Do sudden environmental changes in habitats induce biological invasions?

In the proposed project we will test experimentally a new hypothesis in invasion biology, i.e. that invasion risk by exotic plants increases in habitats undergoing sudden a environmental change, in particular a change in the disturbance regime. By means of a factorial field experiment we will study the colonization risk by seeds of an invasive plant species in grasslands which are reclaimed after a long period of abandonment.

Keywords:DISTURBANCE, BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS, COLONISATION, GRASSLANDS

Disciplines:General biology, Plant biology