ibclogo XVI International Botanical Congess


Abstract Number: 11
Session = 20.18.1.


INVASIVE SPECIES IN FLORIDA, A LANDSCAPE MODIFIED


Daniel F. Austin, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton


Humans seem to feel a need to move plants. Introductions began at least with European arrival. There are innumerable reasons and ways for moving plants, all of these are represented in Florida -- among them are as foods, fibers, medicinals, ornamentals, & weeds. Since ca. 1500 A.D. many alien plants have escaped into wild habitats where they alter the landscape. Florida's biogeographic position and history have played a large role in dictating the species that escaped, and the regions where the plants thrive. Land managers must now employ a multitude of techniques in their attempts to limit further disruption of native habitats by alien plant. Millions of tax dollars are spent annually per species. The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council has identified 125 species that are now causing the worst damage. As the landscape is modified by non-native species, natives are increasingly endangered.


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