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Introduced Invasive Plants in California

Introduced Invasive Plants in California. Since the arrival of Europeans, approximately 1,000 plant species have been introduced in CA 140 species listed by the CA Exotic Pest Plant Council as “Plants of Greatest Ecological Concern”. How Invasive Plants Effect Native Biodiversity.

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Introduced Invasive Plants in California

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  1. Introduced Invasive Plants in California

  2. Since the arrival of Europeans, approximately 1,000 plant species have been introduced in CA • 140 species listed by the CA Exotic Pest Plant Council as “Plants of Greatest Ecological Concern”

  3. How Invasive Plants Effect Native Biodiversity • Displace native species • Change the way a normal ecosystem operates • Can be hazardous to native fauna • Reduces biodiversity

  4. European Beachgrass • captures sand, decreasing natural sand movement, and causing the dunes to increase in height • unsuitable as habitat for nesting snowy plovers • Displaces three particular species of plants including beach layia which is federally listed

  5. Scotch broom • Interferes with the establishment of forests and invades natural areas. • Overruns pastures, utility corridors and roadsides increasing the maintenance costs of these operations. • Displaces the native plant species and the wildlife that depend on them. • Broom infested areas create a fire hazard.

  6. Yellow starthistle • Native to Eurasia • First found in Alameda county in 1869 • Infests 42% of California • Lethal to horse if consumed • Decreases range forage quality • millions of dollars in losses probably occur from interference with livestock grazing • Depletes soil moisture

  7. Tamarisk • Starting in the 1850s, several species of tamarisk were imported to the United States as ornamentals and for use in erosion control. • Starting in the 1850s, several species of tamarisk were imported to the United States as ornamentals and for use in erosion control • Aggressive invader of desert riparian habitats • Forms impenetrable thickets that suck up water leaving other plants, birds and fish high and dry (up to 300 gallons a day!)

  8. Water hyacinth • Escaped ornamental aquatic plant • Has invaded the Sacramento-San Juaquin Delta • Clogs boating waterways • competitively exclude native submersed and floating-leaved plants • Low oxygen conditions develop beneath water hyacinth mats

  9. Arundo • chokes riversides and stream channels • interferes with flood control • crowds out native plants • It ignites easily and can create intense fires. • grows vertically without any horizontal branching and does not provide shading to the in-stream habitat, which can lead to increased water temperatures and reduced habitat quality for fish and other aquatic wildlife

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