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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Burns, Oregon » Range and Meadow Forage Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #286949
Title: Ecological principles underpinning invasive plant management tools and strategies

Author
item James, Jeremy
item Sheley, Roger
item Smith, Brenda

Submitted to: Rangelands
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/25/2012
Publication Date: 12/1/2012
Citation: James, J.J., Sheley, R.L., Smith, B.S. 2012. Ecological principles underpinning invasive plant management tools and strategies. Rangelands. 34(6):27-29.

Interpretive Summary: Ecological principles are emerging as axioms to assist integrating management strategies to combat invasive plants. In this article we demonstrate how the principles can be used in an ecologically-based invasive plant management program (EBIPM). When land manager understand the underlying ecological causes of invasive plant infestations more effective management can be adopted. Better land management increases diversity and healthy functioning of these ecosystems.

Technical Abstract: The broad focus of ecologically-based invasive plant management is to identify and repair the ecological processes facilitating plant invasion. To be useful, however, EBIPM requires that our application of management tools and strategies be based on ecological principles that determine the rate and direction of plant community change. Ecological principles are constraints that influence the relative abundance of desired and invasive species. In this paper we highlight some of the key ecological literature that can allow development of central ecological principles as well as the ecological, physiological and life-history characteristics that form the basis of these ecological principles.