The effect of invasive species is thought to be second only to habitat destruction as a threat to biodiversity. The spread of invasive species is a major problem in spatial ecology, and there is a large body of literature on understanding this spread. However, there is far less work on the actual eradication and control of invasive species once invasion has occurred. Currently, there are only a few conclusive eradication measures for aquatic invasive species. The Trojan Y-Chromosome (TYC) strategy is an eradication strategy with the advantage of targeting only the invasive species in question, while protecting native species. The PIs will develop an experimentally tested mathematical model of the TYC strategy. The computational and theoretical analysis of the mathematical model will inform experimental biologists about the viability of the TYC strategy and provide crucial insight into the spatial-temporal population dynamics associated with the TYC strategy and other phenomena associated with such control efforts. Ultimately results of the project will guide experimental research at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Gainesville, Florida.
The TYC strategy is a biological control that introduces a sub-population of genetically modified males with YY chromosomes in order that their offspring are guaranteed to be male. The object of the introduction is to skew the sex ratio in the invasive population to be strongly male biased, driving down the female population density, and ultimately leading to extinction. In developing Peocilia reticulata (guppy fish) YY-males in the laboratory, mesocosm experiments can be conducted that examine the interaction, dynamics, fecundity, and viability of the TYC strategy. The experimental data will then be used to develop the relevant parameter space and refine, verify, and validate reaction diffusion models of the TYC strategy. In addition, numerical designs and implementation procedures will be developed to provide a reliable platform to efficiently simulate the system of partial differential equations that incorporate features such as cross and self-diffusion, non-smooth initial datum, temperature effects and life history traits such as cannibalism. This research and its results will advance our understanding of the use of flexible and reversible passive efforts to eradicate and control invasive species, as modeled via both weakly coupled and strongly coupled reaction diffusion systems.
