A non-native plant purposefully or unintentionally introduced to an area is often called invasive. Can a natural species become invasive, though? Ecology and climate science are both very interested in native invading species. Certain plants that have become out of control in or close to their natural habitats can have a case.
Native Species vs. Invasive Species
A plant developed naturally and without human interference is called a native species. A non-native species was accidentally or purposely transported to another location by human activities.
Non-native species are not always invasive. These characteristics identify a plant as invasive:
- Not native to the area where it is now growing
- Human activities have spread it outside of its natural habitat.
- Harms the community’s ecology or economy
For instance, immigrants brought the invasive plant garlic mustard to North America for use as a meal and for its therapeutic benefits. Because it displaces native species and establishes massive monocultures in woodland areas, it harms the local ecosystem.
The kudzu vine, which has taken over most of the south, is an example of an invasive plant that harms local economies. Millions of dollars have been lost in productivity across several sectors, which has hurt the economy. For example, power and forestry industries spend millions to control vine infestations.
Can a Native Plant Spread Invasively?
It may be argued that some native plants may become problematic or even invasive because circumstances seem to contradict the idea of a native species.
Native species are being driven out of their typical range by ecological change. Depending on your viewpoint and the degree of change the shift causes in its new environment, the impacts of the transformation may be negative, positive, or mixed.
The black locust is an illustration of a native plant that is currently in motion. It is regarded as invasive in several New England states. It is endemic to a region farther south and has been expanding its range northward. Is it intrusive if it’s like that? What is the change’s initiator?
Such a plant’s expansion into a new location may indicate environmental deterioration. The plant creeps in by taking advantage of the extinction of other species. It can just be a shift in the surroundings. Black locust tree migration to the north is probably a result of climate change.
Migrating Native Species
The previous ice age serves as a historical illustration of the latter. Ash, oak, and birch trees thrived in the area created as glaciers receded from the eastern United States. American chestnut eventually made an appearance and outcompeted many of the older species. There was no human involvement in this. Today, these kinds of environmental changes appear more sinister because of the likely contribution of humans to climate change.
Change is given when native species expand into new habitats. Whether anything qualifies as an invasion relies on several variables. It is unclear how much the black locust will alter the New England environment and whether these changes will be detrimental or beneficial.
Are Eastern Red Cedars Invasive?
Eastern red cedar is yet another example. It originally came from the eastern portion of North America and is now moving west. As it moves into grasslands and prairies, an ecosystem entirely different from forests, this worries many people. What’s left of a once-vast ecosystem are the remaining grasslands. Many individuals worry about what they have left being lost.
There is no definitive solution to the issue of whether native species may become invasive. The possible changes that could happen when plants spread out into new places and put a strain on other local species are the subject of several research projects.