Jacob Barney and six graduate students conducted the first-ever comprehensive meta-analytic review examining the ecological impacts of invasive plants. Shown (l-r): Cody Dickinson, Ariel Heminger, Becky Fletcher, Gourav Sharma, Jacob Barney, Rachel Brooks, and Vasiliy Lakoba.
(Credit Virginia Tech)
The first comprehensive study of the effects of invasive plants on indigenous wildlife is sobering.
Researchers at Virginia Tech found that when invasive plants take over an area they actually alter the ecosystem, depleting native animals’ natural food sources.
As Robbie Harris reports, this phenomenon is a major driver of wildlife extinction. And the researchers say it’s even worse than they thought.
Virginia Public Radio 