Invasive Species

Recent introductions into Canada of several major forest insects (emerald ash borer (EAB), Asian long­horned beetle (ALHB), Sirex woodwasps, pine shoot beetles, beech bark scale, hemlock woolly adelgid) allow us to compare native and exotic natural enemy complexes, and to explore mechanisms by which these communities affect host mortality and pest invasion. Research in my lab adds to our understanding of community rewiring following these invasions in our forests, and at the applied level, helps to direct management strategies for non­-native insect species. The work is of interest to scientists, bio­-control researchers, as well as policy­makers who regulate invasive species and the public and forest industry concerned with the ecological and economic effects of such species.