Susan Waters

My research focuses on interactions between native and exotic plant species, as mediated by their shared pollinators. I am particularly interested in how agents of global change such as invasion and climate change may alter these interactions for both plants and pollinators. I pursue this research in three ways: (1) manipulative experiments that investigate the nature of pollinator-mediated native/exotic plant interactions; (2) manipulative experiments that alter the timing of flowering by exotic plant species, examining effects on pollinator visits and on seed production by native plants; and (3) using historical and contemporary data to estimate the overall seasonal pattern of nectar and pollen availability for pollinators along a gradient of invasion (where the proportions of native and exotic plants in the community vary).

August 2012