In this U.S.-Chile dissertation-enhancement project supported by the Americas Program of the Office of International Science and Engineering, John Wootton and Lisa Nelis of the University of Chicago will pursue a program of research using a combination of field experiments and modeling to investigate how a non-indigenous herbivore (a rabbit) affects the structure of plant communities invaded by a non-indigenous plant (trun). Research conducted on Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile will address (1) mechanisms that control rates and patterns of invasion, (2) the role of epizoochory in dispersal of seeds of native and non-indigenous plants, and (3) the potential for synergistic, cross-trophic interactions among non-indigenous organisms. This research will be done in collaboration with Jose Miguel Farina Rivas from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and CONAF, the Chilean counterpart to the US National Park Service.
Interactive effects of different exotic species are poorly understood, and this work will have significant implications for managing an island ecosystem. The project focuses on a topic of considerable importance to conservation of native biota and will facilitate an excellent collaboration between American and Chilean ecologists. Each year of the study, copies of all new data, results, and publications will be archived with all participants, and with CONAF for their records and for their use in applications for funding for conservation and restoration of the islands.
