This U.S.-Chile award will support Dr. Lara A. Ferry-Graham, San Jose State University, for a planning visit to complete a proposal for a research collaboration with Dr. Julio Vasquez at the Universidad Catolica del Norte in Coquimbo, Chile. The researchers are working to determine the functional morphological mechanisms that facilitate invasions by marine fishes into the temperate regime. Teleost fishes survive in a variety of diverse habitats and the feeding mechanism is thought to be largely responsible for that success. Comparing temperate species with their tropical counterparts in both Chile and California will provide a unique opportunity to have replicate data points on the appropriate global scale. Chile offers the only reasonable replicate of the California habitat for determining generalities regarding temperate invasions and the mechanisms that might facilitate them. Invasion biology is an important area of research for community ecologists because invaders can have dramatic impact on ecosystems.
