BIOLOGY

INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT

TOPIC:STUDY OF INVASIVE WEEDS

IN MY LOCALITY

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 INDEX

SL NO TOPIC PAGE NO

1 INTRODUCTION 3

2 OBJECTIVE 5

3 METHODOLOGY 5

4 FINDINGS 6

5 RESULT 10

6 CONCLUSION 11

7 BIBLIOGRAPHY 12

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INTRODUCTION

Weeds that do not occur naturally in a region but proliferate in

the area they have been introduced into and cause several
negative impacts (such as affecting native biodiversity,
causing economic losses, and harming human health) in these
new habitats, are called invasive weeds.
In many cases, aliens or exotics deliberately introduced for
ornamental, floricultural, or agricultural uses have become
invasive. For instance, the tropical American shrub lantana
(Lantana camara) was introduced in India in the early 19th
century as an ornamental plant; it now invades diverse
terrestrial habitats including scrublands and forests.
International travel and trade have helped numerous invasives
hitch rides into new territories. Seeds or plant fragments can
attach themselves to peoples’ clothes or accidentally come
along with imports of goods. Parthenium (Parthenium
hysterophorus, native to central and south America) is thought
to have made its way into India through wheat imports from
the United States in 1956.
Invasive plants now occur on every continent on earth,
including Antarctica's remote and hostile ecosystems.
Two invasive specieS display several trait that give them an
edge over native flora. They tend to grow faster, thanks to
higher leaf nutrients and specific leaf areas.
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They have shorter life cycles, invest heavily in reproduction,
produce more seeds, display better dispersal, and even
germinate faster.
Well, people in India are using several methods – including
cutting, burning, and uprooting – to control the spread of
some invasives. States such as Kerala where water hyacinth is
a concern also use mechanical removal to temporarily clear
waterbodies. The Mexican beetle (Zygogramma bicolorata,
which feeds on parthenium) was also introduced as a
biological control in several Indian states, including
Karnataka. However, many of these techniques have met with
little or no success. Moreover, alien plants continue to be
imported and awareness among agriculturalists,
horticulturalists and plant nursery owners about the problems
caused by invasive species is lacking.

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OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to identify various invasive

weeds growing in my locality and study them.

METHODOLOGY

 The investigator collected various invasive weeds from

the gardens and local parks in the vicinity
.
 The investigator ensured that all the collected weeds
were in perfect condition.

 The weeds collected by the investigator are showed

below.

 The investigator carefully studied the collected weeds

and identified each of them.

 The investigator found out which weed was the most

common in the locality.

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 FINDINGS

SPECIMEN-1

Common Name : Water hyacinth

Scientific Name : Eichhornia crassipes
Habitat : Its habitat ranges from tropical desert to
subtropical or warm, temperate desert to rainforest zones.
Effects on the environment: Water hyacinth can completely
cover lakes and wetlands, outcompeting native aquatic
species, reducing oxygen levels for fish, and creating ideal
habitat for disease-carrying mosquitoes. Large infestations of
water hyacinth can prevent river transport, fishing, damage
bridges, and clog dams.

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 SPECIMEN-2

Common Name: Asthma Plant

Scientific Name: Euphorbia hirta
Habitat : It is a pantropical weed that grows mainly along
unaltered human locations like the pathways, roadsides and
also in open grassland. It is widespread in India.
Effects on the environment: These plants do not cause any
problems to the environment directly as they require only less
amount of natural fertilizers that they get from the soil and
water to grow. These weeds act as the food source for many
pests like Lixophaga sphenophori, a tachinid parasite and
many other pests which feeds mainly on the crops like
banana, rice, etc, So it would be better if these are not present
in the crop fields as the presence of these plants will invite
other pests to the crops thereby decreasing the yield.

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SPECIMEN-3

Common Name : Lovegrass

Scientific Name : Eragrostis curvula
Habitat : It is an annual grass that is present in most of the
temperate or tropical parts of the world. It is a common weed
and can be found on the roadsides and crop fields.
Effects on the environment: This weed has been identified in
more than 50 countries where huge crop production happens,
the specialty of this weed is that it mainly grows where there
is main cultivation of sugarcane, rice, wheat, etc. It is a very
fast-growing weed and also requires a large amount of water
for its growth thereby affecting the crops adversely and
preventing other plants to grow. It also has a very high

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reproductive capability, if there is a presence of only one weed
then in the next few weeks It would have completely spread
throughout the field. The methods to prevent this weed are
just pulling them out and removing them completely from the
garden or field.

SPECIMEN-4

Common Name : Lilac Tassleflower

Scientific Name : Emilia sonchifolia
Habitat : It is an annual herb and is present in most of the
tropical parts of the world. It is mainly found in grasslands,
open fields, etc.

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Effects on the environment: Emilia sonchifolia despite being a
weed ,it does not harm the environment in any ways other
than its excessive growth .But their suitable conditions can
only be met if the region has heavy rainfall and high
temperatures. Emilia sonchifolia also behaves as an
environmental weed with the potential to displace native
vegetation and alter successional processes.It mainly invades
the crop fields, forests ,etc.

FINDINGS AND RESULT

The weeds taken from around the investigator’s place were

the following
1. Water hyacinth

2. Asthma Plant

3. Lovegrass

4. : Lilac Tassleflower
RESULT

The most common weed found in the locality was

Lilac Tassleflower

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CONCLUSION

These invasive weeds have become a part of the land. Even

though many types of weedicides and fertilizers were used we
cannot completely eradicate them, this is an amazing ability
expressed by them. However, they are not good for us as they
do not allow other plants to grow in their place and they
spread very fast compared to other plants.
Many of these plants have medicinal and commercial
purposes, so we cannot completely avoid them from our land,
but when it becomes a hazard for other plants and also to crop
plants we should try to limit their growth.
One should also be careful while removing them by hand as
many of the weeds possess good defence mechanisms. Some
even carry toxins like Poison hemlock, The plant produces a
number of toxic substances, but the most deadly is the
alkaloid coniine – a neurotoxin that disrupts the central
nervous system. So we must put extra care when it comes to
handling the weeds.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllanthus_niruri

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_hirta

https://india.mongabay.com/2019/06/what-are-
invasive-plants/

https://eol.org/pages/503418

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