Are These Plants Out of Place? A New Look at Invasive Species

When you hear “invasive plant,” you might picture an aggressive
species taking over and harming the environment. But what if the
way we think about invasive plants is part of the problem? Host
Rachel Feltman chats with Mason Heberling, associate curator of
botany at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, about why these
plants are more complicated than we think. He’s one of the experts
behind Uprooted: Plants Out of Place, a new exhibition that
challenges the way we label and manage plant invasions. Recommended
reading: Invasive Species Can Sometimes Help an Ecosystem “Lost in
Translation: The Need for Updated Messaging Strategies in Invasion
Biology Communication,” by Rachel A. Reeb and J. Mason Heberling,
in Plants, People, Planet. Published online November 8, 2024 Email
us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments
or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new
everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in
Science, our daily newsletter.  Science Quickly is produced by
Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff
DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses
and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was
composed by Dominic Smith.  Learn more about your ad choices.
Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices