Ecologist Em Crick will talk about her research which is focused on understanding how non-native plant expansions reshape local food webs. The study highlights that while invasive mosses disrupt native flora, they simultaneously serve as highly functional, novel microhabitats for a diverse community of native and introduced invertebrates.

Ecological Impacts and Interactions

• Novel Microhabitats: Invasive moss carpets offer damp microclimates that ground-dwelling invertebrates use for shelter and moisture retention.

• Habitat Disruption: While individual bugs may co-opt the moss, the spread of exotic mosses tends to displace native groundcovers and alter natural forest regeneration. 

• Food Web Shifts: Changes in understory plant composition directly affect local invertebrate assemblages, subsequently impacting predators that rely on native ground bugs.

Image: Pseudoscleropodium purum