The Threat of Purple Loosestrife to the Local Ecosystem

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Purple loosestrife is perennial plant, which can grow up to 1~1.5 metres tall. Its stems are reddish purple and its cross-section is square. Its flowers are reddish purple, too. Fruits of purple loosestrife are small capsule that containing seeds in it. Their seeds spread by wind, water, wild animals, and humans. They were introduced to North America by soil that used as ballast in European sailing ships and early settlers. Also, it was used by bee keepers as large source of nectar. Currently, purple loosestrifes spread all around the Canada, but they are now being controlled.
There are many probable methods of introduction of purple loosestrifes. The first probable method is soil that used as ballast in European sailing ship. Since they were discarded in North America, they spread by wind across the Canada. Also, early European settlers were brought plants for their garden. Second probable method is beekeepers’ usage of purple loosestrifes to get more nectar. By beekeepers and early settlers, purple loosestrifes were introduced to Canada.
Purple loosestrifes reduce biodiversity by degrading natural habitats such as wetlands and replaces native vegetation rapidly. They blocks native plants to grow by forming dense mats with their roots. If native vegetation being replaced with purple loosestrifes, it will impact animals, too. In wetlands, hundreds of species rely on native vegetation for their shelter, food source, and breeding to survive. They will lose their habitat by purple loosestrifes’ invasion since none of them solely depends on purple loosestrifes as their food source or shelter. Since they change many factors of the invaded ecosystem, most of flora and fauna will be affected and it will lead to the reduction of the b...

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...orating garden even the government let us to buy them for gardening. Instead, we should be able to recognize and report purple loosestrifes in wildlife in order to protect biodiversity.

Works Cited

“Purple Loosestrifes: An Exotic Menace” http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/bb/documents/bb-45.pdf “Purple Loosestrife | Ontario’s Invasive Species Awareness Program” http://www.invadingspecies.com/invaders/plants-terrestrial/purple-loosestrife/ “Alien Invasive Aquatic and Wetland Plants: Purple Loosestrife” http://purpleloosestrife.org/uploads/fs_purpleloosestrifeplel.pdf “Purple Loosestrife Project Manitoba” http://purpleloosestrife.org/ “Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) ” http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@biodiversity/documents/document/stdprod_104404.pdf “Purple Loosestrife”
http://www.lakeheadca.com/lsstrife.htm

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