Pushing past tired debates in invasion biology: a close look at the propagule pressure hypothesis
March 15, 2018
Prof. Julie Lockwood
Invasion biology began to emerge as a distinct field in the early 1990s, and since then the number of hypothesis proffered to explain and predict patterns and impacts of species invasions has grown exponentially. This growth is a healthy sign for any scientific field, but there also comes a point where debate surrounding some hypothesis grow stale. I argue that this is the case for the propagule pressure hypothesis. I’ll describe evidence showing that this hypothesis has solid empirical and theoretical support, and thus providing yet more evidence is not terribly helpful. I will then dig deeper into the mechanisms behind the hypothesis highlighting substantial gaps in our knowledge that are critical to address if we are to make headway within basic and applied aspects of invasion biology.
Bio
Julie Lockwood, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, obtained her PhD in Zoology from the University of Tennessee and is currently a Professor in Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources at Rutgers University. She and her lab group seek to document the fate of biodiversity in the wake of global change, with a particular interest in biological invasions. Her current research topics include socio-economic connections in invasion science, the use of eDNA in species surveillance, the role of the pet trade in producing vertebrate invasions and extinctions, and the conservation of species in urbanizing coastal ecosystems. http://www.lockwoodlab.com/
