Genetic basis of invasiveness

Invasive plant species contribute to biodiversity change, alter ecosystem functioning, and can cause large economic losses in areas used for agriculture and recreation. A fundamental mechanism determining success of invasive dominants in novel environments is a change in the nature of interactions between plants and herbivores, their natural enemies. Despite considerable effort to better identify how enemy release contributes to invasion success, the evolutionary and metabolic mechanisms underlying differences in native and non-native plant response to herbivores remains poorly understood.

In this Master’s student project we will use Solidago canadensis and Centaurea stoebe to test plant responses to their natural enemies. This study system is unique in that two species from the same family are reciprocally invasive in one another’s native environments, providing a powerful comparative and experimental platform to contrast the effects of current ecological responses and evolutionary change.

This project will be based in Leipzig at The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), a vibrant research consortium with many international visitors and collaborators spread throughout Germany. The consortium offers a unique opportunity to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum and this project offers direct collaboration with members of the core group Experimental Interaction Ecology, iDiv members Stefan Klotz and Harald Auge, as well as collaboration partners (Jessica Gurevitch and Jesse Hollister) who are based in the United States.

If you are interested, please contact Jes Hines (jessica.hines@idiv.de)