General Impact
Common ragweed is an abundant seasonal aeroallergen in late-summer to early fall (Wayne et al. 2002) resulting in millions of dollars annually in health care costs and lost labour hours (Bohren, 2006). In studies performed in Europe and North America, approximately 10-15% of the population is sensitive to the pollen of common ragweed (Bohren, 2006) causing rhinitis, oculorhinits, asthma, and dermatitis(Bass et al. 2000). A. artemisiifolia is also considered a weed pest in agricultural crops like sunflower, sugarbeet, corn and other cereal crops (Wittenberg, R. (ed.) 2005). It also displaces native vegetation in its introduced range especially after a disturbance such as overgrazing or construction which put competitive pressures on the native flora (Protopopova et al. 2006). A. artemisiifolia fruits are a food source for the bobwhite quail but can cause illness in livestock that ingest it (USGS-NPWRC, 2006).
No Impact information recorded for Ambrosia artemisiifolia
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