Dr. Emily Haeuser

Climate change and escaping ornamentals: predicting the next generation of European plant invaders
Increased globalization in recent decades has dramatically increased the vectors available for introduction of alien species worldwide. The results of such introductions are generally unpredictable and hold potentially negative consequences for local ecosystem services and biological integrity.  The use of ornamental alien plant species in European gardens and nurseries offers a strong pathway for possible invasion of native ecosystems.  Being able to identify those ornamental species with high invasion potential in a given region or environment could greatly benefit the conservation of native plant communities.  Given the potential for dramatic shifts in environmental conditions under impending climate change, it is also important to be able to predict how a species’ invasion potential may shift in the future.  With these considerations in mind, my PhD project will investigate the establishment success and fitness of many alien ornamental plant species under ambient temperatures as well as under elevated temperatures, simulating impending climate change. These will be compared with functionally similar native and naturalized species. This project will contribute to the BiodivERsA WhoIsNext project to use modelling techniques to assess the risk of invasion of a large number of alien species across Europe under future climate scenarios.