Introduced species and food web dynamics
Non-native invasive species are one of the leading drivers of species decline and extinction globally. In addition to impacts on biodiversity, invasive species also have important negative and positive effects on ecosystem services (see review article co-authored by Hal Mooney in Trends in Ecology and Evolution). MS students Lani Stinson and Hannah Riedl investigated the direct and indirect effects of an introduced tree on riparian food webs in western Colorado. This research, which occurs on private land, helped advanced understanding of the ecological consequences of species introduction, while also providing land managers with guidance on weighing the costs and benefits of maintaining or removing a non-native species. The findings from this study are now published in Biological Invasions, Plos ONE, the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, and in press in Ornithological Applications.