DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Weed Profiling: A Molecular Phylogenetic Test of Darwin's Naturalization Hypothesis in Asteraceae

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

Expanding beyond their native ranges, some plant species become ecologically dominant in new areas, affecting biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human health. Thus, the ability to understand and predict invasive behavior is of great importance. Using weed-rich tribes of the cosmopolitan family Asteraceae as models, this project will investigate evolutionary relationships among native and invasive taxa, with the goal of facilitating development of predictive frameworks for screening potentially invasive taxa. Phylogenies will be reconstructed based on DNA sequence data and used to test how relatedness between natives and exotics determines invasive/weedy behavior in Mediterranean climates in the US and Europe. Once exotic plants establish in new regions, they are difficult to control. Hence, identifying and preventing potentially invasive species from reaching ground zero is the most economically and environmentally desirable management method. This study will provide the basis for developing frameworks for screening potentially problematic species, as well as insights into traits that influence the success of exotic invaders. Mediterranean climate ecosystems are both highly diverse and highly endangered, rendering them ideal as study systems. The project will provide scientific training for high school and undergraduate students and outreach efforts aimed at raising interest in environmental sciences among Asian American youth.