Research
1. Habitat susceptibility to non-native plants
An increasing number of studies has shown that plant communities respond differently to disturbance
and non-native plants; some buffer them while maintaining native plant composition, while others appear
to collapse under pressure. We use data mining, field observations and experiments to explore the levels
of invasion across habitats and to identify the mechanisms that drive habitat invasibility.
Funding: NSERC Discovery Grant, U Alberta Start up Grant, ACA Grant in Biodiversity, Competitive Grant from the U Alberta Rangeland Research Institute
∙ Murillo, R., Pätsch, R., Wagner, V. (2024) Agronomic non-native species are overrepresented across habitat types in central Canada. Journal of Applied Ecology 61(6): 1385-1395.
∙ Zapisocki, Z., de Assis Murillo, R., Wagner, V. (2022) Non-native plant invasions in prairie grasslands of Alberta, Canada. Rangeland Ecology and Management 83(1) : 20-30.
∙ Wagner, V., Večeřa, M., Jiménez-Alfaro, B., et al. (2021) Alien plant invasion hotspots and invasion debt in European woodlands.
Journal of Vegetation Science 32(2): e13014.
2. Non-native species invasiveness
Biotic exchange is a major driver of ecosystem transformation across the globe. In Canada, 26% of the flora is comprised of non-native taxa. Although most non-native plants occur infrequently and in low abundances, some species become invasive by spreading into natural habitat, outcompeting native plants, decreasing biodiversity, and altering ecological functioning. Our research investigates the invasiveness and impacts of non-native plant species in central Canada. We currently focus on agronomic grasses that are invasive in prairie grasslands and the introduced nitrogen-fixing shrub Caragana arborescens, which is spreading in southern boreal forests.
Funding: NSERC Alliance Grant, NSERC Discovery Grant, U Alberta Start up Grant
∙ Holden, E.,Murillo, R., Grenke, J., Holden, K., Villasor, C., Wagner, V. (accepted) The Biology of Canadian Weeds: Poa pratensis L. Canadian Journal of Plant Science.
∙ Villasor, C., Robertson, K., Becker, T., Cahill, J.F., Deák, B., Hensen, I., Otfinowski, R., Rosche, R., Borovyk, D., Vakhlamova, T., Valkó, O., Wagner, V. (2024) Invasion success of three cool-season grasses in the northern prairie: a test of three hypotheses. Oikos 2024(3): e10266.
3. Biodiversity and ecological functioning of grasslands and meadows
Grassland and meadows can harbor a high biodiversity but are often distinguished only as “non-forest” in the regional
classification schemes. We carry out field research to explore the diversity and ecosystem
functions of understudied open habitat types.
Funding: U Alberta Start up Grant, Montana Native Plant Society, Idaho Native Plant Society
∙ Wagner, V., Spribille, T., Abrahamczyk, S., & Bergmeier, E. 2014:
Timberline meadows along a 1000km transect in NW North America: species diversity and community patterns.
Applied Vegetation Science 17: 129-141.
4. Non-native plant management
Herbicides are widely used to suppress invasive plants but there is little information
on their effects on native species. We collaborate with plant and soil ecologists to understand
how this practice affects the entire native plant community and its soil components.
Funding: Feodory Lynen Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Humboldt Foundation
∙ Wagner, V., Antunes, P.M., Irvine, M. & Nelson, C. (2017) Herbicide usage for invasive non-native plant management in wildland areas of North America. Journal of Applied Ecology 54: 198-204.
∙ Lekberg, Y., Wagner, V., Rummel, A., McLeod, M., Ramsey, P.W. (2017) Strong indirect herbicide effects on mycorrhizal associations through plant community shifts and secondary invasions. Ecological Applications 27: 2359-2368.
∙Wagner, V. & Nelson, C.R. 2014: Herbicides negatively affect seed performance in native plants. Restoration Ecology 22: 288-291.
Lab news
28 November 2024
Job alert: We are looking for two summer field technicians. For details see here and here.
28 November 2024
We have one open USRA spot (summer 2025) and two open BIOL 399/499 spots (fall/winter 2025/26). For details see here.
27 November 2024
Our review paper on Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) was accepted in the Biology of Canadian Weeds Series (Canadian Journal of Plant Sciences). Great teamwork by Emily, Jessica (Cahill lab), Raytha, Kaitlin and Cedric!
25 November 2024
Congratulations to Martin for securing an AGES scholarship!
10 November 2024
We have two new lab technicians! Great to have you on board, Alynna and Sehaj!
30 September 2024
Welcome to our new lab members Anthea (undergraduate research student), Jude (MSc student) and Zhenchuan (visiting scholar)!
16 February 2024
Congratulations to Raytha for her PhD paper accepted in the Journal of Applied Ecology!
15 February 2024
We are looking for a full-time field technician to help us with a field survey in southern Alberta (July 1 - Aug 15). Please apply to Viktoria Wagner by Feb 26.
14 January 2024
Welcome to Danielle, our BIOL 298 undergraduate research student who is conducting a seed ecology project with Elk Island National Park!
19 December 2023
We are looking for an MSc student to join our Caragana project in September 2024. Apply by January 10, 2024. For more details see here
19 December 2023
Cedric's and Kateri's paper on the invasiveness of grasses was accepted in Oikos! Read it here
24 August 2023
Kaitlin received a Graduate Student Teaching Award! Well done, Kaitlin!
21 August 2023
Congratulations to Raytha for securing a McAfee Estate Scholarship Botany!