Effective biosecurity is crucial for safeguarding the United States’ ecosystems, economy, and public health from the growing threat of invasive species. One important component of biosecurity is identifying and managing the many ways in which non-native species are moved from one location to another. Introduction pathways include the vector that carries the non-native species (e.g., ship hulls, horticulture, aquaculture), and the geographical routes the species travels. Introductions can be classified as primary – where non-native species cross jurisdictional or biogeographic boundaries, or as secondary – where they move within these boundaries after the initial introduction. Focusing management efforts on high-risk primary introduction pathways is an efficient approach for reducing the threat posed by multiple invasive species at once before entering the United States. However, once a species breaches those borders, the management focus shifts to secondary pathways to limit its spread. This presentation will cover the benefits of managing introduction pathways, the transition between pre-border, at-the-border, and post-border pathway management, and the challenges we face moving forward.

Speaker Bio: Deah Lieurance, Asst. Professor of Invasive Species Biology and Management, Penn State University

Dr. Lieurance is an Assistant Professor of Invasive Species Biology and Management in the Ecosystem Science and Management Department at Penn State University. She has worked for over 12 years in invasive species prevention and risk assessment and led the first horizon scan for invasive species threats in the United States. Currently, Dr. Lieurance is leading horizon scans for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and a national horizon scan for plants in trade, as well as a project ranking secondary spread pathways to contribute to the National Early Detection and Rapid Response Framework. She also ran the University of Florida’s risk assessment program for non-native plants and is currently building the Penn State University Invasive Species Risk Analysis Program: a cooperative extension program to determine the invasion status or invasion risk of non-native species for the Pennsylvania Governor’s Invasive Species Council. Her research spans plant-herbivore interactions, the enemy release hypothesis, and biocontrol development for high-priority invasive plants. She is currently developing a research program to investigate the effect of climate change on the ecophysiology and chemical ecology of invasive plants and how that might shape plant herbivore interactions.ns.