Evaluating the mechanisms that result in a relationship between phylogenetic distance and population dynamics in biological invasions.

尽管人类在全球各地运输了数以千计的动植物物种，但这些物种在引入地区建立、传播和造成重大经济和生态成本的能力差异很大。人们提出了许多假说来解释为什么一些引入的物种会损害它们引入的生态系统，而另一些显然是无害的。最著名的是，达尔文假设，引入的物种与栖息地的本地物种关系不太密切，更有可能造成伤害，也就是说，变得入侵。这项研究将集中在三个突出的机制上，这些机制可能解释植物的进化新颖性如何在引入后导致入侵：竞争、天敌和授粉。新颖性可以让引进的植物逃脱来自其他植物的竞争和捕食者和病原体的攻击。然而，新颖性可能会使引进的植物失去传粉者。研究人员将在密苏里州圣路易斯附近的一个野外地点测试竞争、食草动物和传粉者对20种引进植物的表现和预测种群增长的影响，这些植物在入侵和新颖性方面各有不同。研究结果将有助于显示引进物种进化新颖性的成本和收益。除了提供对入侵物种的重要环境问题的更全面的了解外，这项研究还将为以经济高效的方式限制潜在入侵物种的引入和管理已引入的物种提供有用的信息。这项研究还将培训研究生和本科生，并通过高中实习生的非正式科学教育计划和向公众发表演讲来接触公众。

Although humans have transported thousands of species of plants and animals across the globe, the ability of those species to establish, spread, and cause significant economic and ecological costs in the areas to which they have been introduced varies greatly. Many hypotheses have been proposed to understand why some introduced species harm the ecosystems to which they are introduced while others are apparently innocuous. Most famously, Darwin hypothesized that introduced species that are less closely related to the native species in a habitat are more likely to cause harm, that is, to become invasive. This research will focus on three prominent mechanisms that might explain how evolutionary novelty in plants could lead to invasion following introduction: competition, natural enemies, and pollination. Novelty could allow introduced plants to escape both competition from other plants and attack by predators and pathogens. However, novelty could deprive introduced plants of pollinators. Researchers will test the effects of competition, herbivory, and access to pollinators on the performance and predicted population growth of each of 20 introduced plant species that vary in invasiveness and novelty at a field site near Saint Louis, Missouri. Results will help show the costs and benefits of evolutionary novelty in introduced species.In addition to providing a more thorough understanding of the important environmental problem of invasive species, this study will provide useful information for cost-effective ways to limit the introductions of potentially invasive species and to manage species that have already been introduced. The research will also train graduate and undergraduate students and reach out to the public through an informal science education program with high school interns and through presentations to public audiences.