Answer:
An invasive plant is a plant that is not native to the region it is growing in. For example, English Ivy is native to Europe but has invaded the North Western coast of North America.
Step-by-step explanation:
Characteristics of Invasive Plants
Invasive plants are usually very fast-growing. Their population can be hard, if not impossible to control. Additionally, like all invasive species, invasive plants place a strain on their environment. One way or another, invasive plants hurt the ecosystem they are in. This can involve the invasive plant taking up resources from native plants and/or being toxic to native animals.
We can see these characteristics in English Ivy. Like most ivies, English Ivy grows on trees and other large plants. English Ivy can become so overgrown that it weighs down the plant it is grown on. This extra weight can kill native plants. Also, due to the speed at which Ivy spreads, environmentalists have been unable to eradicate English Ivy from North America.
Causes of Invasive Plants
In almost every instance of invasive plants, the cause is human action. Through travel, humans bring seeds and plants to regions they are not native to. Then, in some cases, the plant will begin to grow rapidly and become invasive.
English Ivy was brought to North America during the Columbian Exchange.
- The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of vegetation and livestock between Europe, Africa, and the Americas during the Age of Colonialism. Many invasive species can be tied back to the Columbian Exchange.
English Ivy was then used as decoration both indoors and outdoors. Since then, it has grown into a dangerous invasive plant.