Noxious invasives like this European beachgrass could spread along the California coast

As global temperatures rise, the exotic grasses that currently dominate California’s hot interior are likely to expand into its cooler ecosystems, according to a new study. “Warming temperatures should favor exotics everywhere, but a given warming should matter more in a cold area”, explains lead author Brody Sandel of Aarhus University (Denmark).

The state’s cool areas, notably the north coast and mid-elevation mountains, are richest in native grasses and lowest in exotics… (more)

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2011