Applying a restoration lens to ecology and management of aquatic plant communities

Description: Lake plant communities are an underappreciated component of biodiversity. To the extent that they do receive attention, it's often in the context of managing invasive aquatic plants. And it's often assumed that native species will recover on their own when abundant invasive plants are controlled. We have been investigating interactions of native aquatic plants with invasive plants and with their environments, how invasions affect diversity, the extent to which the ecological niches of native and invasive plants do or do not overlap, and whether invader management leads to native recovery. Our findings---and the work of lake managers with whom we collaborate---point to a need for a more robust, restoration-oriented approach to lake management. Advancing aquatic restoration will require overcoming significant biological and practical limitations that are a focus of current research and extension efforts.  

Bio: Daniel Larkin is a Professor & Extension Specialist in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife…