IGERT Graduate Training Grant for Risk Analysis for Introduced Species and Genotypes

About ISG IGERT

Visions and Goals

Globalization is driving an unprecedented number of introductions of exotic species and new genotypes into ecosystems, and society needs scientific leaders who excel at integrating fundamental science with consideration of societal factors to improve the scientific basis for risk analysis and the scientific basis for public policy.

Similar ecological and evolutionary processes drive the establishment and spread of introduced species and genotypes (ISGs). These processes determine whether or not a purposefully introduced species becomes invasive, either as a pest within a managed system (e.g. agricultural fields, fish farms, or forests) or as a new biotic component in a natural ecosystem. They also influence whether accidental introductions, such as aquatic species hitchhiking on recreational and commercial vessels, remain innocuous or become highly invasive. Scientists need to understand these same processes to assess whether the purposeful introduction of biological control agents will effectively manage target organisms and how they may affect non-target organisms. Understanding these processes can also guide the design of genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) to reduce chances of invasion or help control invasive organisms via deliberate spread of detrimental genes. Comprehensive analysis of consequences of biological introductions for ecosystems and human communities requires integrating information from evolutionary and biological sciences with key areas of the social sciences.

The overarching goal of our IGERT program is to educate Ph.D. students to conduct research to improve Ecological Risk Analysis (ERA) and contribute workable solutions to policy questions and problems affecting management of introduced species and genotypes. Our IGERT program will use ERA as a conceptual framework for understanding ecological effects of invasive species, genetically engineered organisms, and biological control agents from a decision making perspective. ERA was developed during the 1970s to address the environmental risks of chemical contaminants, such as pesticides, industrial wastes, and mine tailings. ERA has been supported by quantitative fate and transport models, which assess where and how long the environment is expected to be exposed to these chemical hazards. It also allows the quantitative assessment of the effects, which determines the expected harm from a given exposure to a chemical hazard. Concerns about exotic species and new genotypes arose later. However, it was quickly realized that because these organisms can reproduce and evolve, most quantitative methods developed for chemical hazards have limited applicability for ERA of biological introductions. Although this stimulated some development of ecological risk assessment tools, there is considerable room for improvement. Indeed, in the U. S., ERA for invasive species primarily relies on qualitative expert judgment, while ERA for GEOs and biological control agents remains an ad hoc mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods.

Risk analyses have been done using two general, but often contrasting models: the National Research Council (NRC) 1983 model and the NRC 1996 model. The NRC 1983 model develops risk analysis as a technical process that can be divided into three interconnected parts: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. It relies mostly on physical and natural science information, and uses social science only to evaluate social and economic consequences of regulatory options at the final risk management phase. This often limits multi-stakeholder input to formal public comment near the end of the decision process. This model has been used extensively for quantitative ecological risk assessment of environmental chemicals. The 1996 model links scientific analysis and multi-stakeholder deliberation at key points throughout risk assessment and risk management. This allows the integration of expertise in the natural and social sciences to reach scientifically sound and broadly trusted decisions. Whereas the 1983 model stresses the objective features of ERA, the 1996 model emphasizes the subjective ones; it measures and weighs environmental goods, representing the resolution of disparate environmental values held by different people. Our IGERT will utilize both of these general models to frame both our research and education components, addressing the technical and deliberative demands of ERA.

Our program will prepare students to apply scientific expertise to improve ERA for biological introductions. More ecologists, economists, and social scientists working with introduced organisms could benefit from graduate training experiences that apply science to address real-world problems. Biology students typically are poorly prepared to consider the societal and policy implications of scientific discoveries, whereas economics and social science students often have poor understanding of ecological principles. The need to fill these training gaps is heightened by rapid developments in genetic engineering and biotechnology, concerns about invasive species and new genotypes, and increased levels of international commerce leading to increased rates of biological invasions.

We will address these training gaps by providing students in this IGERT with a curriculum based on collaborative learning, quantitative modeling, problem-solving practicums and cooperative learning practicums. Students will conduct dissertation research to improve the scientific basis for ERA decision making, considering how their research results can be used to improve the decision making process. Our diverse faculty members and external partners allow effective linkage among all phases of risk analysis (from risk assessment to management and deliberation) that pertain to the introduction of a wide range of exotic species and novel genotypes (microorganisms, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates).

View the full proposal to the National Science Foundation (480KB pdf)