der and OSMP that will involve middle and high school students in Boulder County.
Seastedt said his team will attempt to control Dalmation toadflax -- an ornamental plant introduced into North America from south-central Eurasia in the 1800s -- using several methods, including the use of insects as "biocontrols," he said. In the late 1990s Seastedt and his colleagues successfully controlled knapweed, a member of the daisy family that was taking over some Boulder County grasslands, by using a species of weevil to consume knapweed seeds and foliage, relegating it to a roadside weed.
A second invader targeted in the new study is cheatgrass, a winter annual that germinates in the fall and which is native to Eurasia. Seastedt said the researchers may use grazing animals and re-seeding with native grasses to combat cheatgrass parcels in the county during fall through late spring. This would allow native grasses to grow through late summer and early fall in an attempt to exclude resources like water and nitrogen from winter annuals like cheatgrass, he said.
The third invader targeted is Canada thistle, an exotic species introduced in North America from southeast Europe and Asia in the 1600s. "This species is of particular concern because it does not seem to have any major natural enemies," said Seastedt. "We need to find some competitive, desirable plants to reduce its abundance. But it will probably retain a presence in the county, specifically in parts of riparian habitats."
The middle school and high school students involved in the CU-Boulder project will be getting hands-on experience in working with different insect species that might be useful as control agents for invasive plant species, he said. "This effort will expose these students to real science, and hopefully kindle their interest in the many ecological changes occurring in the county, nation and world."
Seastedt said atmospheric pollution, climate change, exoti
'/>"/>
| Contact: Timothy Seastedt Timothy.Seastedt@colorado.edu 303-492-3302 University of Colorado at Boulder Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. Climate change opens new avenue for spread of invasive plants
2. Marine invasive species advance 50 km per decade, World Conference on Marine Biodiversity told
3. Marine invasive species advance 50km per decade, World Conference on Marine Biodiversity told
4. Frost & Sullivan Recognizes AOptix Technologies for its Pioneering Contribution to Security through Noninvasive Biometrics
5. Biocontrol insect exacerbates invasive weed
6. Carnegie Mellon MRI technology that non-invasively locates, quantifies specific cells in the body
7. Tiny invasive snail impacts Great Lakes, alters ecology
8. Montana State researchers release guide to noninvasive carnivore research
9. Threatened or invasive? Species fates identified
10. Woody and aquatic plants pose greatest invasive threat to China
11. Attack of the invasive garden ants
 |
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |