Most importantly, invasive plants create permanent impacts on ecosystems and ultimately contribute to the loss of biodiversity. Disturbance Regime Hybridization Soil water and salt content Biodiversity Habitat Loss Changes to Ecosystems Invasive plants compete with native plants for resources, thereby becoming dominant. More importantly they can outcompete plants that are food supplies for animals in the ecosystem. This may result in animals depending on nonnative plants for food or, if they are specialists, losing their food source entirely. Invasive plants normally lack predators and may more easily outcompete natives with their natural predators.
Invasive species capitalize on many techniques in order to invade ecosystems.
Invasive exotic plants alter rates of resource supply, trophic level relationships, and the disturbance regime. Resource Supply Plants require a few key resources to survive. Plants are adapted to the nutrients available in their environments. In nitrogen-poor environments, some plants are able to convert nitrogen in the air to nitrogen in the soil, where they can use it. Some invasives have been implicated in changing the hydrology and salinity of an area.