mo4ch:>Forests 'can take cover to resist alien invaders' | Mo4ch News

By Mark KinverEnvironment reporter 2 May 2020 Image copyrightM.Lavin/FlickrImage captionInvasive species, such as buckthorn, can cost millions of dollars to controlNative woodlands can resist the spread of invasive species by blocking daylight reaching the forest floor, researchers have suggested.They found the amount of light available in the spring and the autumn was "critical" for buckthorn, an alien invasive species in North America.Invasive species dominate a local habitat and squeeze out native species and cost a vast sum to control.The findings appear in the Forest Ecology and Management journal.The team, comprising researchers from US and Australian universities, decided to focus its attention on common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), which is an invasive shrub species in North America. It out-competes native plants and degrades soils and forests, to the detriment of humans and other wildlife.Uninvited guest"In Minnesota alone, we spend millions of dollars each yea…