Project Description
Alien species are one of the major threats to native biodiversity and ecosystem services with many also causing huge economic damage. With increasing global trade, new species are introduced – intentionally or accidentally – at an increasing pace worldwide. Importantly, many traded species become established and widespread outside their native range. Furthermore, currently established but localised alien populations may spread under changing climatic conditions. Critically, urgent challenges include an understanding of which species and why are more likely to be released into novel regions; the ability to identify which alien species may become future invaders, and a quantitative assessment of whether currently localised alien populations will become widespread.
Freshwater habitats are among the most vulnerable but essential for their ecosystem services and human sustainable development. Alien freshwater fish are frequently introduced intentionally or accidentally, may have detrimental effects on native biodiversity, and lead to substantial economic costs. Unlike for terrestrial vertebrates, however, we know little about what promotes the trade, introduction, establishment and spread of alien freshwater fish globally and how this knowledge can help predict which species are likely to be future invaders in specific locations. This project will address this major knowledge gap by combining global scale analyses of freshwater fish invasion success with case studies. Importantly, the project will deliver a Horizon scanning output by providing quantitative predictions of the probability of introduction, establishment and spread of likely future alien fish. Through a CASE partnership with CEDaR and AFBI, this evidence will help inform and shape the NI/Ireland policy to prevent and better manage new alien freshwater fish species.
The student on this project will:
- build a global scale database on freshwater fish introductions, introduction pathways, invasion success and species traits from the literature and professional databases, and collect new data on alien freshwater fish diversity in Ireland in collaboration with CEDaR, AFBI and engagement with wider stakeholders;
- investigate whether species characteristics help explain the probability of transport and introduction through different pathways, and of establishment and spread worldwide and in Ireland using phylogenetic comparative methods;
- model the probability of invasion under current and predicted climate for case studies in Ireland using eco-evolutionary modelling (RangeShifter);
- produce a Horizon scanning output that informs policy, by providing quantitative predictions on the probability of introduction and invasion of future alien species globally and in Ireland in particular.
While working on important ecological questions and a global challenge, the student will gain a rare set of interdisciplinary skills that are highly valued by employers, including assembling and managing large databases (‘big data’); cutting edge statistical and mathematical modelling; numeracy; evaluating risk and uncertainty; as well as gaining in depth understanding of fundamental principles in ecology and freshwater science. By collaborating with the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), the student will learn how to engage with stakeholders, collect, manage and analyse data, and draft technical reports to help inform policy that improves environmental monitoring and management.
Essential & desirable candidate skills:
Essential: The ideal candidate will hold a first–class degree in biology, ecology, zoology or related discipline; have very strong quantitative skills, outstanding organisational skills, excellent attention to detail, knowledge of phylogenetic methods and/or theoretical modelling.
Desirable: A Masters Degree in a relevant discipline, previous research experience with freshwater fish, phylogenetic comparative methods and/or mathematical modelling, evolutionary biology and/or theoretical ecological modelling.
Supervisors
Isabella CapelliniPrimary Supervisor: | Profile: Isabella Capellini Email: I.Capellini@qub.ac.uk Institution: Queen's University, Belfast Department/School: School of Biological Sciences |
Greta BocediSecondary Supervisor: | Profile: Greta Bocedi Email: greta.bocedi@abdn.ac.uk Institution: University of Aberdeen Department/School: School of Biological Sciences |
Paulo ProdöhlAdditional Supervisor: | Profile: Paulo Prodöhl Email: P.Prodohl@qub.ac.uk Institution: Queen's University, Belfast Department/School: School of Biological Sciences |
Additional Supervisor: | Dr Damian McFerran, Records Centre Manager, Centre for Environmental Data & Recordingg (CEDaR), National Museums NI. |
References
Allen et al. 2017. Fast life history traits promote invasion success in amphibians and reptiles. Ecology Letters 20: 222-230.
Capellini I, et al. 2015. The role of life history traits in mammalian invasion success. Ecology Letters 18: 1099-1107.
Dominguez Almela V, et al. 2021. Predicting the outcomes of management strategies for controlling invasive river fishes using individual-based models. J. Appl. Ecol., 58, 2427– 2440.
Dominguez Almela V, et al. 2022. Predicting the influence of river network configuration, biological traits and habitat quality interactions on riverine fish invasions. Divers. Distrib. 28, 257– 270.
Research Methods
While working on important ecological questions and a global challenge, the student will gain a rare set of interdisciplinary skills that are highly valued by employers, including assembling and managing large databases (‘big data’); cutting edge statistical modelling (phylogenetic comparative approaches in Bayesian framework) and mathematical modelling (using RangeShifter); numeracy; evaluating risk and uncertainty; as well as gaining in depth understanding of fundamental principles in ecology and freshwater science.
Expected Training Provision
By collaborating with CEDaR and AFBI, the student will learn how to engage with stakeholders, collect, manage and analyse data, and draft technical report that help inform policy to improve environmental monitoring and management.
Impact
Alien species are major drivers of biodiversity loss and may have huge economic costs. What makes some species more likely to be introduced and to become successful invaders is still an open question, particularly for freshwater fish for which no large scale study currently exist. The project will fill this major gap and also deliver an horizon scanning output for likely future invaders globally and for Ireland in particular.
Proposed Supervision
Capellini has extensive experience in the use and application of phylogenetic methods to address fundamental and applied questions in evolutionary ecology including in invasion biology (e.g. Capellini et al 2015; Allen et al 2017), and in building accurate, detailed, large scale datasets of traits for hundreds of species from the literature.
Bocedi is leading the development of cutting-edge evolutionary individual-based models that explicitly integrate genetics, ecology and evolution, and are being used for both fundamental theoretical questions as well as for more applied studies. She developed RangeShifter (programmed in C++) to generate theoretical predictions that can be tested with the empirical analyses.
Prodöhl is a population geneticist with expertise in freshwater fish, particularly salmonids, one of the most frequently introduced group of freshwater fish globally.
McFerran (CEDaR) will advise the student on engaging with stakeholders and building and managing data on alien fish biodiversity in Ireland. Snell (AFBI) will support the student through the building of the Irish database and drafting technical reports for policy improvement.
Proposed Timetable
he student will have the opportunity to shape the details of the project, including the choice of the case studies. Typically, we expect to have up to five analytical chapters, for example:
Year 1: global database completed; Irish database including new data completed; analysis of introduction pathways and transport completed;
Year 2: draft for paper 1; analyses for 2 establishment and spread at global scale completed; case study completed;
Year 3: draft for 2 papers from Year 1 analyses completed, analysis for predicting future aliens globally and in Ireland completed; case study 2 and 3 completed; begin to draft general Introduction and General Discussion for thesis.
Last 6 months: draft of Year 2 analyses, general thesis Introduction and Discussion completed.
QUADRAT Themes
- biodiversity
