Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The total geographic area that a species inhabits is known as its range. Species live in ranges to which they are well adapted, and when environments rapidly change - which is happening now because of climate change - species often find themselves in places to which they are no longer suited. Some can shift their range to an area that better suits them, but others cannot - and this latter group therefore includes species that are at risk of extinction.  Meanwhile, some of the species that are introduced by humans into new regions are exceptionally good at rapidly expanding their ranges and becoming invasive species. The ability of species to shift or expand their ranges is therefore critical to both the survival of native species and the success of invasive species, but we still have very limited understanding of why some species are so much better at these range changes than others. My research will help us to better understand the `how' and `why' of range changes. I will be investigating the importance of: 1) dispersal - are range changes more likely in species that are particularly good at moving to new sites? 2) adaptation - are range changes less likely in species which can disperse to new sites but are unable to survive once they get there? 3) environmental tolerance - are generalist species (which can tolerate a wide range of environments) more successful at range changes than specialists (which are `fussier' about their environment)? and 4) genetics - can certain types of genetic changes allow specialist species to become generalist species? These questions are critical for management strategies such as ecosystem restoration, which will fail if we introduce species into new regions where they cannot thrive, and invasive species management, which will be more effective when we can accurately predict which species will rapidly expand across a new geographical region. I will be researching these questions using a combination of field, experimental, and laboratory work on several different types of cattails. These are large plants that commonly grow in wetlands around the world where they provide essential ecosystem services; however, some cattail species are predicted to lose substantial parts of their ranges under climate change, and this will jeopardize many wetlands. Other types of cattails are relatively new to North America, where they have become invasive because they alter wetlands and crowd out native species. These invasive cattails are common around the Great Lakes and are now expanding their range across North America into the Prairie Pothole Region where they may prove detrimental to millions of breeding and migratory waterfowl. Canada and the world are already seeing profound changes in species distributions, and many of these changes are detrimental to both species and ecosystems. My research will provide important new information that will inform the management of species with both shrinking and expanding ranges.