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Abstract
This special volume is a compilation of papers from a workshop on Synthesizing Ecology
and Evolution for the Study of Invasive Species, held in March 2009 at Lake Tahoe,
CA, USA. The goal of this workshop was to bring together a diverse group of scientists
to discuss gaps in research pertaining to invasion biology and outline research objectives
for the future, with an emphasis on synthesizing the ecology and evolution of invasive
species. Discussion among the participants exposed several areas that warrant additional
data, experimentation, model development, and theoretical integration. For example,
a substantial portion of the discussion was devoted toward examining the implications
of theoretical models of invasive populations that couple ecological and evolutionary
dynamics, including themes such as gene ‘surfing’ tracking waves of invasion, the
evolution of Allee thresholds, and the importance of details of genetic architectures
underlying traits undergoing selection during invasions. Discussion also focused on
factors that have received inadequate attention in the field, such as the role of
trans-generational plasticity (TGP) in promoting invasive success, coevolution between
invasive and native species, and evolution of host–pathogen interactions during invasions.
During the discussion, the possibility was raised that epigenetic changes might be
important in promoting rapid evolution during invasions. Participants also discussed
methodological advances that are enhancing the types of data available to analyse
invasions, such as genomic approaches that could identify loci underlying critical
traits that limit invasions. Several investigators noted the paucity of data from
the native range of invasive populations, which is unfortunate, given that such information
can illuminate the specific habitats that foster potentially invasive populations,
and provide insights into the evolutionary history of such populations. Finally, information
from the literature on biological control could be mined more intensively to extract
predictions on colonization success of invasive species, as the determinants of success
in deliberate introductions should provide insight into comparable factors that accompany
successful accidental introductions. The wide-ranging discussions that took place
at this workshop will continue into the future and pave the way for a deepening of
our understanding of the coupled ecological and evolutionary dimensions of invasions.
In this special issue, we provide a sampler of the discussions on the theoretical,
conceptual, and empirical integration of evolution and ecology that permeated the
Lake Tahoe workshop, as well as some lucid and compelling case studies of rapid evolution
during invasions.