Bethany Bradley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (USA). Her research focuses on the biogeography and spatial ecology of invasive plants. Highlights include 1) empirical analyses of native and invasive plant niches, 2) model projections of invasive plant expansion and contraction with climate change, and 3) integration of remotely sensed data into spatial modeling. She has served on the editorial boards for Diversity & Distributions, Ecography, and Ecological Applications. More information about research in Dr Bradley’s lab can be found on her lab webpage.
While visiting the C·I·B from September 2016 — January 2017, Dr Bradley focused on a meta-analysis of the relationship between invasive species abundance and ecological impact. This research asks whether increasing the number of individuals of an invasive species has the same effect on native communities when abundance is small vs. large and when invasive species interact differently with native species (e.g., competitors vs. predators). Additionally, Dr Bradley is collaborating with Prof John Wilson on an analysis of dispersal patterns of invasive plants. She enjoyed discussions with various C·I·B researchers about interactions between fire and invasions and quantifying invasive species impacts.