Quantifying the complex ecological role of an invasive thistle (Carduus acanthoides)

An ecological community is comprised of interactions between organisms._ These interactions provide benefits for one partner or both and may be strong (specialist) or weak (generalist)._ The quality, directionality, and strength of these interactions can be quantified and represented by a network._ The influence of an introduced organism spreads through the community through its interactions with other species._ I will present an experiment designed to quantify the influence of the invasive thistle (Carduus acanthoides) on a community of plants and insects by considering its impact on the plant-pollinator network, the insect food web, and its indirect impacts on other plant species.