A University of Florida study has confirmed that climate change and its impacts facilitate the proliferation of invasive plants, and in turn, these can amplify the effects of climate change.

For this study the group exposed Pinus palustris pines to three different scenarios to test their survival: drought conditions, invasion of Imperata cylindrica, and a combination of both. After six years of growth, a third scenario, that of forest fire, was also tested.

As the "Green Severs" portal reports, the results showed that trees that suffered from the drought and invasive plant factor were less likely to survive after the fire. In the case of the trees that were able to grow and did not suffer any invasion from another species, they were able to survive for the most part.

"Less water meant that the trees didn't grow as much. At the same time, cogongrass [the name of Imperata cylindrica in English], which is drought tolerant, gave extra strength to the fire, making it hotter and increasing the height of the flames," explains author Luke Flory.

As the researchers note, the interaction of climate change with invasive plants demonstrates the importance of managing the growth of these species on land to ensure the protection and preservation of native ecosystems, as well as to reduce the impact of fires.