audiences before the taxon or a new infestation is discovered.
Cuscuta spp. (C. japonica, reflexa, Australian, monogya) scorecard
