E&E Fall 2021 Seminar Series:
Dr. Rachel Reeb to Speak
University of Pittsburgh - Kuebbing Lab
Anthropogenic disturbances act in concert to shape the global patterns of ecosystem diversity. Two major forms of disturbance, invasive species and climate change, have both independently contributed to the degradation of ecosystem diversity and function over time by displacing species from their native habitat, disrupting ecosystem processes, and altering the abiotic environment. However, climate change and invasion effects can also interact to generate novel outcomes. Factors such as temperature and precipitation have large influences on the trait expression of plants and consequently influence fitness outcomes for invasive plants within their invaded ecosystems. Thus, to accurately understand the cumulative impact of these two anthropogenic disturbances on ecosystems, it will be critical to determine the ways in which invasive species traits and fitness will be modified by climate change. A particularly important trait for the success of invasive plants is phenology. Accurate phenological timing is critical for plants to survive and reproduce within the limited window of the growing season, synchronize with resources, and interact with other species. Phenological traits are highly sensitive to changes in climate, and substantial evidence demonstrates that plant phenology is shifting over time in response to climate change. I will be addressing the following three research questions: 1) How does phenological timing and climate sensitivity compare across the range of invasive plant species? 2) How can we implement new tools to access large quantities of phenological data? and 3) What is the impact of phenological timing on invasive plant interactions?
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
A219B Langley Hall
12:00 PM