Rudi Lemberg Fellowship Lecture

Rapid evolutionary responses of invasive and native plants to changing environments: What are they doing and does it matter?

Professor Katrina Dlugosch’s lab group at the University of Arizona studies traits that affect the distribution and abundance of species and how these traits can evolve rapidly, on human timescales. They focus particularly on invasive species that are colonising new locations, as well as on native species responding to rapid environmental change. They are working to understand how genomic variation in these species interacts with their environment to shape adaptation and evolution of ecologically important traits. 

In this talk, Professor Dlugosch will discuss lessons from her group’s recent and ongoing work with two invasive plant systems (the fern Lygodium microphyllum, and the thistle Centaurea solstitialis) and with a native plant (the tiny borage Pectocarya recurvata), all responding to environmental changes across space and time. Their findings demonstrate the potential for rapid evolutionary genetic changes to alter ecological interactions and resulting patterns of distribution and abundance. 

Event contact

For any enquiries, please contact the Dr Claire Stephens at claire.stephens@anu.edu.au