Biological invaders: their conquest has already begun!

Freshwater mussels are often overlooked, but they play a vital role in keeping rivers, lakes and streams healthy all around the world. However, these mussels are threatened by invaders: non-native species that arrive from elsewhere. In this talk, I will talk about one particular (and infrequently considered) way in which invasive species disrupt native ecosystems: through their influence on host-parasite networks. 

What determines the success of alien species in introduced ranges is a key question for environmental management that remains unresolved. In this talk I look at whether being similar or different to native species helps new plants become established, as well as their tradeoffs. I also explain how dissimilarities interact at different scales which influences the success of the invasion, allowing us to predict the invasion potential of alien species.

Invasion anxiety in Kent has often extended to encompass the non-human, with questions of biosecurity evident in episodes of boundary-making that seek to distinguish between native and alien. In this talk I argue that attempts to discriminate valued 'native' life and polluting 'alien' life contributed to the border anxieties that informed the Brexit vote. I will draw on three recent instances of border anxiety: the Colorado Beetle in the 1970s, the threat of rabid rats in the 1980-90s, and the cultivation of non-native oysters in the 2000s.