Impact and management of invasive plant species
2007 Impact statement- Blossey, Bernd
abstract
Invasive plants change plant communities and ecosystem function across North America. My work assesses how changes in plant communities and management of invasive plants using biological control affects a wide range of native biota.
submitted by
- Blossey, Bernd | Associate Professor
issue being addressed
Invasive plants replace native species, increasing the threat to native biota, including rare and endangered species, and may affect ecosystem services. To better manage these threats we need to understand which species, or which traits of species, are the major threats to ecosystems. This will allow us to focus management efforts on the most damaging species.
response
We have used aquatic invertebrates and larval amphibians (their growth and survival) as bioindicators for the effect of native and introduced species on local wetland food webs. We have studied the response both in common gardens as well as in the field to compare responses in different venues.
impact assessment
Our results demonstrate that changes in aquatic plant communities have strong effects on aquatic invertebrates and amphibian larvae. Aquatic plants and litter from terrestrial sources are the structuring forces determining local food webs. We did not find a major difference between native and introduced species in their effects, but believe that plant traits (such as nitrogen content and secondary chemistry) are traits responsible for the results we obtained. These results question the current dogma for managemement of species instead of the effect of species on ecosystems. Once management agencies begin to understand and work with these implications, a major shift in the way plant communities are managed is expected.
academic priority area
- Environmental Sciences | CALS academic priority
- Land-Grant Mission | CALS academic priority
has geographic focus
- Switzerland | country
- Canada | country
- Washington D.C. | federal district
- Georgia | state
- Utah | state
- California | state
- Florida | state
- Montana | state
- North Carolina | state
- Arkansas | state
- North Dakota | state
- Ohio | state
- Vermont | state
- Iowa | state
- Maryland | state
- Kansas | state
- New Hampshire | state
- Michigan | state
- Massachusetts | state
- South Dakota | state
- Indiana | state
- West Virginia | state
- Alaska | state
- South Carolina | state
- Wyoming | state
21 more
funding source description
- US Environmental Protection Agency
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- New York State Biodiversity Research Institute
- Hatch
- Smith-Lever 3(b) & (c)
- National Science Foundation
key personnel
- John Maerz
- Jeremy Dietrich
- Jillian Cohen
department, unit, division
- Natural Resources (NTRES/DNR) | Cornell department
mission focus
- extension/outreach | project type
- research | project type
From CALS annual faculty reporting. Imported on August 5, 2008