CIE Spotlight: Progress and Challenges in Genetics and Invasion

Lee  Ann R.

Lee Ann R.

Title: Progress and Challenges in Genetics and Invasion (PDF)

Authors: Rollins, Lee Ann

Source: CURRENT ZOOLOGY, 61 (3):454-455; JUN 2015

Brief summary of the paper: Invasive species cause considerable ecological and economic damage but the studies discussed within this special column highlight the advantages of studying these species.

Several of the articles in this special column discuss how genetic studies of invasive species add to our ability to predict invasive potential but also increase our understanding of native species’ response to climate change.

It is now well-recognised that invasions represent “experiments in evolution” and that rapid evolution is common during introduction, allowing us to use invasive species as models for understanding evolutionary processes at large.