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.
Quantifying the amount of genetic diversity and how it is distributed within and between populations (genetic structure) has become a major focus in invasion biology. Population genetic structure can be useful as a proxy for the introduction history of a species, e.g. to differentiate between multiple introductions vs. single introductions.
Invasive plants compete with native plants for important resources like water and nutrients, often outcompeting or even causing local extinction of indigenous plants. Australian acacias are one such group of plants in South Africa...
Dr Jaco Le Roux, C·I·B core team member, was recently awarded a National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research and Exploration grant to investigate the consequences of legume invasions on native legume biodiversity in South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region.