Question

Purple loosestrife is a plant native to Europe. It was brought to North America in the early 1800’s by immigrants who valued its beautiful purple flowers. It is now a serious pest of wetlands. Once purple loosestrife enters a wetland, it takes over. Common native wetland plants, such as cattails, cannot compete with purple loosestrife. Once these native plants are choked out, the wildlife that depends on them for food and shelter are also eliminated. The purple loosestrife is an example of?

Answer 1

invasive plant

Step-by-step explanation:

The purple loosestrife is an example invasive plant species.

Invasive plants are species of plants that are capable of causing a shift in species equilibrium in an ecosystem by spreading rapidly within a short period.

Invasive species are mostly non-native (exotic) and they are capable of out-competing and displacing native species, leading to a reduction in biological diversity, species extinction, altered habitats and economic loss.

The loosestrife ticked all the right boxes for an invasive species.

Answer 2

The purple loosestrife is an invasive species in the North American ecosystem because they have the ability to colonize that particular ecosystem, disrupting its normal routine or functions. These species may arrive naturally through migration but human activity actually poses the greatest threat in bringing invasive species into different locations, like this example.