Ecology and Control of Introduced Plants: (Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation)

The global spread of plant species by humans is both a fascinating large scale experiment and, in many cases, a major perturbation to native plant communities. Many of the most destructive weeds today have been intentionally introduced to new environments where they have had unexpected and detrimental impacts. This book considers the problem of invasive introduced plants from historical, ecological and sociological perspectives. We consider such questions as 'What makes a community invasible?', 'What makes a plant an invader?' and 'Can we restore plant communities after invasion?' Written with advanced students and land managers in mind, this book contains practical explanations, case studies and an introduction to basic techniques for evaluating the impacts of invasive plants. An underlying theme is that experimental and quantitative evaluation of potential problems is necessary, and solutions must consider the evolutionary and ecological constraints acting on species interactions in newly invaded communities.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction; 2. Planet of weeds: exotics in the landscape; 3. Ecosystem, community composition, richness and dynamics; 4. Life history characteristics and predicting invasiveness; 5. Population ecology; 6. Introduced plant diseases; 7. Classical biological control of exotic weeds; 8. Models of invasive plant populations; 9. Cultural control of invasive species; 10. Conserving and restoring natural communities; 11. Some tools for studying plant populations; 12. Conclusions: what the future holds.

About the Author :
Judith H. Myers is a Professor in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Dawn R. Bazely is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at York University, Ontario, Canada.

Review :
'... I find this book very helpful as a textbook on invasion ecology and ecology not only for the students of ecology, but also for the teachers or people from NGOs. ... Although this book is written for beginners in ecology, it is not boring even for the advanced readers. By using plenty of examples such as case studies and recent references, the authors make the book suitable for a wider audience. The use of language that makes it easy to read for the non-native English speaking students is another reason why I recommend this book.' Folia Geobotanica 'Although this book is written for beginners in ecology, it is not boring even for the advanced readers. By using plenty of examples such as case studies and recent references, the authors make the book suitable for a wider audience.' Folia Botanica