PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Researchers revise Darwin's thinking on invasive species

Model points way to better understanding chances of invaders succeeding

2013-12-03
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Emily Jones
eijones@rice.edu
713-348-4182
Washington State University
Researchers revise Darwin's thinking on invasive species Model points way to better understanding chances of invaders succeeding PULLMAN, Wash.-For more than a century and a half, researchers interested in invasive species have looked to Charles Darwin and what has come to be called his "naturalization conundrum." If an invader is closely related to species in a new area, he wrote in his landmark The Origin of Species, it should find a more welcoming habitat. On the other hand, it could expect competition from the related species and attacks from its natural enemies like predators and parasites.

But researchers writing in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences say the relatedness of native and introduced species is not as important as the details of how they go about doing their business.

"We thought we understood how things happened, but maybe they didn't happen that way," says Emily Jones, a Rice University researcher in evolutionary ecology who started pondering Darwin's conundrum while a post-doctoral researcher in the Washington State University lab of Richard Gomulkiewicz. She is the lead author of the Proceedings paper with Gomulkiewicz and Scott Nuismer of the University of Idaho.

The model they've developed in analyzing Darwin's conundrum could lead to a new way of gauging the potential of invasive species, a major ecological and economic concern as plants and animals have spread into new habitats around the planet.

Darwin focused on ecological relationships between species. But Jones and her colleagues focused on species' phenotypes, characteristics that emerge as a plant or animal's genes interact with the environment. In the process, they found that ecological relationships alone are a weak predictor of an invader's success.

To be sure, says Jones, researchers will want to see what species an invader is related to and what interactions that species has that are important for understanding its survival.

But then, she says, "you'd want to look at how those interactions work," comparing the mechanism of their interaction and the traits they share.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Stanford engineers show how to optimize carbon nanotube arrays for use in hot spots

2013-12-03
Stanford engineers show how to optimize carbon nanotube arrays for use in hot spots Experimental evidence and computer simulations suggest how to grow structures with the best trade offs between 3 desired characteristics: strength, flexibility and the ability to ...

What makes the deadliest form of malaria specific to people?

2013-12-03
What makes the deadliest form of malaria specific to people? The biological interactions that make some malaria parasites specific to host species Researchers have discovered why the parasite that causes the deadliest form of malaria only infects ...

Arctic study shows key marine food web species at risk from increasing CO2

2013-12-03
Arctic study shows key marine food web species at risk from increasing CO2 A research expedition to the Arctic, as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, has revealed that tiny crustaceans, known as copepods, that live just beneath the ocean surface are likely to battle ...

Brain connectivity study reveals striking differences between men and women

2013-12-03
Brain connectivity study reveals striking differences between men and women Penn Medicine brain imaging study helps explain different cognitive strengths in men and women PHILADELPHIA—A new brain connectivity study from Penn Medicine ...

How bacteria respond so quickly to external changes

2013-12-03
How bacteria respond so quickly to external changes Understanding how bacteria adapt so quickly to changes in their external environment with continued high growth rates is one of the major research challenges in molecular microbiology. This is important ...

Culling vampire bats to stem rabies in Latin America can backfire

2013-12-03
Culling vampire bats to stem rabies in Latin America can backfire Culling vampire bat colonies to stem the transmission of rabies in Latin America does little to slow the spread of the virus and could even have the reverse effect, according to University of Michigan ...

Cardiovascular Institute: Unfolded protein response contributes to sudden death in heart failure

2013-12-03
Cardiovascular Institute: Unfolded protein response contributes to sudden death in heart failure Sudden death affects 50 percent of heart failure patients PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A researcher at the Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals ...

Treatment plans for brain metastases more accurately determined with aid of molecular imaging trace

2013-12-03
Treatment plans for brain metastases more accurately determined with aid of molecular imaging trace Reston, Va. (December 2, 2013) – Imaging with the molecular imaging tracer 18F-FDOPA can help distinguish radiation-induced lesions from new tumor growth in ...

Researchers turn to machines to identify breast cancer type

2013-12-03
Researchers turn to machines to identify breast cancer type (Edmonton) Researchers from the University of Alberta and Alberta Health Services have created a computer algorithm that successfully predicts whether estrogen is sending signals to cancer cells to grow ...

Prescription opioid abusers prefer to get high on oxycodone and hydrocodone

2013-12-03
Prescription opioid abusers prefer to get high on oxycodone and hydrocodone Researchers investigate factors that influence the choice of abused drugs, reports PAIN® Philadelphia, December 2, 2013 – Prescription opioid abuse has reached epidemic levels in the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study shows increasing ‘healthy competition’ between menu options nudges patients towards greener, lower-fat hospital food choices

New insights into melanoma plasticity uncover a critical role of iron metabolism

A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?

New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair

Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network

iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis

New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

[Press-News.org] Researchers revise Darwin's thinking on invasive species
Model points way to better understanding chances of invaders succeeding