The December 2017 edition of the journal Biological Invasions is a special issue devoted to papers from a conference on urban invasions that was hosted by the Centre for Invasion Biology (C•I•B) in November 2017.
What happens when you take a concept developed to describe elements of ecology and apply it to complex social-ecological phenomena involving politics, economics, culture, and more?
A “mycorrhiza” is a relationship between a fungus and the roots of a plant. The fungus lives inside the plant roots, and increases the roots’ efficiency in absorbing nutrients from the soil. In such a relationship, both the plants and the fungi, are said to be mycorrhizal and this relationship between plant roots and its associated fungi (“mycorrhizal fungi”) is, amongst other things, important for plant growth.
As conflict of interests around alien species can prevent the success of management actions, an international team of researchers and managers, including C·I·B researchers, have recently developed a 12-step framework for engaging stakeholders on the management of alien species.
A recent study by C.I.B PhD graduate Mathys Strydom (currently at the Academy of Environmental Leadership) found that annual seed input of invasive Australian Acacias is still high, despite the use of biological control agents.
