The Associated Press
Posted: 06/23/2009 04:06:50 PM PDT
EAST LANSING, Mich.—The National Science Foundation is giving $630,000 to a Michigan State University researcher to help uncover the genetic factors behind invasive plant infestations that can destroy native ecosystems.
The four-year grant goes to Jennifer Lau, a plant ecologist with the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
The university says the research will focus on two common annual plants from the California coast range. One is the nonnative burclover Medicago polymorpha that can become invasive, while the other is the closely related noninvasive native species Lotus wranglianus.
Lau says there are wide genetic variations within species, and better understanding them may help prevent the destructive effects of future invasions.
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