Invasive Species in Indiana

Autumn Olive has become in an invasive species through the last years in Indiana and the consequences of bringing a specie that is not from the place in most of the cases can result harmful for the natural species.

Autumn Olive is native of Asia specifically Japan, it was introduced to the Us in 1830, introduce as an ornamental; cultivated for wildlife habitat and erosion control.

It was introduce with the purpose of attracting wildlife, due to its stability to fix nitrogen, drought and disease resistance and tolerance to poor soil. Autumn Olive has been planted in different areas to prevent soil erosion, even though its main purpose its to prevent soil erosion its red, yellowish fruit has been prove to have a lot of nutrients such as antioxidants, carotenoid lycopene and several others carotenoids, it also has been strongly associated with avoiding certain chronic disease and even some kinds of cancer, even though Autumn Olive has many beneficial uses is still consider an invasive species.

Autumn Olive is considering an invasive species because it outcompetes and displaces native plants, Autumn Olive changes the chemistry of the soil in which is planted and shading other plants out, this process is called allelopathy.

The loss of the native plants in the environment can have a strong impact in the ecosystem and a domino effect causing a major loss in biodiversity.

One of the main characteristics of this plant is that its nitrogen-fixing root nodules allow this plant to grow in very unfavorable soils and adapt to keep growing and reproducing creating over 200,000 seeds from a single plant each year and they have some helps by birds which they spread Autumn Olive seeds far and wide through a lot of ecosystems.

One of the main problems of introducing this plant into a new environment is that trying to take it back won't work, trying to remove the shrub by cutting and even burning it, will only cause this plant to expand and grow faster.

For the other hand there are several major problems in controlling Autumn Olive, when considering control in these areas, one should not only look at the specific area, but also areas adjacent that have large seed producing populations of autumn olive, because the removal of plants on a site will only be a temporary solution if seed inputs continue. Fortunately, there is a way in which Autumn Olive can stops being a threat and an invasive specie and this is by letting and introducing mammals just as sheep and goats to browse on the plant, also some herbicides have been proved to be effective but in a short period, avoiding the plant to let more seeds, it's also considering a temporary solution.

Autumn Oil is most common seeing on the spring because it leaves out much earlier that most native species in Indiana, it is most seen at disturbed areas, along roadsides, in pastures, fields and sparse woodlands.

In conclusion Autumn Olive was introduce and plant in Indiana with a good purpose but its way of adaptation and powerful ways of transforming the environment made this plant one of the most invasive species and will always make harm to the environment and the biodiversity of these one, this happens most commonly because it doesn't have natural predators as if it were in their native place so it would be controlled.

Sources

Darlington J. & Loyd Bruce M. August 1994 Control of Autumn Olive, Multiflora Rose, and Tartarian Honeysuckle. https://www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/5412.htm Accessed: 9/24/00.

Graham S. A. 1964 The Elaeagnaceae in the Southeastern United States. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 45:274-278

Reed William R. 1992. Elaeagnus umbellata https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/ shrub/elaumb.html Accessed: 9/24/00