Universidad De Sevilla

Reducing the Impact of Invasive Weeds in Pacific West Estuaries Through Plant Community Restoration - Our Goal Is to Assess and Develop Plant Community Restoration Approaches to Resist Weed Invasions, Enhance Ecosystem Services, and Improve Integrated Weed Management (IWM) and Restoration Outcomes. Focal Weeds Include Alien Yellow Flag Iris (european Iris Pseudacorus) and Dense-flowered Cordgrass (south American Spartina Densiflora) in Tidal Wetland Ecosystems. the Ultimate Goal of Iwm in Natural Areas Is to Restore and Conserve Native Plant Communities That Contribute to Invasion Resistance, Yet Plant Community Restoration Efforts Typically Do Not Include Invasion Prevention Measures. Under Climate Change, Survival of Plant Species and Assembly of Plant Communities in a Restoration Context Will Depend on Novel Community Interactions and Environmental Processes. Environmental Variability Coupled With Biotic Interactions Such as Interspecific Competition Can Influence the Invasibility of Restoration Sites and Their Resilience to Recover Once Invasive Species Have Been Removed. Establishment and Persistence of Desirable Vegetation Following Weed Removal Requires Knowledge of the Distribution of Plant Species Relative to Variation in Environmental Conditions. Knowledge of Plant Species That Have Traits That Confer an Advantage That Have Allowed Them to Persist With Invasive Weeds With Ongoing Selection Within Resident Populations Can Provide an Evolutionary Advantage in a Restoration Context. Identification of Adapted Native Species and Their Plant Traits, and Improved Understanding of Environmental Interactions That Promote Their Persistence Within Invaded Communities Is an Important First Step Towards Understanding How to Assemble Invasion-resistant Plantings to Increase Restoration Success. Understanding the Relationships Between Spatial Environmental Variability, Plant Species Occurrence, the Functional Roles That Both Alien and Native Species Play Within the Plant Community, and the Outcome of Their Interactions Is Needed for Restoration Strategies to Prevent New Infestations Following Management to Remove Weeds. in Addition, Increasing Our Knowledge on Key Plant Traits of Native and Invasive Species Will Provide Critical Knowledge for Optimal Design of Restoration Efforts to Maximize Ecosystem Services Such as Biodiversity, Water Purification and Atmospheric Carbon Sequestration.