MSU's 2005 Invasives Symposium a Success

On May 13, 2005 over 100 MSU students, faculty and guests gathered for a symposium entitled: Invasive Species: Challenges and Opportunities.  The symposium was opened by Doug Landis, Initiative co-director, who spoke about the unique challenges of invasive species to Michigan and the Great Lakes Region.  The first plenary address was delivered Dr. Jason Shogren, Strook Distinguished Professor of Natural Resource Conservation and Management, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming.  Shogren's talk entitled: Economics and Invasive Species, illustrated novel approaches to understanding economic decisions surrounding invasive species.  Dr. Daniel Simberloff, Nancy Gore Hunger Professor of Environmental Science, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. University of Tennessee presented the second lecture entitled: What will it take to Defeat Biological Invasions: and how much can biologists help?  Simberloff illustrated the complexity of invasive species issues nationally and internationally, advocating for biologists to get involved from refining theory to developing practical solutions.

	The symposium continued with the student competition and submitted posters.  Student Award winners included; Zsofia Szendrei, Department of Entomology, Sarah Yaremych-Hamer and Kevin L. Pangle, both of the Department of Fisheries & Wildlife. Student competition winners were each awarded cash prizes of $150.
Above, Jason Shogren

2005 Symposium Poster Presentations
Student posters are indicated with an asterisks (*) and competition winners are in bold font.

1. Dogwood Anthracnose Spreads to Parks and Game Areas in Michigan. Gerard C. Adams and Robert L. Heyd, MSU Dept. of Plant Pathology and MI Department of Natural Resources.

2. Microbial Control of Emerald Ash Borer. Leah Bauer, Houping Liu and Debbie Miller, MSU Dept. of Entomology.

3. DNA Analysis of Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis Faimaire) to determine point of origin in North American infestations, Alicia M. Bray, Robert A. Haack, Therese Poland, Leah S. Bauer, Michael A. Grillo and James J. Smith, MSU Dept. of Entomology and US Forest Service.  *

4. Relative Impacts of Natural Enemy Taxa on Soybean Aphid Regulation, Alejandro C. Costamagna and Douglas A. Landis, Michigan State University.    *

5. Effects of Timing of Prescribed Fire on Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa) demography, Sarah Emery and Katherine Gross, MSU Dept. of Plant Biology.   *

6. Evaluating the Potential for Biological Control of Garlic Mustard in Michigan, Jeffrey A. Evans and Douglas A. Landis, MSU Dept. of Entomology.   *

7. Wildlife Disease Management Ecological Thresholds & Economic Trade-offs, Eli Fenichel, MSU Dept. of Agricultural Economics.   *

8. A Comparison of Michigan Native and Nonnative Plants to Provide Resources to Natural Enemies. Anna Fiedler, MSU Dept. of Entomology.   *

9. Suitability of Heat-Treated and Borate-Treated Green Logs with Bark to Bark and Wood-Borer Attack.  Robert Haack, Toby R. Petrice, Pascal Nzokou and Pascal Kamdem, MSU Dept. of Entomology/US Forest Service.

10. Zebra Mussel Invasions in Michigan Lakes Promote Harmful Algae, Steve K. Hamilton and Orlando Sarnelle, Kellogg Biological Station.

11. Developing and Testing a Mapping Protocol at Camp Grayling, Using a GIS-Based Program, Phyllis Higman and Ed Schools, MI Natural Features Inventory.

12. Non-indigenous Arthropods: Economic Determinants of Invasion, Vladimir Hlasny, MSU Dept. of Economics.   *

13. Impact of Galerucella calmariensis L. on Lythum salicaria L. and Associated Plant Communities in Michigan, Douglas A. Landis, D. Chris Sebolt, Michael J. Haas, Michael Klepinger, MSU Dept. of Entomology.

14. Non-Target and Plant Community Effects of Galerucella spp. Beetles Established for Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife, D. Chris Sebolt and Douglas A. Landis, MSU Dept. of Entomology.

15. Hoary Alyssum (Berteroa incana) Control in Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri) Christmas Trees, Daniel A. Little, Robert J. Richardson and Bernard H. Zandstra, MSU Dept. of Horticulture.   *

16. Natural Enemies of Emerald Ash Borer in Michigan and China, Houping Liu, Leah Bauer and Debbie Miller, MSU Dept. of Entomology.

17. Historical Bioterrorism?  Thinking about the History of Interactions among Viruses and Invasive Grasses in California, Carolyn M. Malmstrom, Ruijie Shu and Eric Linton, MSU Dept. of Plant Biology.

18. Non-Lethal Effects of the Invasive Invertebrate Predator, Bythotrephes, on Lake Michigan Zooplankton, Kevin L. Pangle and Scott D. Peacor, MSU Dept. of Fisheries & Wildlife.   *

19. Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Transgene Invasion.  Ashok Ragavendran, William M. Muir, Guilherme J. M. Rosa and Richard D. Howard, MSU Dept. of Fisheries & Wildlife.   *

20. Drawing on the Bank:  Exotic Species in Forest Soil Seed Banks, Charlotte Reemts and Peter Murphy, MSU Dept. of Plant Biology and EEBB.   *

21. Jasmonate-induced Plant Volatiles Attract the Emerald Ash Borer, Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, Therese Poland, James Miller and Lukasz Stelinski, MSU Dept. of Entomology.

22. Behavioral Response to and Associated Energetic Costs of Fire and Predation on Black-capped Vireo Nests, Jennifer E. Smith, Steven J. Taylor, Christopher J. Whelan, Michael L. Denight and Mike M. Stake, MSU Dept. of Zoology.   *

23. Measuring the Cost of Invasion:  The Case of Japanese Beetles in Michigan blueberry, Zsofia Szendrei and Rufus Isaacs, MSU Dept. of Entomology.   *

24. Investigation into the Molecular Aspects of Adhesion Mechanisms Employed by the Zebra Mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, Wei Xu, MSU Dept. Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation.   *

25. Detection of Invading Ticks, Pathogens and Emerging Disease:  The Case of Lyme borreliosis in Michigan, Sarah Yaremych-Hamer, Jean Tsao, Edward Walker and Graham Hickling, MSU Dept. of Fisheries & Wildlife.   *

26. Large Scale Monitoring for an Invasive Species: Data Life-Cycle Management, Amos H. Ziegler and Steven C. Crisp, MSU Dept. of Entomology.

27. Introducing www.invasivespecies.msu.edu.  Joy N. Landis, MSU IPM Program and Dept. of Entomology