Native Plants Can Also Benefit From The Invasive Ones
Friday, May 16, 2008 - 12:35
in Biology & Nature
Using empirical tests, a pioneering study shows how plant species, such as the prickly pear, invade Mediterranean ecosystems, and can either rob the native plants of pollinating insects, or, surprisingly, can attract them, thus benefiting the whole plant community, such as in the case of balsam. The research contradicts the hypothesis of the "floral market" whereby only the invasive flowers are seen to benefit and the native flowers are no longer visited by pollinating insects.