A study, co-authored by CIB Core Team member Prof Cang Hui, has found that the native biodiversity of natural forests largely buffers the severity of non-native tree invasions.
Many of us are now familiar with urban commensal species - those that have adapted to life in towns and cities and can be seen to adapt their behaviour to exploit their new surroundings. Some of these urbanised species are then introduced to novel systems, and go on to become invasive.
Identifying agricultural crop pests quickly and reliably is critical to track their spread and to apply suitable control measures where needed. However, the identification of insect pests is often hampered by the lack of taxonomic expertise, especially in complex and poorly known tropical groups. DNA barcoding is often used as a supporting tool to identify species in the context of invertebrate pest management but relies on comprehensive and well-curated molecular databases.
Global agricultural trade is the single biggest pathway of introduction of alien invertebrates and microorganisms. Each imported grain, fruit, vegetable, plant or flower may be carrying a host of unseen and unwanted passengers – including insects, mites, fungi or viruses.
Prof Dave Richardson from the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB) at Stellenbosch University (SU) and a world leading scientist in the field of invasion biology, is the recipient of the 2018 Kwame Nkrumah Award for Scientific Excellence.
