Biodiversity impacts of managed and unmanaged landscapes in the Anthropocene

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In the contemporary globalized world, invasive alien species (IAS) have attracted much attention because of the undesirable ecological and economic effects that they may impose upon ecosystems in biogeographic regions, which are not part of their native ranges. For the next five years, I plan to evaluate the effects of alien (exotic) plants on soil microbial diversity and plant diversity in non-native landscapes. This research program will provide a better understanding of ecosystem function and environmental sustainability, in the context of manipulating biodiversity in managed landscapes (inter-and intra-specific genetic variation, invasiveness, introgression, reduced fitness and perceived redundancy), using some plant species, such as Conyza canadensis, Phragmites australis, Lemna minor, Casuarina equisetifolia, Grevillea banksii, and Eucalyptus urograndis (and their associated microsymbionts), as model organisms. The objectives are: i) to assess the symbiotic status of these exotic plants in their non-native habitats; ii) to explain the role of symbiotic modulation in invasiveness of some exotic species; iii) to examine the impact of exotic plants on soil microbial communities; iv) to assess morpho-molecular variation for the identification of traits that confer "invasiveness" upon species; and v) ultimately, to develop spatially explicit individual-based simulation models and statistical ecogenomic methods. Ultimately, results from these studies will be directed at providing the necessary scientifically sound background information for making informed decisions regarding biodiversity conservation, and ecocertification of managed and unmanaged landscapes. The results will also help understand the functional and evolutionary mechanisms that lead to phenotypic variation and adaptation. In collaboration with the University of Kashmir (India), the University of Antananarivo (Madagascar), and the Federal University of Viçosa (Minas Gerais, Brazil), the project will involve the training of several graduate students at Laval in this rapidly developing research area. Therefore, the project is also consistent with the research and training mandates of both NSERC and the University.