Large-scale scenario modelling of invasive plant spread across Canada

Invasive species are organisms that arrive in a new environment and quickly dominate the landscape. They present one of the most important threats to local plants and animals; this is especially the case for invasive plant species, which comprised almost a tenth of Canada’s vascular plant life in 2008. Despite the abundance of invasive plants, the ways they spread can be difficult to predict due to a lack of information on the various factors at play. However, due to the possibility that certain factors promoting spread – such as habitat suitability and human activity – might be common among invaders, general simulation models could allow new invasions to be forecast when monitoring information is limited. As such, my research aims to model how climate change and Canada’s most damaging invasive species will alter future plant health within protected areas nationwide by (1) weighing the various factors currently driving invasive plant spread and (2) producing maps of forecasted spread under various future climate scenarios. My findings will be made available to conservation practitioners across the country to (1) understand the risk versus resiliency of current protected areas to invasion and (2) prioritize future land acquisition for protection under climate change.

Faculty Supervisor:

Joseph Bennett

Student:

Partner:

The University of Melbourne

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

Carleton University

Program: