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Submodule 3: Invasive Plants
Common Characteristics of Ecosystems that May Have Increased Susceptibility to Plant Invasion
Wildfire
Overgrazed Land (photo courtesy USGS)
- Disturbed by fire, flood, human activities such as clearing land for constructing homes and golf courses, and overgrazing, etc.
- Low biodiversity.
- Added fertilizers and pesticides
- Environments that are moderately moist seem to be more susceptible to invasion than those that are either very dry or very wet.
- Contain newly established vegetation.
- Recovering slowly from a previous disturbance.
- Contain relatively rich soils with high nutrient content (such as riparian areas).
The existence of any or all of these characteristics in an area is not necessarily a predictor of plant invasion. Also, not all plants that have most or all of the above characteristics describing traits commonly found in invasive plants will go on to invade particular environments. In fact, some of the characteristics of invasive plants are actually desirable; for example, hilly land that has been disturbed and is susceptible to erosion may benefit from the planting of grasses that reproduced by runners and stolons which can act as a “web” to keep soil from running off during a rain storm.
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