DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Do extended leaf phenology and allelopathy act synergistically to drive garlic mustard invasion?

众所周知，入侵物种对我们的本土生态系统有负面影响，但驱动入侵的机制还不清楚。一种被引进的植物现在盛产于东部落叶林，大蒜芥末被认为释放出有害于当地植物物种的有毒化学物质。此外，与大多数原生森林植物相比，大蒜芥菜的生长季节更长，这使得它能够在原住民休眠的秋季、冬季和春季利用光照。如果大蒜芥菜在其延长的生长季节中获得的额外光照被用来增加化学毒素的产生，这些机制可能会相互加强。这个项目将通过测量在存在和不存在延长光照条件下大蒜芥末的生长、化学生产和对本地物种的影响来检验这一假说。这些结果将有助于填补我们对入侵生物学的理解的一个重要空白，因为它表明了机制之间的相互作用如何可能增加引入物种的侵袭性。入侵植物物种威胁到整个美国的本土生物多样性，并造成巨大的经济成本(约1370亿美元/年)。例如，大蒜芥菜等森林入侵者可能会抑制森林更新，并导致木材生产、娱乐和森林提供的其他服务长期减少。了解推动入侵的机制将有助于更有效地缓解和预防，有助于减少与植物入侵相关的环境、经济和社会成本。该项目还将促进参与研究的本科生和高中生的科学和生态素养，以及通过公开讲座和自然中心展览接触到的公众成员，了解入侵物种的威胁以及为保护我们的本土森林提供的生物多样性和生态系统服务而可以采取的步骤。

Introduced, invasive species are known to have negative effects on our native ecosystems, but the mechanisms that drive invasions are not well understood. One introduced plant now abundant in Eastern deciduous forests, garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), is thought to release toxic chemicals that harm native plant species. Furthermore, garlic mustard has a longer growing season than most native forest plants, allowing it to take advantage of light during the fall, winter, and spring when natives are dormant. These mechanisms may reinforce one another if the extra light available to garlic mustard during its extended growing season is used to increase production of chemical toxins. This project will test this hypothesis by measuring the growth, chemical production, and impact of garlic mustard on native species in the presence and absence of extended light availability. Results will help to fill an important gap in our understanding of invasion biology by showing how interactions between mechanisms may increase the invasiveness of introduced species. Invasive plant species threaten native biodiversity throughout the United States, and impose significant economic costs (approximately $137 billion/year). For example, forest invaders such as garlic mustard may inhibit forest regeneration and cause long-term reductions in timber production, recreation, and other services that forests provide. Understanding the mechanisms that drive invasion will facilitate more effective mitigation and prevention, helping to reduce the environmental, economic, and social costs associated with plant invasions. This project will also promote the scientific and ecological literacy of undergraduate and high school students participating in the research, and of members of the public reached through a public lecture and a nature center exhibit on the threats of invasive species and the steps that can be taken to protect the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by our native forests.