RUI: Advancing the ecological niche through demography

Wellesley College, Wellesley Hills MA

Investigators

Abstract

An important goal of ecology is to understand how environmental factors (such as the availability of resources) influence the viability of species in different habitats. This has become particularly relevant in a world of rapid environmental change, with species being transported across continents and introduced into new locations. This research will examine how multiple environmental factors collectively affect populations of an aggressive invasive plant species, Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard), across a range of conditions. As species do not exist in isolation, the project will also investigate the intersection of competition between plant species and their surrounding habitat; specifically, how does the environment influence the outcome of species competition and what are the implications for coexistence or exclusion? Overall, this research aims to explicitly test and advance invasion biology theory, improve ecological forecasting, and inform the management of invasive species. The project also includes a strong focus on promoting undergraduate research and training in the field and laboratory. This project combines three main lines of investigation that focus on the concept of the ecological niche, i.e. the range of conditions in which a population can persist. First, a large-scale field experiment (across Southern New England) will use demographic methods to empirically quantify the ecological niche for the invasive plant, Alliaria petiolata. These analyses will be used to address questions regarding the nature and extent of resistance to invasion by resident species across the life cycle and ecological niche of the invader. Second, greenhouse studies will examine the degree to which the ecological niche of A. petiolata has evolved across different populations, as well as the mechanisms that promote demographic success. Third, a controlled mesocosm study will be used to develop two-species demographic models for A. petiolata and a co-occurring native. These models will address questions regarding how opposing mechanisms of coexistence are influenced by environmental factors, and the potential for competitive exclusion across a range of conditions in the absence of mechanisms that would promote coexistence.