LSU Students Promote Native Plant Species Diversity (A Learn and Serve America Grantee)

Over the past several years, LSU ecology students have arrived at class dressed in protective gear with tools in hand. What may sound like a challenging scenario for any teacher, though, has been a successful service-learning partnership with BREC's Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Area. LSU students work with BREC to remove invasive plants from the swamp.

Bluebonnet Swamp is home to invasive plants like elephant ear and Chinese privet, which are non-native species that compete with beneficial native plants.  Students in Rebecca Effler's Principles of Ecology labs learn to identify these plants and then remove them to promote the growth of beneficial native plants. The intended result of the removal is to give native plants a chance to spread without competition from invasive species. An added benefit is that students get a chance to see the impact invasive plants have on a habitat.

"It's not until they really start cutting down these trees do they really notice how prevalent these invasive species are," said Effler. "Identifying them helps them realize how much these plants impact our environment."

Students in Effler's class also plant native species in removal areas to discourage the re-growth of the invasive plants. Last spring, students visited the LSU Bird Refuge to plant 200 bald cypress trees and 300 red mulberry trees. Effler plans for her students to return to the Bird Refuge next spring to continue these efforts.  

"Once you start thinking about what your class can do to provide a service to the Baton Rouge community, it really opens up a lot of opportunities," said Effler.

During the 2009 summer intersession, Alyssa Hakes' classes set out to determine what effects the removal of invasive plants has had on the Bluebonnet Swamp after several years of the LSU service-learning project. Specifically, students studied the impact invasive plant removal was having on Chinese privet and elephant ear, an aquatic plant.

"The BIOL 4254 labs have been removing invasive plants for BREC's Bluebonnet Swamp and other locations for several semesters," said Hakes.  "This presented a great opportunity to test for the effectiveness of the removal procedure."

Students plotted which areas of the swamp underwent invasive removal and which did not. Then they calculated plant species diversity, abundance of invasive plants, and other variables in both areas. Students discovered that the removal of invasive plants effectively reduced the spread of invasive species. 

Hakes' students also visited the Swamp's summer camp to teach the campers about invasive species. Campers then joined the LSU students in the Swamp to identify and remove more plants.

"Service-learning is a great way to have students meet course objectives while performing a service that benefits the community," said Hakes. 

Biological Sciences will offer a number of service-learning classes next year, including a project Effler will lead that involves high school students in monitoring wood duck activity at the LSU lakes.

For more information about this story, please contact Matt Schafer, Louisiana State University, ccell@lsu.edu, http://www.ccell.lsu.edu.