Seminário CEF/CEABN: Ecologia, Florestas e Conservação
Data: 4 de Março :: 12h30 às13h30
Local: Auditório do edíficio Azevedo Gomes
Título: "The invasive plant Carpobrotus edulis: Effects on coastal ecosystems and possibilities for biological control"
Resumo
The South African plant Carpobrotus edulis invades coastal areas with Mediterranean climate throughout the world. This highly invasive plant is considered an ecosystem engineer - it changes soil properties, facilitating its own invasion and hampering restoration efforts. In an attempt to provide more effective and sustainable methods of control, preliminary studies have evaluated the potential of the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and the insect Pulvinariella mesembryanthemi as biocontrol agents.
Biosketch
Cristina Vieites-Blanco studied plant invasions during her PhD at the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Spanish National Research Council. She focused on the effects of Carpobrotus edulis on soil properties and on the alternatives for biological control. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA).