I am broadly interested in the ecology of invasive species and forest
communities.
What makes an area susceptible to invasion?
How do invaders impact the ecosystems they invade?
Why are invasive species successful in novel ecosystems?
These and other questions have inspired my research, which focuses on four
invasive species.
Rhamnus
cathartica (common buckthorn)
is a shrub or small tree that invades many ecosystems in North America. I am
using it to examine how invasion depends on characteristics of ecosystems,
including light (canopy openness), diversity and cover of resident herbaceous
plants, and the soil microbial community.
Prunus serotina
(black cherry) is a tree native to North America that is invasive in many
forested areas of Europe. I am collaborating with colleagues at the Institute of
Dendrology in Poland to study relationships between
P. serotina
invasion, overstory tree species, and understory herbaceous plants.
Agrilus planipennis,
known as the emerald ash borer (EAB), is an introduced insect that kills ash (Fraxinus)
species. I am studying the trajectory of EAB-induced decline and the responses
of forests to EAB. The gaps created by dead ash trees may facilitate the
establishment of invasive plants, including exotic honeysuckle (Lonicera)
species.
Rhamnus cathartica thicket in
Minnesota
Prunus serotina in Poland
![[Company Logo Image]](Pics/Trans2.gif)
