INVASIONS: The Invasion Potential of Alien Species
Identification, Assessment, and Risk Management
Alien ornamental plant species Mahonia aquifolium
Contact
Dr. Stefan Klotz, Dr. Ingolf Kühn
Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4,
06120 Halle, Germany
phone +49 345/558-5302
fax +49 345/558-5329
klotz@ufz.de
The aim of the project is the development of a prevention framework which includes the identification and assessment of alien species as well as a management concept on how to deal with these species. The project is co-ordinated by the UFZ - Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle; project partners are UFZ departments for Community Ecology and Economics, Sociology and Law as well as the study group General and animal ecology of the University of Marburg.
Employing an interdisciplinary approach, we work on three main topics:
- Trait combinations of invasive alien species will be identified by (a) statistical analyses of large databases, (b) regarding (micro-)evolutionary processes (e.g. plant breeding) with genus Mahonia as an example and (c) effects on the food web.
- The impacts of invasive alien species will be assessed ecologically (ecosystems, wood webs), economically (ecosystems, national economies) and jurisprudentially (national and EU).
- This results in managements concepts that lead to an early warning system.
The joint research project INVASIONS is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) for three years (4/2003-3/2006) within the BioTEAM-Programme (BMBF Grant 01 LM 0206).
