Seminar: The interplay of ecological and evolutionary processes in species invasions

Abstract:

Species introductions and invasions will involve a dynamic interplay of ecological and evolutionary processes on concurrent timescales. In this talk, I will present our recent work that considers eco-evolutionary influence on species invasions from 1) an historical phylogenetic perspective, 2) a contemporary population genetic perspective, and 3) a forward-looking environmental perspective on human modification of ecological and evolutionary landscapes. Considering deeper evolutionary histories, I will discuss alternative phylogenetic models of species invasions, and the potential for the evolutionary history of an invader to interact with the composition of invaded communities, using a case study of global introductions of birds. Focusing in on contemporary dynamics, I will discuss our work on range expansions within invasions, and their effects on both genetic drift and response to selection in an invasive plant (yellow starthistle, Centaurea solstitialis). Finally looking forward, I will discuss invasive species evolution across gradients of human urbanization and the need to incorporate human landscape modification into future studies of eco-evolutionary dynamics in invaders. Taken together, these different perspectives highlight ways in which ecological and evolutionary factors can interact to shape species invasions and their evolutionary outcomes.

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