FOR MORE INFORMATION:
DAWN RUDE, administrative assistant, Academic Affairs
(218) 299-4541
AMY KELLY, College Communications and Media Relations director
(218) 299-3642
CENTENNIAL SCHOLARS LECTURE ON INVASIVE SPECIES
Dr. Michelle Marko, associate professor of biology, was the recipient of a 2016-17 Centennial Scholars Research grant and will present a lecture, “Morphological and Chemical Variation Found in Elodea spp. in Their Native and Invasive Ranges,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, in Morrie Jones Conference Center A-B, Knutson Campus Center.
Marko, working with co-inquirers Ruth Sexton ’18, Brookings, S.D., and Rebecca Dahl ’19, Barnesville, Minn., will present their research on invasive species.
Invasive species are organisms that have been introduced to an area outside of their native range, grow out of control, displace native species and disrupt ecosystem services. In the United States, they cause billions of dollars in damage, but it’s also a worldwide problem. Elodea canadensis and Elodea nuttallii are two species native to North America that are a nuisance in Europe. The process of invasion can lead to physical and chemical changes in the plant. This study assessed those changes as well as the differences in herbivore abundance on each species. It is essential to understand the basic biology, phenology and ecology of the invader in both its native range and its invasive range in order to control it and in order to understand why it became a problem in the first place.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
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