found between percent Chinese privet cover and herbaceous cover, species richness, and plant height. In a comparison of two experimental gardens, each with four native plant species, the plot with Chinese privet contained almost entirely nonnative plants after 64 weeks. Out of approximately twenty plants per species, only single individuals of Acer negundo, Chamaenerion latifolium and C. tribuloides survived the entire study when in the presence of Chinese privet. Surviving plants had lower leaf counts and stunted height relative to their counterparts in privet-absent plots. None of the Boehmeria cylindrica survived. Insects are greatly affected by the proliferation of invasive species such as privet. For example, one study found the abundance and diversity of butterflies increased following privet removal to almost the same abundance as that of a similar forest community, with no history of privet invasion. In a study conducted in Georgia, privet was found to decreases the diversity of native honeybee colonies. Plots removed of privet resulted in four times as many bee species as control plots in which privet was not removed. Traps placed in undisturbed forest plots with no history of privet caught an average of 210 bees from 34 species, while traps placed in privet-infested plots caught an average of 35 bees from only 9 species. Another example of how privet can have a negative ecological impact in ecological communities is its ability to threaten endangered species. For example, privet threatens the Miccosukee gooseberry, a native plant species that privet is similar to, by encroaching on the gooseberry's habitat and slowly displacing it. Biological species invasion is considered a main component of global ecosystem change due to changes in biogeochemical cycles and disturbance regimes. Invasive species such as privet are known to alter the dominant vegetation type, soil properties, animal behavior, and the natural cycling of resources. For example, Chinese privet increases the decomposition rate of leaf litter by 2.6-fold in riparian forests. However, because the usual method employed to study the impact of privet is to compare invaded and non-invaded areas, available data may be inaccurate. This is because these types of comparison studies have trouble controlling for abiotic and biotic habitat conditions that could be negatively affecting native plant growth. Effect of climate change Evidence suggests that climate changes, brought about by increased CO2 concentrations, will increase the spread and proliferation of privet. Climate change is predicted to increase competition between native and