Our Presenter:

Naomi Cappuccino is an associate professor at Carleton University where she teaches a variety of courses in the general areas of ecology and evolution.

The Presentation:

Dog- strangling vine is one of the most invasive alien plants in Ontario. Naomi Cappuccino will share the results of research conducted in collaboration with her students and colleagues to understand what characteristics give this plant such an advantage over native vegetation and make it so difficult to eradicate. The potential for biological control of the vine using herbivores brought in from its native range in Ukraine will also be discussed.

Biography:

Naomi Cappuccino is an associate professor at Carleton University where she teaches a variety of courses in the general areas of ecology and evolution.  Naomi obtained a BA in Biology from Brown University and a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from Cornell University. Her interests include the ecology of invasive alien plants and insects and how best to control these pest species. Together with colleagues at the Central Experimental Farm, she has been involved with the recent releases of biological control agents that attack dog-strangling vine, the lily leaf beetle and the leek moth.