Leafy spurge, shown left, is a troublesome invasive plants in many states, and global warming is likely to exacerbate its spread, according to a new study by ecologist Dana Blumenthal of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.
Euphorbia esula, also called green spurge, is native to Eurasia, and was first reported in Massachusetts in 1827. From there, it rapidly spread across the United States and now infests over two million hectares in 35 states and more in Canada. It is a particular problem in northern plains states, where it chokes out native plants in prairie habitats.
Blumenthal, of the ARS research unit in Fort Collins, Colorado, along with scientists at the University of North Carolina and in the Czech Republic, have found that fast-growing, weedy invasives are likely to spread in new environments for two main reasons: first, they've escaped from their natural enemies like insects and diseases that keep them under control in their homelands. Second, greenhouse gases released in global warming increase the levels of carbon dioxide and nitrogen in soil, both of which promote the spread of weedy plants.
The study concluded that as long as climate change continues unabated, so will the spread of invasive plants.
(photo: ARS)
