Biological invasions and the spatial ecology of genes

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Invasive species are plants and animals that are introduced to regions outside their natural range, and subsequently spread out and dominate native habitats. Because they are a major threat to biodiversity, and can also greatly reduce agricultural productivity, billions of dollars are spent each year fighting invaders. However, we cannot successfully repel invaders until we have a better understanding of just what makes some introduced species invasive while others remain stable. With this goal in mind, I am concentrating on the common reed (Phragmites australis), a species that is well known for the reed beds that it forms in freshwater sites round the world including North America and Europe. In both continents, native reed populations have been stable for thousands of years, but this all changed in North America more than a century ago when a European strain of the common reed was introduced. This strain is now invasive in North America, where populations are spreading rapidly and taking over estuaries, lakes, ponds, streams, and other habitats that were previously home to a wide range of species. Invasive reeds are now such a problem that they have been identified as one of the most destructive plants in Canadian natural habitats.