Dissertation Research: Demography, Dispersal, and Factors Influencing Rates of Invasion in Cytisus scoparius

小行星9411702 外来植物物种的入侵是那些负责维持和保护本地社区的人的主要关切。 特别是外来物种造成了重大的生态扰动，在某些地区，大量引进的植物物种淹没了本地植物群。 一旦一种外来害虫在一个地区定居下来，生态学家和资源管理者就想知道它可能会在哪里传播，以及何时到达那里。 影响入侵率的因素是重要的研究对象，既要了解一般的动态范围扩展和开始解决紧迫的问题，外来管理和控制。 拟议的研究重点是北美西海岸的一种严重害虫植物--苏格兰金雀花。 观测和实验方法将描述这种植物的种子传播分布的爆炸性开放的水果和二次蚂蚁传播的贡献。 相对长距离跳跃的人口后果将在整个现场实验操纵成年植物的分布进行评估。

9411702 Schemske Invasions of exotic plant species represent a major concern of those charged with maintaining and protecting native communities. Particular exotics have produced major ecological perturbations, and in some areas the sheer numbers of introduced plant species swamp out native floras. Once an exotic pest becomes established in an area, ecologists and resource managers would like to know where it is likely to spread and when it will get there. The factors influencing rates of invasion are important objects of study both to understand the dynamics of range expansion in general and to begin to address urgent questions of exotics management and control. The proposed research focusses on Cytisus scoparius (Scotch broom), a serious pest plant on the West Coast of North America. Observational and experimental approaches will characterize the seed dispersal distribution of this plant as contributed by the explosive opening of fruits and by secondary ant dispersal. The population consequences of relatively long-distance jumps will be evaluated in a whole field experiment manipulating the distribution of adult plants.