Lisa Rew

RESEARCH OVERVIEW:

My goal is to better understand the effect of abiotic and biotic variables on the invasion potential of non-native plant populations, and develop efficient approaches to prioritize management at the local scale. Consequently my interests include, survey methods, species distribution modeling, plant community diversity, population dynamics, and long-distance dispersal and spread particularly as it relates to vehicles and roads. My group works in natural, semi-natural and agricultural systems: recently we have studied populations along elevation gradients in range and wildland settings, as well as dryland wheat systems. Most of our work is at the local (population) and landscape scale, but in collaboration with MIREN (Mountain Invasion Research Network) we have been able to evaluate the effect of multiple scales (local, landscape and regional) on patterns of invasion and relationships with environmental and biotic variables. As of 2012 I am co-chair of MIREN. Our most recent experiment is evaluating the effect of climate differences on the invasive potential of cheatgrass(Bromus tectorum) in sagebrush communities and wheat systems.