Event: WY Undergraduate Research Day, Laramie, WY
Date: April 26, 2014
Alin Carrillo and BJ Bender presented their research findings on the impacts of an invasive weed on the native plants and animals, and agricultural crops in Southern India.
Mikania macrantha (American rope or mile-a-minute weed) is native to Central and South America, but an invasive species in India’s Western Ghats, a biodiversity hot spot.
This weed out-competes native species by producing seeds at an extremely quick rate and spreads by attaching its seeds to the hair in the coats of animals that pass by this plant as well as through wind dispersal.
Like most invasive species, it prefers disturbed areas, which makes it a threat to riparian areas, road sides, crop fields, and areas of development. This weed has been found to kill entire trees as well as tea and rubber plants, banana, coconut and oil palm trees. Presence of this weed also limits the growth of other more palatable species, which decreases vegetation availability for consumption by the native wildlife of the Western Ghats.
Date: April 26, 2014
Alin Carrillo and BJ Bender presented their research findings on the impacts of an invasive weed on the native plants and animals, and agricultural crops in Southern India.
This weed out-competes native species by producing seeds at an extremely quick rate and spreads by attaching its seeds to the hair in the coats of animals that pass by this plant as well as through wind dispersal.
Like most invasive species, it prefers disturbed areas, which makes it a threat to riparian areas, road sides, crop fields, and areas of development. This weed has been found to kill entire trees as well as tea and rubber plants, banana, coconut and oil palm trees. Presence of this weed also limits the growth of other more palatable species, which decreases vegetation availability for consumption by the native wildlife of the Western Ghats.
No comments:
Post a Comment