RAINYRAMBLES
Starvation and woe
The ecological impact of invasive plants
BY REBECCA LEXA
Scotch broom, English ivy, Gorse, Pop-
weed and butterfl y bush are just a few of
the invasive species of plants that can be
found in the Columbia-Pacifi c region. How
did they get here, and why are they such a
problem for local ecosystems?
Native animals, plants, fungi and other
living beings in this region evolved together
over thousands, even millions of years.
Over time, they developed interrelated net-
works so complex that it’s often diffi cult to
grasp just how crucial one species can be
to another. For example, if one species on a
food chain is removed, the chain can col-
lapse, then other species struggle, and the
local extinction of one seemingly insignifi -
cant animal, plant, or fungus can have sig-
nifi cant ripple eff ects throughout an entire
ecosystem.
In recent centuries, the Pacifi c North-
west’s ecosystems have undergone much
destructive change. Widespread logging,
mining and agriculture coupled with pollu-
tion, development, and the growing eff ects
of climate change have caused signifi cant
change for fl ora and fauna.
While invasive plants may seem to be less
threatening than the clearcutting of old growth
forest or the draining of wetlands for yet
another parking lot, these non-native species
do cause diffi culty for nature . When native
plants aren’t able to establish themselves in a
disturbed natural area because invasive plants
are crowding them out, the area’s ecosys-
tem may take longer to recover from damage.
Even worse, native ecosystems may disappear.
See Page 7
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Rebecca Lexa
The bittercress plant is commonly seen between fall and spring along the North Coast.