Biology research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Biology - Research Paper Example For instance, Bellard, McCarthy and Meekins studied on genetic variation as well as biogeography of Alliaria petiolata in North America in 1st January 2001. According to their findings, Alliaria petiolata varied in not only phenology, but also morphology across all the native plants in which it grew ( Bellard, McCarthy and Meekins 161). They also found out that Alliaria petiolata also varied in terms of seed dormancy. In their results, they also stipulate that Alliaria petiolata is a hexaploid plant species based on n=7. In tandem to Bellard, McCarthy and Meekins findings, Hanson and McCarthy also claim that Alliaria petiolata is one of the plant species that have contributed to the loss of many indigenous plants in North America. They assert that Alliaria petiolata is a non-indigenous plant species that belongs to Brassicaceae family (Hanson and McCarthy 68). According to them, it was first identified in North America in early 1868. Unlike other Brassicaceae, Hanson and McCarthy spo tulate that Alliaria petiolata spreads in the introduced environment very fast because of its monopolization of resources. To justify their point, they expound on how it took it only 20 years to spread throughout the northeastern parts of North America. By 1991, Alliaria pestiolata had spread to Canada and was identified in 30 U.S states (Blazevic and Mastelic 607). In tandem to this, Bossodorf and Prati also found out that it is through characteristic features and adaptations that Alliaria petiolata managed to invade and successively destroy North American woodlands (Bossdorf and Prati 1). They also found out that the effects of Alliaria petiolata varied with plant species; some species such as G. laciniatum was least sensitive to the allelopathic interference. In their study, Meiners and Pisula also found out that invasive plant species conquer and advance successfully in introduced areas because of allelopathy. According to them,