All, Despite the growing interest in invasion biology, the ecological impacts of most invasive plants are poorly understood. Even for some of the most well known invaders such as kudzu, we know very little of their ecological impacts. When impacts are studied, the focus is often narrow (eg, litter decomposition), precluding understanding broad impacts or interactions among impacts. Therefore, we are organizing a globally distributed experiment aimed at investigating the ecological impacts of invasive plants . The Global Invader Impact Network (GIIN) is designed to address this critical need. Such networks are the best means to answer big ecological questions (eg, NutNet). Here we have designed a simple protocol to evaluate some of the most commonly studied impacts in a consistent manner across diverse systems and species.
Purpose: - Quantify broad ecological impacts of invasive plants by implementing a cross-site experiment requiring minimal investment of resources by each network participant. - Collect data from a broad range of species, systems, and geographies in a consistent manner to identify trends or idiosyncrasies of ecological impact. Objectives/Questions: 1. Identify the ecological impact(s) of invasive populations across diverse ecosystems, species, and geographies; 2. Determine if impacts are consistent among species and systems; 3. Does a legacy exist on ecological impacts, and is this legacy consistent among species and systems? Several folks have implemented the protocol on a variety of species, systems, and geographies in 2013. We are looking to expand the network of volunteers in the coming years. All species and systems are welcome. Participants will agree to follow GIIN protocol and maintain the experiment on their own, and we have designed the protocol to have minimal expense. Implementing the protocol should take 1-3 days total per population and <$100. If you are interested in participating please contact Jacob Barney ( [email protected]) for more details. Cheers, Jacob __________________________________________ Jacob Barney, PhD Assistant Professor of Invasive Plant Ecology Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Rd (0330) Blacksburg, VA 24061 Office: 540-231-6323 Lab Website <http://oak.ppws.vt.edu/~jnbarney>
