Transcript Spice_Invaders13

Spice Invaders
by
Tammy Tintjer
St. Mary of the Woods College
Steve Brewer
U Mass Amherst
Paul Mangum
Midland College
Linda Weinland
Edison College
Mary Mulcahy
U Pittsburgh at Bradford
A Spicy Problem
Diane had lived at the edge of a small nature
preserve in the Midwestern U.S. for the past 30
years. She loved her daily strolls along the rural
roadsides and through the woods of the
preserve. She particularly enjoyed looking at the
wildflowers. She was not a botanist but did know
the names, at least the common names, of many
of the wildflowers. Over the last few years she
had noticed a new plant with small white flowers
that appear in late spring and early summer.
She first noticed this plant along the roadside,
but soon began to see it in the understory of the
preserve woods.
“Claire, do you know this
plant?” Diane asked her
friend, an amateur
botanist and member of
the local Audubon
Society, who had joined
her one mid-May
morning for a woodland
stroll. “I’ve noticed it
growing here only in the
last couple of years.”
“I think that’s garlic mustard. If I’m remembering
correctly, it’s one of those plants that
environmental groups say we should go out and
pull because the plants are bad,” said Claire as
she pulled a plant, crushed some of the leaves,
took a sniff and passed it to Diane.
“I can see why it has garlic in its name,” she said
as she wondered if it is edible. “But this plant
doesn’t seem like such a big nuisance to me; it
doesn’t get too big, most of the plants only reach
a little above my knee and they die down each
year. How could this plant be a problem?”
After her walk with Claire that afternoon
Diane began to think more about this new
plant. “What if it really is a problem plant?
What will happen if it’s not pulled, as my
friend suggested should be done?” she
wondered.
That afternoon she mentioned the possible
concern to her daughter, Meg, who was
home from college on summer break. “I
mean how can this plant become a
problem when there are no more than a
couple of dozen plants now?”
Meg, who has taken some math and
computer courses in college, said, “Mom, I
think I can get an idea of how rapidly their
numbers could increase over the next few
years. But first I’ll need some basic
information about the plant.”
Worksheet for “Garlic Mustard”
Case Analysis
1. What do you already know that is important about this case?
2. What else do you need to know to be able to evaluate this case?
3. Choose and describe one main question to evaluate further.
4. Search for and list at least four references that would be useful to
address your question.
5. Describe plans to research your question. (These plans may
include research using the Internet, library resources, local
experts, observations, modeling and/or experiments.)
6. What is the answer to your question? Present your results.
Invasive Plant Worksheet
1) What is this plant’s name? Provide both its scientific name and
any common name(s).
2) What is this plant’s range?
Worldwide
In the U.S.
 Where is it native?
 If it is not native to the U.S., how did it arrive in the
U.S.?
 Was it introduced accidentally or intentionally? Explain.
3) What is this plant’s life history? (What factors are parts of an
organism’s life history? Think of it as the story of the organism’s
life cycle.)
Worksheet, continued
4) In what habitat(s) is this plant found?
 How is it spread to new habitats?
5) Why is this plant a problem? Consider its impacts on:
 Natural ecosystems?
 Humans?
6) Is there a difference between the terms- weed, noxious weed, nonnative, alien, exotic, and invasive plant? Can a native plant be
invasive?
7) Are there other “problem” plants in your area? Briefly describe
these plants and why they are considered problems.
Models to Explore Invasive Species…
Fieldwork and
Alternative Spices
Extensions
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Investigative Case
Model building and predictions
Fieldwork to test predictions made by the
model
What if garlic mustard does not occur in the
area?
Fieldwork
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Form based on invasive plant monitoring instruments
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State agency projects
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Florida
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Massachusetts
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The Florida Natural Areas Inventory
 http://www.fnai.org/invasivespecies.cfm
Bureau of Invasive Plant Management of Florida
 http://www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/invaspec/
MIPAG – Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group
 http://www.massnrc.org/mipag/
Texas
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http://www.texasinvasives.org/
Fieldwork: Plant Monitoring Form
Physical
Location:
GPS
Longitude
Latitude
Physical
Description:
established forest
Disturbed Area:
Fieldwork: Plant Monitoring Form
Species Name:
Type of plant:
grass
tree
vine
Life cycle:
annual
biennial
perennial
herbaceous
Fieldwork: Plant Monitoring Form
Phenology
(Select all observed)
In
flower
Methods of
Reproduction:
Asexual
In fruit
Seedlings/
Rosettes
Seeds
dispersed
Sexual
rhizomes
stolon
fragmentation
Dormant/
Dead
Both
seeds only
Fieldwork: Plant Monitoring Form
Fecundity:
Time of flower bloom
Time to fruit maturation
Average # of flowers/plant
Average # of fruit/flower
Average # of seeds/fruit
Offspring Dispersal:
Wind
Water
Animal
Fieldwork: Plant Monitoring Form
Density
Method:
Density
Estimate:
Quadrant
12345
Transect
[1 = a few
plants or
small]
[5 =
extensive or
complete
coverage]
Fieldwork: Plant Monitoring Form
Areas Surveyed
Total
area
Gross Area
Infested
area
Total Area Surveyed = Total area inspected for
species being reported
Gross Area = Approximate area within which all
target plants are found
Infested Area = Sum of areas of all target
populations within the gross area
Fieldwork: Plant Monitoring Form
Associated
Species:
Invasive
Threatened
Neutral
Alternative Spices
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Brassica tournifortii, Sahara mustard
Alternative Spices
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Brassica tournifortii, Sahara mustard
Midland
Alternative Spices
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Brassica, mustard
Midland
Alternative Spices
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Tamarix
Midland
Brazilian Pepper - Florida’s Biggest Pest
From the Weed BioControl Group at the
University of Florida:
‘We are investigating possible allelopathic
relationships between Brazilian pepper
and selected native plants. Results have
demonstrated that some native plants,
such as Bidens alba and Rivina humilis,
are negatively affected by aqueous
extracts of Brazilian pepper leaves.’
‘Leaf extracts of wax myrtle had no
effect on germination or growth of
Brazilian pepper, but root exudates of
wax myrtle negatively influenced both
germination and growth of the exotic
plant.’
BRAZILIAN PEPPERTREE
HERBAL PROPERTIES AND ACTIONS
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Actions
# kills bacteria
# relieves pain
Leaf, Bark
# kills fungi
# kills cancer cells
Bark Decoction: 1/2 cup
# kills Candida yeast
# relieves depression
twice daily
# reduces inflammation
# reduces spasms
Leaf Infusion: 1/2 cup
# dries secretions
# kills viruses
twice daily
# regulates heartbeat
# stimulates digestion
Tincture: 2-3 ml twice daily
# lowers blood pressure
# increases urination
# mildly laxative
# stimulates menstruation
# stimulates uterus
# reduces phlegm
# heals wounds
# kills insects
“Give a weed an inch and it will take a yard.”
…Unknown
“The good news is that this is one environmental problem that we
can do something about. I have seen the tremendous difference
that even a few individuals can make in the battle to regain the
land for native species.”
…Elizabeth J. Czarapata
Invasive Plants of the Upper Midwest, 2005