INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES AND THE NEW BIOECONOMY

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: NRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0211156
• Grant No.: 2007-35320-18454
• Proposal No.: 2007-02892
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2007
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2008
• Grant Year: 2007
• Program Code: [51.9]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
USDA, ARS, Midwest Area Office
1201 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana,IL 61801

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
Deployment of exotic plant species for biofuel production in the U.S. highlights the benefits and risks associated with the new bioeconomy. Given the negative impacts of plant invasions, the large financial incentives to grow biofuel species, and the potential role of bioenergy crops in mitigating the global rise in atmospheric CO2, there is an urgent need for science-based approaches to reducing the risks of dispersing such species at landscape and regional scales. We will conduct a symposium on "Invasive plant species and the new bioeconomy", to be included in the program of the 2008 Weed Science Society of America annual meeting in Chicago, IL, scheduled for February 4-7. The proposed work addresses CSREES goal 5, " Protect and enhance the Nations natural resource base and environment." The symposium will focus on invasive species risks associated with bioenergy crop development as a case study for understanding the scientific issues underlying plant invasions related to bioeconomy uses. Identifying the scientific knowledge necessary for conducting risk-benefit analyses of candidate biofuel species will be a unifying theme of the symposium talks. The objective of this symposium is to encourage the wider use of risk-benefit analyses of biofuel, and other bioeconomy, species by alerting professional weed scientists and invasion biologists to this important, emerging research area and providing them with a scientific starting point for further study.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
205	1620	1140	50%
213	2300	1140	50%

Knowledge Area
205 - Plant Management Systems; 213 - Weeds Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1620 - Warm season perennial grasses; 2300 - Weeds;

Field Of Science
1140 - Weed science;

Keywords

bioenergy feedstocks

biofuels

invasive species

risk analysis

plant introductions;

Goals / Objectives
Our main objective is to encourage a wider use of risk-benefit analysis in evaluating the invasive potential of bioenergy feedstock species prior to their widespread deployment.

Project Methods
We will coordinate and present a symposium at the Weed Science Society of America annual meeting in Chicago, 2008, on several aspects of the invasive potential of bioenergy feedstock crops. Topics will include a) an overview of ecological risk analysis with reference to feedstock production, b) benefits of, and strategies for containing, bioenergy crops, c) a case study of giant reed invasion in the western U.S., d) trait-based models for identifying potential invaders, and e) high diversity low-input grasslands for feedstock production.

Progress 09/01/07 to 08/31/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The objective of this project was to organize a symposium on risk-benefit analysis of biofuel feedstock species with respect to their invasive potential. On Feb. 6, 2008, we held the symposium "Invasive Plant Species and the New Bioeconomy" at the annual meeting of the Weed Science Society of America in Chicago, IL. Speakers and topics included: 1:00 p.m. Introduction, Dr. Adam Davis, USDA-ARS Invasive Weed Mgt. Unit 1:15 p.m. "Adding biofuels to the invasive species fire", Dr. Dan Simberloff, University of Tennessee 1:45 p.m. "Arundo donax: a case study of a feedstock crop with invasive potential", Dr. Richard Mack, Washington State University 2:15 p.m. "Carbon negative biofuels from low-input high-diversity grassland biomass", Dr. Jason Hill, University of Minnesota 3:00 p.m. Break 3:15 p.m. "Trait-based models for identifying potential plant invaders", Dr. Roger Cousens, University of Melbourne 3:45 p.m. "Benefits from, and strategies for containing, biofuel feedstock species", Dr. David Bransby, Auburn University 4:15 p.m. Panel Discussion, moderated by Dr. S. Raghu, Queensland University of Technology 5:10 p.m. Adjourn PARTICIPANTS: This project was made possible by the collaboration of state, federal and non-profit organizations, including the Weed Science Society of America, the USDA-ARS Invasive Weed Management Unit, the University of Maine, Michigan State University. Speakers and their institutions included Dr. David Bransby, Auburn University, Dr. Roger Cousens, University of Melbourne, Dr. Jason Hill, University of Minnesota, Dr. Richard Mack, Washington State University, Dr. Sathyamurthy Raghu, Queensland University of Technology and Dr. Dan Simberloff, University of Tennessee. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences of this symposium and related publications were professional weed scientists and invasion ecologists, land managers, NGOs, and the general public. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Over 120 people were in attendance at the symposium. The speakers' presentations were well received, with lively discussion that did not end with the close of the symposium. Much of the discussion centered around how, exactly, quantitative risk analysis of feedstock invasive potential should be carried out. As stimulating scientific debate on this question was one of the primary objectives of the proposal, we feel that the symposium was a great success. NRI funding was instrumental in bringing in international speakers to round out the discussion and share experiences with risk-management from a different perspective. Finally, the presenters agreed to write symposium papers for Weed Science, and to generate a manuscript for a more general audience to be submitted to Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

Publications

• Cousens, R. D. 2008. Risk assessment of potential biofuel species: An application for trait-based models for predicting weediness" Weed Science. 56: in press.
• Mack, R. 2008. Evaluating the credits and debits of a proposed biofuel species: Arundo donax. Weed Science. 56: in press.
• Simberloff, D. 2008. Invasion biologists and the biofuels boom: colleagues or Cassandras Weed Science. 56: in press.