News tagged with invasive plants

New insights into invasive plant management

Over a decade of research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has resulted in the development of a new matrix for invasive plant management. The model was created by scientists with the Agricultural ...

Biology / Ecology

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Exotic plants do not necessarily become invasive

Introduced plant species do not necessarily have to outgrow indigenous plant species. That makes it difficult to predict the potential harm of exotic plants. NWO-funded researcher Annelein Meisner recently published an article ...

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 19, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Thanksgiving in space may one day come with all the trimmings

(PhysOrg.com) -- Future astronauts spending Thanksgiving in space may not have to forgo one of the most traditional parts of the day's feast: fresh sweet potatoes.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 21, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Gypsies, graveyards and mysterious plants

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist has confirmed the identity of a strange grass-like sedge discovered in a Mississippi graveyard, and believes the appearance of the potentially invasive plant is linked to ...

Biology / Ecology

created Oct 19, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Foreign insects, diseases got into US

(AP) -- Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a ...

Biology / Ecology

created Oct 10, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

'Non-invasive' cultivar? Buyer beware

Cultivars of popular ornamental woody plants that are being sold in the United States as non-invasive are probably anything but, according to an analysis by botanical researchers published in the October issue of BioScience. Tiffan ...

Biology / Ecology

created Oct 07, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Digital panoramas of rangelands could be rich source of research data

A scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is exploring how rangeland ecologists could use high-resolution digital panoramas to track landscape changes.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Sep 20, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

China's plant resources need additional protections

China needs to change where it sites its nature reserves and steer people out of remote rural villages toward cities to protect its valuable but threatened wild plant resources, according to an article published in the September ...

Biology / Ecology

created Sep 07, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Are all alien encounters bad?

The pages of ecological history are filled with woeful tales of destruction from non-native species -- organisms that originated elsewhere.

Biology / Ecology

created Aug 30, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (5) | comments 12

Rural road maintenance may accidentally push spread of invasive plants

Road maintenance may accidentally spread the seeds of invasice plants, according to Penn State researchers.

Biology / Ecology

created Aug 09, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Eco-goats are latest graze in Maryland

Cities and organizations in the US state of Maryland have found an original and ecologically sound method to cut the weeds from their parks and gardens: Bring in the goats.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jul 30, 2011 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (7) | comments 19

War on willows

Willows are major environmental weeds of riverbank habitats across much of south-eastern Australia. They obstruct water flow, increase water temperature, change water chemistry and can displace native riverine ...

Biology / Ecology

created Jul 29, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Hikers spread invasive plant seeds accidentally

Hikers may be inadvertently helping to spread invasive plants across the largest national park in Australia's New South Wales, a study has found.

Biology / Ecology

created Jul 25, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Chile is more dangerous for Argentina than vice versa

Invasive plant species in Chile pose a higher threat to its neighbour, Argentina, than vice versa. This was concluded by scientists from the University of Concepción in Chile and the Helmholtz Centre ...

Biology / Ecology

created Jul 13, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Giant hogweed can cause burns and blindness

(PhysOrg.com) -- The U.S Department of Agriculture is warning residents in a variety of states to be on the lookout for the Heracleum Mantegazzianum, or giant hogweed. This plant in native to Central Asia ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jul 11, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species (e.g. plants or animals) that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically. It has been used in this sense by government organizations as well as conservation groups such as the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

The second definition broadens the boundaries to include both native and non-native species that heavily colonize a particular habitat.

The third definition is an expansion of the first and defines an invasive species as a widespread non-indigenous species. This last definition is arguably too broad as not all non-indigenous species necessarily have an adverse effect on their adopted environment. An example of this broader use would include the claim that the common goldfish (Carassius auratus) is invasive. Although it is common outside its range globally, it almost never appears in harmful densities.

Because of the ambiguity of its definition, the phrase invasive species is often criticized as an imprecise term within the field of ecology. This article concerns the first two definitions; for the third, see introduced species.

For more information about Invasive species, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.