DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The ecological and evolutionary impact of an invasive jewelweed on a native congener

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Invasive plants often evolve in response to novel habitats. Is it also possible that native plants may evolve in response to invasive competitors? The aim of this project is to investigate the potential for a native jewelweed, Impatiens capensis, to evolve in response to competition from an invasive jewelweed, Impatiens glandulifera, in New England plant communities. In greenhouse and experimental field settings, previous research showed that the invasive jewelweed alters natural selection on vegetative and floral traits of the native plant. This study will test whether this same altered selection occurs in natural plant communities. Using removal experiments and a reciprocal transplant experiment, the study will measure natural selection on the native plant both with and without the invasive jewelweed present, and will test whether seedlings from invaded communities have evolved to better compete with the invasive. Invasive species challenge plant and animal communities throughout the world. This project will demonstrate how the long-term evolutionary impact of invasive species can be estimated in natural populations and should be considered when formulating conservation and restoration decisions. Results from this study will be shared with conservation organizations including The Nature Conservancy and The Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group. The project will also provide an undergraduate researcher with the opportunity to learn how to study natural selection in the field.