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SUMMARY:Modelling the distribution of Freshwater Invasive Species across E
 urope - Dr Belinda Gallardo\, Aquatic Ecology Group\, University of Cambri
 dge.
DTSTART:20110225T130000Z
DTEND:20110225T140000Z
UID:TALK29848@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr. Belinda Gallardo
DESCRIPTION:Invasive species are recognised as one of the main drivers of 
 biodiversity change in freshwater ecosystems. Consequently\, the developme
 nt of reliable tools to prevent and control the spread of freshwater invas
 ive species is necessary to identify and protect areas at high risk of inv
 asion\, to effectively manage invasive species and to conserve native popu
 lations. Species distribution models (SDMs) provide a measure of climate s
 uitability for invasive species by projecting a model of known distributio
 n into a geographical area of interest. As such they are a powerful tool t
 o forecast the spread of invasive species in a changing climate. However\,
  more than 90% of the published SDMs focus on terrestrial species\, while 
 aquatic species remains poorly documented. In this talk\, three case studi
 es focusing on important aquatic pests\, as the zebra mussel (Dreissena po
 lymorpha)\, the killer shrimp (Dikerogammarus villosus) and the signal cra
 yfish (Pascifastacus leniusculus) will illustrate how SDMs can: (i) test h
 ypotheses relating niche dynamics in freshwater invasive species\, (ii) lo
 cate areas most susceptible to first introduction\, (iii) provide a basis 
 for freshwater invasive species management and eradication\, and (iv) anti
 cipate future changes in the species’ geographical range.  However\, lim
 itations of the models (such as lack of surrogates of water chemistry\, un
 realistic ecological assumptions\, uncertainties in the selection of predi
 ctors and scenarios) have to be carefully considered. For instance\, the c
 ombination of SDMs with other local-scale models\, the so called “hybrid
  models”\, can overcome some of these limitations. Ultimately\, SDMs pro
 vide a powerful tool for the prevention\, control and eradication of aquat
 ic invasive species that is worth to develop further.
LOCATION:Part II Lecture Theatre\, Department of Zoology \, Downing Street
 \, CB2 3EJ
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