| Caddo Lake, an idyllic wetlands paradise located between Mooringsport, Louisiana and Karnack, Texas, is currently being threatened by several invasive plants. This study consisted of revisiting 56 sites that were originally marked by VanKley and Hine (1998). All the plant species were recorded for each site and were ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 representing the least observed and 5 representing the most common. A geographic positioning system (GPS) was used to mark each sampling location for future studies. The results obtained for this study reveal that while the native plants at Caddo Lake do not appear to be affected by the aquatic invaders, nonetheless the invasive plants are becoming more established at the lake. Of these invasive plants, giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) currently pose the greatest threats. However, the recent harsh winter has had a detrimental impact on giant salvinia at Caddo Lake. The water hyacinth has not been affected from the past winter and is continuing to dominate the wetlands ecosystem. Thus far, all control methods utilized on the invasive plants at Caddo Lake have been only somewhat effective toward eliminating them. A fail proof control method for each invasive plant is desperately needed in order to preserve the beautiful yet fragile ecosystem. |
