Invasive Plants and Ticks

Invasive plants and ticks

Invasive plants are exotic plants that are ecologically damaging. Tick abundance and tick-borne disease are both forms of damage in the ecosystem. To restore balance and reduce disease, invasive plants must be managed.

How invasive plants contribute to tick abundance and disease

By abundance:

It’s also important to note that the most abundant species cause disease, so if a certain plant forms a monoculture and dominates an area, that species becomes overabundant. That abundance, in turn, can lead to disease. The invasive plant overloads the ecosystem in two ways: it lacks predators to thin its branches, and its shallow roots help it quickly colonize.

Thickets

Thickets are inaccessible to most predator species - but great habitat for mice. Mice are not hunted in the thicket because caterpillars do not chew on the thicket. This creates a thicket that mouse predators can not reach. Predators of native plants thin their populations throughout their life cycles.