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Alien Plants and Wetland Biotic Dysfunction

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The Wetland Book

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Abstract

The impact of alien plants on wetlands has been recognized for some time, with the displacement of native species and subsequent changes in the nutrient and energy dynamics of the wetlands. In many instances the importance of alien species was not widely recognized until it was too late and the plants had spread and invaded large areas, with Elodea canadensis being an example from the nineteenth century and Spartina alterniflora more recently. The reasons for this included: (i) a generally low level of public and institutional awareness of the problems; (ii) insufficient information about alien species and ways of controlling them; or (iii) insufficient capacity to collect information or implement control measures. The extent of wetland dysfunction caused by alien plants is now more recognized, but prevention and control can still prove difficult.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    C. M. Finlayson

  2. Institute for Water Education, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, The Netherlands

    C. M. Finlayson

Authors
  1. C. M. Finlayson
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Correspondence to C. M. Finlayson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Ecology and Biodiversity, Charles Sturt University Inst. for Land, Water and Society, Albury, New South Wales, Australia

    C. Max Finlayson

  2. Dept. of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada

    G. Randy Milton

  3. Nature Management Services, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

    R. Crawford Prentice

  4. Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales, Australia

    Nick C. Davidson

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Finlayson, C.M. (2016). Alien Plants and Wetland Biotic Dysfunction. In: Finlayson, C., Milton, G., Prentice, R., Davidson, N. (eds) The Wetland Book. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6173-5_48-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6173-5_48-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6173-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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