BIOCOMPLEXITY--INCUBATION ACTIVITY: Addressing the Synergy Between Abiotic and Biotic Agents of Environmental Change

University Of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA

Investigators

Abstract

0083548 Parker Biological invasions, acting in conjunction with climatic variability and spatial heterogeneity, are generating rapid ecological and evolutionary change in native ecosystems. Understanding how spatial and temporal dynamics shape the invasion process requires multiple integrated approaches. This project is designed to develop a consortium of natural and social scientists to advance our understanding of the current and future state of ecological systems in California. The consortium will combine two approaches. First, museum collections and historical data on invasions and climate will be analyzed and synthesized. Second, the group will coordinate monitoring and replicated experiments on the ways in which landscape context and climatic cycles shape the pulsed structure of invasions, rapid evolution within communities, food web and ecosystem dynamics, and regional patterns of biotic change. This research will lead to a practical and predictive understanding of environmental change and be of significant value to policy makers and resource managers.