Wednesday, 9 November 2005 - 1:30 PM
252-1

Nature and Status of Invasive Plant Species.

Prasanta C. Bhowmik, University of Massachusetts, Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences, Amherst, MA 01003-7245

The invasive species is recognized as one of the leading threats to biodiversity and imposes tremendous costs on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, wetlands, natural areas, and other human enterprises, including human health. The nature and distribution of invasive species has no geographical boundaries. The invasive plants (native or non-native/alien) tend to have many similar biological attributes/traits relating to high reproduction and stress tolerance. These traits include germination of seeds without complicated requirements, rapid seedling growth, vegetative and sexual reproduction at early stage, spreading aggressively and rapidly by runners or rhizomes, diverse dispersal mechanisms, and the ability to tolerate wide range of environmental stress conditions. Habitats for invasive species can be classified into agricultural fields, forests, streams and wet lands, lakes and ponds, natural areas, and turfgrass environments. Biodiversity is a major factor determining the invisibility of a habitat. The invasibility of a habitat is influenced by its evolutionary history. Habitats with a history of intense competition are less prone to invasion as the resident population of these habitats will be evolved by strong selection pressure and thus will be highly competitive. The invasion due to disturbance will be much less in habitats that have a long history of disturbance since the species occurring there are pre-adapted to disturbance. Human dimension such as historical perspectives, economic impacts, educational component, sociological stature and its political acceptance, and regulatory aspects of national and international laws has significantly influenced the current status of global invasive species. This current recognition of invasive species is good for science and the society. Current listings of invasive plant species are available in various forms. However, limited information is available on invasive species in turfgrass environments. Concerted efforts must be made to prevent the international movement of invasive species, and to develop programs to predict global changes.

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