Effect and Control of Invasive Plant Species on Biodiversity

Abstract

A natural aggressive plant may be invasive when it is introduce to a new habitat and have the ability to thrive and spread aggressively outside its natural range. The examples of the invasive plants include Prosopis glandulosa, Chromolaena odorata and Lantana camara. Biological invasions are considered as a key threat to biodiversity, Invasion by alien species cause extensive damage on the habitats they invade which includes impact on indigenous species diversity and soil nutrient composition, altering forest fire cycles and loss of productivity of invading ecosystems. It also becomes a threat to endangered or threatened plant species around the world. Invasive species may also affect native species by introducing pathogens or parasites that cause disease or kill native species and may cause changes in environmental services, such as flood control and water supply, nutrient recycling, conservation and regeneration of soils. There are three (3) method of control of invasive plants; these are mechanical control, chemical control and biological control. Mechanical control options is the physical uprooting or removal of plants from the site using slashes, axes, bulldozers  e t c and often in combination with burning. In chemical control herbicides can be applied to prevent sprouting of cut stumps, or to kill seedlings after felling or burning. Biological control is the use of living organisms to control weeds specie. Once the invasive species made entry into a region or country, often become difficult to eradicate and it appears that they have come to stay. Worse still, their adverse effects on the native biodiversity are enormous and they are considered ecologically harmful, agricultural and economic losses.