Can We Predict Invasiveness Using Functional Traits? Applications in Natural Communities across scales

No próximo dia 24 de abril, o CFE recebe a Professora Jane Molofsky (Universidade de Vermont), que irá falar sobre o uso de traços funcionais das plantas para compreender a dinâmica das comunidades naturais e discutir a possibilidade de prever a invasividade de espécies introduzidas.

Resumo: The application of functional plant traits to understanding community dynamics has been an increasing focus of plant community ecology because it unites life history traits with ecosystem processes. In invasion ecology, functional traits have been proposed as a way to predict which introduced species can become invasive. Two alternatives have been proposed: functional traits of introduced species should be similar to those of the native community due to environmental filtering, or alternatively, functional traits of introduced species should be different to reduce direct competition with existing species. Using functional plant traits paired with occurrence data for species across multiple habitats, we showed that for a species to establish in a community it must have similar functional traits to the native community, but to dominate the community it must be functionally differentiated enough to occupy a distinct niche. This theory resolves the apparent paradox in invasion ecology. It also suggests that we may be able to predict invasiveness if we know the traits of both the introduced species and the resident species. In this talk, I will discuss applications of this approach to different community types across a range of scales.

Participação online disponível AQUI.