Re: Volunteer plants after a hurricane
Posted by
Jackstraw on 10/14/2009, 2:10 am
If you mean that Kudzu itself spread from storms that weakened ecosystems where Kudzu had already been introduced you are correct. But Kudzu itself is not spread by storms. It is a parasitic plant that we all in the SE are familiar with and one that does great destruction similar to the Brazilian Pepper in Florida.
One thing that Kudzu needs is an abundance of sunlight. Clear cutting of land that is then left barren provides a perfect breeding ground for Kudzu. Dense forest is someplace that Kudzu cannot exist.
My point is that "exotic" invasive species of plants such as Kudzu are not spread by storms but spread by the destruction of natural habitat by man. If these "exotic" species were spread by storms then they would not be "exotic". Storms and plants have been around a lot longer than us. We are the ones that provide an environment that enables an "exotic" species to be spread by a storm because we have already altered the landscape to the point that native species struggle and all it takes is a storm to tip the balance in favor of the invasive plant. |
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