Invasive plants disrupt many natural habitats. In the worst cases, invasive plants like mile-a-minute, cape ivy and kudzu ruthlessly choke out other plant life. This puts extreme pressure on native plants and animals, and threatened species may succumb to this pressure. Ultimately, invasive plants alter habitats and reduce biodiversity.

Purpose
The purpose of this project is to investigate the effects of invasive plants on biotic communities.

Key questions
-Does Eucalyptus affect soil productivity/biodiversity?
-Does Cape Ivy affect soil productivity/biodiversity?
-Does Eucalyptus affect creek productivity/biodiversity?

Possible procedures
Community-level physiological profiling (CLPP)
Nitrification & denitrification
Primary productivity

Reference to get started
National Agricultural Library. Invasive plants databases. USDA.
California Invasive Plant Control.
Invasive species in California. California Department of Fish and Game.
Simberloff, D. "Impacts of Introduced Species in the United States." Consequences 2(2), 1996.
Invasive Species. University of California Integrated Pest Management Program.
Department of Plant Sciences. "Tackling bullies." University of California Davis.