Berne, 26. November 2008
Picture of the month: Invasive plants
Future propagation scenarios
The spotted knapweed was imported to Europe from North America a little over 100 years ago. Based on this species, researchers from the University of Lausanne have been able to develop a new approach to the investigation of geographical propagation. During the course of their research, which was funded by the National Centre of Competence in Research "Plant Survival", researchers managed to simulate the current propagation pattern based on historical data from both Europe and North America. With these new models, they were able to predict the future propagation trend of this particular plant as far ahead as 2080, taking into account a considerable degree of global warming.
At first glance, the spotted knapweed looks harmless enough, but it is in fact a persistent intruder.
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