Ecological impacts of plant invasion in rangeland ecosystems

Title	Ecological impacts of plant invasion in rangeland ecosystems
Publication Type	Conference Proceedings
Year of Publication	1995
Authors	Huenneke L.
Conference Name	Proceedings of the alien plant invasions: Increasing deterioration of rangeland ecosystem health symposium
Volume	BLM/OR/WA/PT-95/048+1792
Number of Volumes	pp
Pagination	10-14 pp.
Date Published	January 17, 1995
Conference Location	Held in conjunction with the annual meeting for The Society of Range Management on January 17, 1995
Call Number	00660
Keywords	abstract, abstracts, conference, conference proceedings, conferences, plant invasion, plant, non-native, proceeding, proceedings, rangeland management, rangeland, ecosystem
Abstract	Invasive non-native species, both plants and animals, have become major management problems in North America (OTA 1993). Alien (non-native) plants can have harmful impacts in natural and semi-natural ecosystems as well as in agricultural settings; these "environmental weeds" are the result of both deliberate importations (e.g., for forage crops or as ornamentals) and accident. These importations continue, and the number of problematic species is increasing all the time. The arrival of new species has the potential to alter ecological relationships and processes, with undesirable impacts on management and conservation concerns. The objective of this paper is to review the ecological impacts of invasive non-native plants in natural systems, with a focus on semi-arid rangelands. I will outline measures of ecosystem health in rangelands, and discuss how they can be influenced by invasive plants. I will also present some guidelines for action, based on what we know of the ecology of these invading weeds.