Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Exotic invasive species represent a major environmental disturbance with important ramifications to the economy and society. The Canadian and Ontario governments have called for research to better understand and predict impacts of invasive species. A major concern is their long-term consequences to soil and plant health and ecosystem processes. This research program will continue to assess long-term effects of exotic invasive plants on soil biotic diversity and function. It will investigate mechanisms whereby plant-biotic interactions can cause population declines of native and invasive plants and, in this context, expand into considering climate change factors.