Click here to view my Prezi presentation.
Obviously I stated more information in my presentation than what is on the Prezi, so I'll fill in some of the blanks with some of the information from my presentation plan.
Why does it matter if you
have an invasive species?
- Local wildlife can’t eat some invasive plants, so when they take over, wildlife suffers
- Invasive plants spread quickly. We’ll look at the ramifications of this in a moment
- Invasive species have caused the extinction of countless native species worldwide, such as the red squirrel population of Great Britain
- One very important impact of invasive species is their threat to
biodiversity. So what is biodiversity?
- Here you can see the general impact of invasive species on
biodiversity
- I did a survey of biodiversity and invasive plants in Columbia
last fall, and we found that areas with invasive species had 47% less
biodiversity than areas filled with native species.
- Biodiversity is incredibly important
- In 2009, MU received a $250,000 USDA grant to use a biodiverse
system to grow biofuel crops. Why? Because biodiverse plots of land have
higher yield
- Bradford Farm’s biodiverse growing systems have fostered growth
in the bobwhite quail population
- Biodiversity is good for people and the land because it follows
the natural ecology of the region.
- If an invasive plant wipes out one link in the food chain, the entire chain is broken
- Pollinators like bees, moths, and flies require diverse diets just like us, so they pollinate most efficiently in biodiverse areas
An ounce of prevention is
better than a pound of cure, especially when you’re managing invasive species.
Let’s look at different methods of dealing with invasive plants through this
example.
- The first way to prevent this kind of damage from happening is by
planting natives. Native plants have natural predators in your area, so
they don’t get out of hand.
- The second thing you can do is research. If you’re interested in a
certain kind of plant, find out if it is native or exotic. In a moment I
will list some resources that will help you identify harmful plants.
- You can also keep your loved ones safe from invasive plant-related
heartache by telling them about the dangers of invasive species when they
are looking for plants.
- If you wind up with invasive plants all over your house, there are
steps you can take. You could pull the plants out of the ground.
- You could also burn the pesky plants.
- Finally, you could turn to biological control, which is the
introduction of an organism that is pathogenic to the invasive plant. Are
there any potential problems with these cures?
- I suggest you nip this problem at the bud and determine what to
plant and what not to plant before you landscape your yard. Here are two
of the best websites to help you accomplish this:
- USDA PLANTS Profiles is a database of plants that tells you what they’re like, where they’re from, and if they’re invasive (not all introduced species are).
- GrowNative.org is a Missouri-based website with an impressive list of native and invasive species, a plant identification tool, a landscape guide, a list of resources, and more.
- Now you know what invasive
plants are, the evil they do, and how to stop them. You can avoid purchasing
them, control them if they have already become a problem, and you can help
others to do the same. If you all do these things, your future homes will be
better places to live, for you and your environment. Thank you.
Phew! That's a lot of reading. Have you ever seen some crazy inasive plant infestations? Have you ever used the USDA PLANTS profiles (I used this database almost constantly for about a month and a half last semester)?
Next post: an underappreciated wildflower.
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