Category Archives: Research

Tadpole morphology changed by Roundup

Researchers discovered that tadpoles of three frog and toad species (wood frogs, leopard frogs and American toads)  developed the same tail shape that they do when exposed to predators such as dragonfly larvae or newts.   The different tail shape … Continue reading

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Adaptations of native plants to invasive plants

I often get questions about what the long-term outlook is like for native plants, so it was great to see a study that looks at genetic adaptations of native species in invaded grasslands.  The authors have been studying adapations of … Continue reading

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Invasive Plant Legacies

Invasive plants can leave legacies after they have been removed, just as politicians do.  Rather than a legacy of public works or corruption, invasive plants may leave a legacy of altered soils, hydrology or new genes.  A recent paper by … Continue reading

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Herbicide resistant creeping bentgrass

Another study on the potential effects of escaped transgenic creeping bentgrass, Agrostis stolonifera, is out.  This study shows that in Central Oregon wetland communities are at particular risk of invasion by creeping bentgrass and by redtop, Agrostis gigantea. Redtop can … Continue reading

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Long-term experiments on invasive plants

Relatively few long-term experiments have been done surveying invasive plants in the same place, so we know relatively little about the long-term dynamics of invasive plants.  A study on Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense, on burned sites in Yellowstone reveal that … Continue reading

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Demand for drought tolerant plants might bring in new invasives

A research paper in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment demonstrates how new sources of plants and demand for new plants as climate changes may lead to new invasive plant introductions.  Emerging sources of nursery imports include parts of South … Continue reading

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Fungi helping cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasions in North America

Researchers discovered that a new fungal-plant relationship developed between cheatgrass plants (Bromus tectorum) and a fire-dependent fungus (Morchella).  The fungus grows into the plant tissues and increases the biomass and seed production of the grass.  More biomass leads to more … Continue reading

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Using benthic barriers to stop Eurasian watermilfoil

Benthic barriers use geotextile fabric, plastic or other materials placed over the ground under water to stop the growth of unwanted rooted aquatic plants (for more information on benthic barriers see http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/management/aqua023.html).  A recent study looked at how long barriers needed … Continue reading

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