Dr. Ayesha Prasad

• In-person event
• 4440Q, Carleton Technology and Training Centre, Carleton University
• 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6

• Contact
• Andrew Simons, andrew.simons@carleton.ca

Exotic plant invasion in a tropical forest landscape – impacts, implications, and interventions

Dr. Ayesha Prasad
Postdoctoral Fellow
National Centre for Biological Sciences,
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Bangalore, India

Host:  Cappuccino lab

Abstract:  The dry forests of southern India, which are endangered tropical ecosystems and globally valued wildlife conservation landscapes, are extensively invaded by exotic plants. One such plant, Lantana camara (Verbenaceae, hereafter Lantana), a woody shrub native to the Neotropics, is the most abundant and widespread exotic invasive plant in these forests. Yet, until recently, experimental studies exploring the impacts of Lantana and other invasives, and their conservation implications for wildlife, particularly large mammals, were scarce. In 2006 I initiated one of India’s -rst scienti-c studies to address the challenges posed by plant invasion to biodiversity conservation. My research investigates (1) the adverse impacts of Lantana on native plant communities, (2) their implications for primary and secondary consumers (ungulates and large carnivores respectively), and (3) potential management approaches for mitigating its ecological impacts in tropical dry forest habitats.

Landscape Ecology – Conservation – Invasive Species