A new study from the University of Minnesota challenges a common belief that lakes with diverse plant life are more resilient to aquatic invaders.
The study by the U’s Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center looked at 13 years of vegetation survey data collected from about 1,100 lakes by the Department of Natural Resources.
The surprising results: Researchers found no evidence that having a diverse plant community somehow keeps invaders such as curly-leaf pondweed or Eurasian milfoil from taking hold.