Plant diseases and invasive plants
In collaborative research with Dr. Ingrid M. Parker (Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCSC) and others, we are examining the role of pathogens and herbivores in regulating whether introduced plants become invasive weeds. We are evaluating two hypotheses central to invasion biology: The Escape from Natural Enemies Hypothesis (where plants become weeds when introduced to a new locale by escaping the natural enemies that kept their populations in check in their native range), and the Biotic Resistance Hypothesis (where introduced plants are unable to invade natural communities because they are particularly susceptible to the newly encountered pathogens and pests to which they are naïve). Additionally, we are using laboratory tests to evaluate how rapidly novel host-pathogen interactions change in virulence. Experimental work has been based primarily at the Bodega Marine Reserve and Laboratory, focused on a suite of 18 native and introduced clover species (Trifolium and Medicago) in the California coastal prairie (National Science Foundation DEB-9806517). Additional synthetic work with numerous collaborators has been sponsored by NSF's NCEAS.

 

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