Network for Biological Invasions and Dispersal Research

The spread of pests and pathogens, including exotic insects arriving in packing material and naturalized pests such as the Colorado potato beetle, have a substantial impact on Canadian industry and the economy. Working with food producers, provincial and federal government agencies and wildlife organizations, this project team is developing essential mathematical tools necessary for the management of our natural and agricultural resources. This past year, the group has developed a theory of spreading speeds applicable to many mathematical models of spatial spread in biological systems. These theoretical results will be applied to the recently developed models for the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer through Southern Ontario. Previous theoretical results allowed the team to estimate spread rates over spatially uniform landscapes. By extending these results to periodic landscapes, the team will be able to better predict the spread of the beetle over a realistic landscape of roads, rivers, woodlots and fields. More importantly, these results will improve predictions of the effectiveness of intervention measures in slowing spread of biological invasions.