Abstract
Invasive plants are characterized by their ability to spread rapidly once introduced and cause a multitude of negative impacts on native and managed ecosystems by limiting plant species diversity and out-competing native plants. During this project I monitored and compared the native plant composition before and after new vegetative restoration efforts at four different dune sites located in Miami-Dade County with varying amounts of vegetative restoration history. I found that the average native plant composition of all sights increased after new vegetative restoration efforts were completed. These results indicate that the removal of invasive plant species and the planting of native plants in their place decreases competition at dune systems and allows an increase in native species abundance and diversity. However, vegetative restoration and the management of invasive plant species is not finished after a single removal or planting event. Coastal dune systems that are healthy and stable should continue to be carefully monitored in order to curb the re-establishment of invasive plant species. Miami is growing at a rapid pace and there are very few areas left that allow native plants to flourish. It is my hope that this project, along with continued research and public education regarding vegetative and habitat restoration, is able to show the importance of native plants and healthy dune systems to South Florida and all coastal areas.