A parastic phorid fly attacks fire ants at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory's Fire Ant Lab. Photos courtesy Brackenridge Field Laboratory; caption courtesy of Texas Science News.

Invasive species have received considerable attention from resource managers and researchers as a biodiversity threat.  They are often introduced to new geographical areas and habitats by human transportation systems, and are enabled by the lack of natural predators as well as disturbance or destruction of habitats supporting native fauna. 

Dr. Lawrence Gilbert, an ESI faculty affiliate, studies invasive fire ants to find ways to manage their impact on local systems.  Native to Argentina, this imported red fire ant is considered a pest to agriculture, and a threat to native plant species in Texas.  To combat the ants, Dr. Gilbert’s Texas Fire Ant Lab is studying the ecology of three fly species (also from Argentina) that are natural fire ant parasites.  Through this parasitism the flies can infect ants with a pathogen that causes a disease, thereby reducing their population size.

As Director of the Texas Fire Ant Lab,  professor of integrative biology and Director of UT’s Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Dr. Gilbert was named the 2012 Distinguished Texas Scientist by the Texas Academy of Science.

Left top: Healthy Senecio vulgaris growing in California where it was introduced approximately 100 yrs ago. Left bottom: Dying Senecio vulgaris covered in Puccinia and Albugo pathogens, growing in part of its native range in the UK. Center top: Senecio squalidus growing in the UK where it invaded nearly 400 years ago, with some Puccinia infection. Center bottom: Senecio ciliocarpa growing in the UK where it was introduced less than 10 years ago with no infection. Right top: Albugo. Right bottom: Puccinia. Photos by Christine V. Hawkes; caption courtesy of Texas Science News.

Biodiversity Education

ESI’s faculty affiliates provide promising undergraduates the opportunity to gain valuable biodiversity research experience.  Dr. Christine Hawkes is an active participant in ESI’s Summer 2012 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.  Recently her lab performed a meta-analysis of invasive plant species case histories, and discovered that their immunity to predation by local species is not permanent.  Over time, introduced plant species eventually change in ways that make them more vulnerable to pathogens or predation in their new environments. Further research about the ecological trajectory of invasive species will enhance management strategies for them.

For information on relevant environmental science courses being offered through ESI's Environmental Science Degree Program (EVS), visit our featured courses page.