Invasion ecology, the study of the distribution and spread of organisms in habitats to which they are not native, has received considerable attention during the past decades. This is mainly a consequence of the increased awareness of the major threats posed by invasions to biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, agriculture and human health. Non-native species have become integral components of ecosystems world-wide, and understanding the causes and consequences of biological invasions has emerged as a fundamental challenge to ecologists and evolutionary biologists. Evidence is increasing that invasive plants can undergo rapid adaptive evolution during the process of range expansion. We expect that evolutionary change during invasions will affect plant-antagonist interactions and thus have important implications for biological control programs targeted at invasive plants. We specifically explore how altered selection in the new range might influence the evolution of plant defense (resistance and tolerance) and life cycle and how this might affect subsequent biological control efficacy.

• Editorial overview: Biological control of plant invaders: a continued stimulus and yet untapped potential to link and advance applied and basic research
  Mueller-Schaerer, Heinz; Schaffner, Urs
  Current Opinion In Insect Science  DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.03.002 Published: APR 2020
• How to better predict long-term benefits and risks in weed biocontrol: an evolutionary perspective
  Mueller-Schaerer, Heinz; Bouchemousse, Sarah; Litto, Maria; McEvoy, Peter B.; Roderick, George K.; et al.
  Current Opinion In Insect Science 38: 84-91  Published: APR 2020
• In-season leaf damage by a biocontrol agent explains reproductive output of an invasive plant species
  Augustinus, Benno A.; Lommen, Suzanne T. E.; Fogliatto, Silvia; Vidotto, Francesco; Smith, Tessa; et al.
  Neobiota 55: 117-146 DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.55.46874   Published: APR 6 2020
• Biological weed control to relieve millions from Ambrosia allergies in Europe
  Schaffner, Urs; Steinbach, Sandro; Sun, Yan; Skjoth, Carsten A.; de Weger, Letty A.; et al.
  Nature Communications 11(1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15586-1 Published: APR 21 2020
• Phylogenetic diversity is a better predictor of wetland community resistance to Alternanthera philoxeroides invasion than species richness
  Qin, T-J; Zhou, J.; Sun, Y.; Mueller-Schaerer, H.; Luo, F-L; et al.
  Plant Biology  DOI: 10.1111/plb.13101 Early Access: MAR 2020
• Invasion syndromes: a systematic approach for predicting biological invasions and facilitating effective management
  Novoa, Ana; Richardson, David M.; Pysek, Petr; Meyerson, Laura A.; Bacher, Sven; et al.
  Biological Invasions 10.1007/s10530-020-02220-w Early Access: MAR 2020
• Isolation of 12 polymorphic tetranucleotide microsatellite markers of the leaf beetle Ophraella communa, a promising Ambrosia biocontrol agent also in Europe
  Bordeyne, Francois; Mueller-Schaerer, Heinz; Bouchemousse, Sarah
  Biocontrol Science And Technology,  DOI: 10.1080/09583157.2019.1695103   FEB 2020
• Predicting abundances of invasive ragweed across Europe using a "top-down" approach
  Skjoth, CA; Sun, Y; Karrer, G; Sikoparija, B; Smith, M; Schaffner, U; Muller-Scharer, H
  SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, 686 212-222; 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.215 OCT 10 2019
• Do invasive alien plants differ from non-invasives in dominance and nitrogen uptake in response to variation of abiotic and biotic environments under global anthropogenic change?
  Liu, YY; Sun, Y; Muller-Scharer, H; Yan, R; Zhou, ZX; Wang, YJ; Yu, FH
  SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, 672 634-642; 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.024 JUL 1 2019
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• Polyploidy and invasion success
• Sustainable management of weeds and plant invaders (Centaurea, Ambrosia, Rumex)
• Biological control of invasive plants using insects and fungi
• Local adaptation and trophic interaction

• Biological invasions
• Biodiversity restoration
• Plant-pathogen/insect interactions
• Plant ecology and evolution
• Local adaptations in plants