NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute for FY 2012 in New Zealand

Crafton Raymond E, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds Raymond Eliot Crafton of the University of California, Davis to conduct a research project, entitled "Assessing invasion risk for unwanted non-native marine species in New Zealand," during the summer of 2012 at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand. The host scientist is Mark Costello. The Intellectual Merit of the research project is the development of a novel, comprehensive model that includes where a species can exist (biogeography) and where and how it is likely to arrive (transport vectors) to study non-native species' potential for introduction and establishment. This study aims to improve understanding of species ranges and distributions, core interests in ecological research. Broader Impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. While scientific in nature, this project intends to communicate at the science-policy-public interfaces. By understanding where and how a species is likely to be introduced, policymakers, managers, and the public can be more aware of and able to reduce the threat imposed by the introduction of non-native species. In this way, the output from the model developed in this project, a simple, comprehensive risk map, is an easily interpretable, educational tool that can be used to communicate across audiences and institutions.