tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29608173.post115201363846233007..comments2023-02-11T07:00:40.888-05:00Comments on Beechwood Wetland Blog: Marniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05427826418029803597noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29608173.post-1152064505300083232006-07-04T21:55:00.000-04:002006-07-04T21:55:00.000-04:00Thanks for that, Leigh. I think I'll quote from it...Thanks for that, Leigh. I think I'll quote from it in an upcoming post, so more people see it.Marniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10939992613962030099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29608173.post-1152052740618091162006-07-04T18:39:00.000-04:002006-07-04T18:39:00.000-04:00Hi, Marnie. Here is copy/paste of an article about...Hi, Marnie. Here is copy/paste of an article about garlic mustard, from the e-newsletter that LEAF sends out. (To subscribe, go to leaftoronto.org and click "Join the Urban Forest Network".) It is indeed bad stuff; we are indeed battling the forces of evil - hoorah! hoorah!=================================================<BR/><BR/>WEED STARVES MAPLES FORESTS, STUDY FINDS<BR/><BR/>=================================================<BR/><BR/>From CBC News, April 25, 2006<BR/><BR/>Maples, ashes and other hardwood trees are being harmed by an invasive weed that indirectly slows their growth to about one-tenth the normal speed, scientists say. The researchers, who report in Tuesday's issue of the journal Public Library of Science Biology, studied how a tree-stifling weed called garlic mustard impacts native hardwoods in Ontario.<BR/><BR/>The lead scientist warned that the weed's ultimate effect could be to stifle dominant trees in the forest and even change the type of trees that can grow in the habitat. <BR/><BR/>Weed harms fungus that aids tree growth<BR/><BR/>The weed harms hardwood trees such as sugar maples by releasing chemicals that harm a soil fungus that the trees need to grow and survive. The fungi have long filaments that penetrate the roots of plants, forming a network to extend the reach of a tree's roots. <BR/><BR/>In exchange for providing seedlings with nutrients, the fungi receive energy from the plants. Sugar maple, red maple and white ash showed less fungal colonization and grew only about one-tenth as fast in soil infested with the weeds. <BR/><BR/>Only hardwoods affected<BR/><BR/>Studies on 16 other species of seedlings showed only hardwoods were harmed by garlic mustards. "This suggests garlic mustard invades the understorey of mature forests by poisoning the allies of its main competitors," Stinson said in a release. <BR/><BR/>The experiments were done by researchers at Harvard University, the University of Guelph, the University of Montana, Purdue University, and the UFZ Centre for Environmental Research in Germany.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com