Evolutionary and ecological responses of a native plant community to species introductions

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Invasive species have the potential to do major ecological harm, and their management costs governments billions of dollars annually. Global climate change is predicted to promote the northward migration of potentially harmful invasive species; Canada is expected to be a net recipient of such species. Biological control programs, the goal of which is take advantage of natural enemies for invasive species management, are appealing because they do not rely on the application of potentially harmful chemicals. However, the introduction of a new species to an ecosystem is not without risks. Most pressingly, we are currently hampered in our ability to predict the evolutionary and ecological outcome of multi-species interactions because of a general lack of theoretical and empirical work in this area. For example, we currently have very limited ability to make predictions about the evolutionary or ecological response of native species to the introduction of an invasive species. Furthermore, almost no data or models exist to help us predict how such responses might be altered by the subsequent introduction of another novel species, such as a biological control agent. The introduction and migration of the invasive plant purple loosestrife and its biocontrol agent, a herbivorous beetle, in Canada and the United States, offer a compelling system in which to explore these questions. The knowledge gained will both contribute to a key area of discovery science and the development of policy regarding the management of invasive species.