BU鈥檚 Professor Robert Britton shared insights from his work and research into invasive species and fish ecology during his inaugural lecture.
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The lecture 鈥� Aquatic invaders: the truth is out there - took place on Brownsea Island, an appropriate setting as the last refuge in the UK听 for native red squirrels, who are severely affected by a virus carried by North American grey squirrels.
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Professor Britton talked about his research into invasive species, which has taken him around the world looking at the effects of non-native species in Europe, North America and Southeast Asia.听
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He also dispelled some common myths around the introduction and management of non-native species, and explored what 鈥� if anything - can be done to minimise their impact after being introduced to native ecosystems.
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Professor Britton said: 鈥淲hat we do tend to find is if we introduce 100 species, it may be only 1 per cent or even less of those that actually cause the major damage, so we can be very prioritised within our management.
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鈥淲e may have very damaging species 鈥� such as the grey squirrel, which are all over the UK already, and so there is arguably not a great deal we can do.
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鈥淲hereas with a new invader that has been very recently introduced, if we can catch it early enough, we have a real chance to manage and potentially even stop the invasion.鈥�
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The lecture was followed by a question and answer session and networking opportunities.
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The event was part of the Fusion Inaugural Lecture series, which gives newly-appointed professors the opportunity to share their work and research with staff, students and members of the public.
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The next inaugural lecture takes place on Wednesday 18th October at Barclay鈥檚 House in Poole. During his lecture The effects of听 Brexit on the EU, the UK, and Dorset: a migrant鈥檚 account, Professor Jens Holscher will discuss the potential economic impact of leaving the European Union. 听听
