In ten pages plants and how certain types secure advantages over others are examined in this consideration of invasive and exotic plant life. Thirteen sources are cited in the bibliography.
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face a number of threats. In addition to the direct threat of development, these communities face the indirect threat of invasion by exotic species. One has to only
take a look out of their car windows to witness the impact of invasive exotics. Plants like kudzu, water hyacinth, water lettuce, mellaleuca, Brazilian pepper leave a formidable impression
as they strangle the life from natural areas. The most threatening aspect of the invasion of exotic plants is the loss
of biodiversity. The structure and function of ecosystems is both fascinating and complex. These ecosystems are composed of both plant and animal life as well as the underlying
nutrients and biochemical factors. Each of these factors plays a large role in determining the plant and animal communities which form a particular ecosystem. Ecosystems, by their very
nature, however, are dynamic. That is they change in species composition over time. These changes can be attributed to a number of factors, both natural factors and man
induced factors. Although ecosystems are dynamic by nature, although they are in a constant state of fluctuation in terms of their plant
and animal communities. Each of the above factors all interplay to create truly dynamic ecosystems and individual populations of plants and animals. Many of these shifts in terms
of population dynamics can be linked to the nutrient and biochemical structure of a particular area, i.e. biochemical dynamics in an area are clearly tied to both vegetative and faunal
populations. This fact becomes important as well when we consider the invasion of exotic species into an ecosystem. Often, that species is taking advantage of subtle changes in