US-South Africa Planning Visit: The Role of Breeding System Evolution and Altered Mutualistic and Antagonistic Relationships in Biological Invasions

沃尔夫0652299这次规划访问的目的是启动长期的合作互动，学术和教育，与学术界的同事在南非。 研究合作的重点将是生物入侵。 当植物或动物物种在大陆之间移动时发生的入侵可能对本地物种、生态系统和经济产生破坏性影响（例如，在美国，入侵的影响每年花费约1000亿美元）。 全世界生物学家面临的基本挑战之一是确定使引进物种成为入侵物种的因素。 拟议的研究旨在了解外部因素，如与拮抗剂（天敌）和互利主义者（传粉者）的相互作用，以及内部因素（育种系统）如何影响植物的入侵成功。 这种方法是新颖的，因为它将多种因素的作用整合到入侵的研究中。 在这次规划访问期间，Wolfe将与Steven约翰逊博士（夸祖鲁-纳塔尔大学[UKZN]和入侵生物学卓越中心）合作，启动一项研究，研究几种植物物种的本地和引进范围之间的拮抗和互利关系如何改变，以及这如何影响物种引进的结果。 由于其独特的植物群和动物群，其中一个已受到入侵物种的严重影响，南非提供了一个壮观的自然实验室，在其中调查的生态和进化基础的入侵。 这次计划访问的教育目标是向南非教师学习他们如何将不同背景的学生融入科学。 PI将与UKZN生物和保护科学学院教育协调员Robert Slotow博士合作，他一直致力于增加对生物科学和研究的弱势背景学生的招聘。 这次规划访问将产生重大的广泛影响。 入侵的问题是全球性的，因此需要一个广泛的国际视野，包括生态学，遗传学和进化的学科。 这一提议将促进通常不会互动的科学家之间的国际合作，他们带来了关于入侵问题的各种经验和知识。 这次访问还将产生教育效益，因为它将使南非和PI的家乡格鲁吉亚州能够最好地解决他们在招募种族多样化的学生进入大学科学方面的共同挑战。

Wolfe 0652299 The objective of this planning visit is to initiate long-term collaborative interactions, both scholarly and educational, with academic colleagues in South Africa. The focus of the research collaborations will be on biological invasions. Invasions, which occur when plant or animal species are moved between continents, can have devastating impacts on native species, ecosystems and economies (e.g., the impacts of invasives cost ~ $100 billion annually in the U.S.). One of the fundamental challenges facing biologists worldwide is to determine the factors that enable introduced species to become invasive. The proposed research seeks to understand how extrinsic factors such as interactions with antagonists (natural enemies) and mutualists (pollinators), and intrinsic factors (breeding system) influence invasion success in plants. This approach is novel in that it integrates the role of multiple factors into the study of invasions. During this planning visit, Wolfe will work with Dr. Steven Johnson (University of KwaZulu-Natal [UKZN] and the Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology) to initiate a study examining how antagonistic and mutualistic relationships are altered between the native and introduced ranges of several plant species, and how this influences the outcome of species introductions. Because of its unique flora and fauna, one that has been heavily impacted by invasive species, South Africa offers a spectacular natural laboratory in which to investigate the ecological and evolutionary basis to invasions. The educational objective of this planning visit is to learn from South African faculty how they integrate students with different backgrounds into science. The PI will work with Dr. Robert Slotow, UKZN School of Biological and Conservation Sciences' Education Coordinator, who has worked to increase the recruitment of students of disadvantaged backgrounds into the biological sciences and research. This planning visit will have significant broader impacts. The problem of invasions is global and thus requires a broad international perspective encompassing the disciplines of ecology, genetics, and evolution. This proposal will foster an international collaboration between scientists who would not normally interact and who bring diverse experience and knowledge on the topic of invasions. The visit will also produce educational benefits because it will enable collaboration on how South Africa and the PI's home state of Georgia can best address their common challenges in recruiting a racially diverse set of students into university science.