Extreme Weather and Socioeconomic Factors Driving the Invasive Plant Presence in the Gulf of Mexico

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM MST

Location: Embassy Suites, River Birch B

Speaker(s)

Robert K. Grala

Professor
Mississippi State University
SAF Forest Science and Technology Board Member
Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States
Katarzyna Grala

Research Associate III
Mississippi State University, Geosystems Research Institute
Starkville, Mississippi, United States

Invasive plants were more likely to be present in areas in proximity to a highway, county road, railway, and coastline. They were less likely to occur in areas that had a greater forest percentage cover, older forests, in proximity to a wildfire, and further away from a city.

Learning Objectives:

Identify the hot spots of invasive plants in coastal areas in the Gulf of Mexico.
Quantify the association of invasive plant presence with extreme weather events, wildfires, and ecological, socioeconomic, and urbanization factors.