Newsmakers in the College of Natural Sciences

Invasion Ecology

From Inside Chico State, Feb.15, 2007

Until this year, there was no textbook on the emerging discipline of invasion ecology. Michael Marchetti, Biology, with lead author Julie Lockwood and co-author Martha Hoopes, stepped in to fill this void with Invasion Ecology, published by Blackwell Publishing (2007). This book synthesizes research from such disparate fields as disease vectors, plant science, animal invaders, and invasion modeling to create a comprehensive introduction for anyone studying or working with non-native, invasive species.

"The field of invasion ecology is expanding exponentially," said Marchetti. "Invasive species issues are costing the country billions of dollars a year, and the pace of species being introduced and invading areas is rapidly increasing. It has gone from nobody talking about invasions 10 to 15 years ago to journals, symposiums, and societies now dedicated to the field." Academic programs around the country and the world are starting to focus on the invasion ecology. The time was right for a textbook.

Over a period of three years, Marchetti and his co-authors met for brainstorming and planning sessions that grew into Invasion Ecology. Each author had his or her own area of expertise—Lockwood specializes in birds, Hoopes in plants, and Marchetti in aquatic systems. They had all published widely in the area of invasion ecology. And their book is a true collaborative effort, said Marchetti. "We all read and edited and wrote pretty much all of it. We had a great time writing it. In fact, we joke about our working sessions being more fun than a lot of the other stuff we were supposed to be doing at the time."

"We have big hopes for the text," said Marchetti. Advance sales are good, and the authors have heard from colleagues who plan to use the text in their classes. Marchetti hopes to teach a graduate course in invasion ecology at CSU, Chico soon. The field is growing so fast and there is so much new information, so the authors are already planning for the next edition of Invasion Ecology.