The impact of non-native plans invading an eco-system has been found to decrease over time.
Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, used a long-term study to investigate the impact of the African invader plant Melinis minutiflora on a site in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The study compared the same field in the mid-1990s to 2011-2012.
Non-native plants have previously been found to impact numerous aspects of an eco-system such as groundwater and soil salinity. However, the authors found that the perennial grasses’ effect on soil nutrients and mineralisation disappeared and returned to pre-invasion levels over 17 years.
The research also suggests that native species may need assistance to make a “comeback” following the slowing of plant invasion
Read more at University of California, Santa Barbara