2014 Research Highlights
Identifying Potentially Invasive Plants in the United States
Over 4,000 plants have been introduced in the United States through accidental and intentional releases. Some of these species have become invasive by out-competing native species for resources, thus threatening native communities and reducing species diversity. Developing a method to identify potentially invasive species from this pool of introduced plants will enable the prediction and prevention of future invasions.
In order to examine parameters of plant invasion success in the United States, scientists with the Eastern Threat Center are developing a database that compiles several key life history and genetic traits for all currently known introduced plant species, including structure and form traits, pollination and dispersal mechanisms, chromosome number, habitat preferences, and geographical distribution. Researchers and collaborators have developed the database structure and have begun populating the database using a variety of sources, such as relevant existing databases, scientific literature, websites, and herbarium, or collection of dried plants, specimens.
These data will allow for continental scale analyses of biological traits that influence species invasiveness and distribution and will aid in developing early warning systems, predictive models, risk assessments, and management plans for invasive plant species. The database will be web accessible for the public, land managers, scientists, and policymakers to use as a comprehensive resource of introduced plants in the United States.
Forest Service Partners/Collaborators: Forest Inventory and Analysis; Pacific Northwest Research Station; Northern Research Station (Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science)
External Partners/Collaborators: North Carolina State University; University of North Carolina Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center; Illinois State Museum; Purdue University; University of Nevada-Reno; University of Washington; University of Tennessee-Knoxville; University of Missouri; Western Carolina University; US Geological Survey; South Florida Water Management District; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of California-Berkeley; USGS-EROS Data Center; Nanjing University; Stanford University; Taiwan National University; University of Georgia; Biota of North America Program
Contact: Qinfeng Guo, (828) 257-4246, qinfeng.guo@usda.gov
Right: Center research ecologist Qinfeng Guo analyzes plant traits that influence invasiveness and distribution. Photo by Stephanie Worley Firley, USDA Forest Service.
