Mechanisms for invasive species success

In a new paper, published online today in Biological Invasions, Natalie Low and several colleagues from the Marine Biodiversity Lab highlight several reasons why the seaweed Heterosiphonia japonica is such a successful invader, including a higher nitrate uptake efficiency and growth rate than native species and a lower rate of consumption by a native herbivore (Low et al. in press). We also demonstrate the importance of evaluating processes like growth and herbivory in multi-species assemblages instead of simply looking at each species in isolation. This work is based largely on research that Natalie did as an undergraduate intern in the lab.