In my Local area the mustard weed is starting to spread far and wide. If people don't go out in there areas and help to eradicate the invasive species. In Oregon, Mustard Weed changes the soil and makes it more acidic. When this happens, mustard weed starts to flourish more and new plants that are native to the area cannot adapt and end up dying. As the mustard weed takes over the area it turns out to be tge only thriving organism. Many animals eat the plant, but can't rely on it to give enough nutrients for the animal to survive. Soon there can be large open areas of just mustard weed which is not natural in the northwest. In the northwest our forests are usually not conquered by one plant, but made up of multiple types of plants. That is why the northwest has many animals because of the large food web that supports each animal. When you add mustard weed into the equation, it knocks off some of the main plants that animals rely on and then the animals start to rely on the mustard weed because the other plants are gone. They eat the mustard weed, but it doesn't support them enough to survive causing them to be weakened and at the end die. As they die, the carnivores that eat them soon die as the food supply goes dry with the decrease in their food sources. That's how mustard weed effects the northwest.
Mustard Weed was brought over either on the boot or bike tread accidentally and then it spread in the area. As more people started to hike and bike on this area it soon spread more and more until they needed me to close down the trail. The plants have started to change the soil and as you look around the area where the mustard weed is growing it's only mustard weed and no other plants.