DV-04-007 Defining the Maine Piece of the New England Invasive Species Jigsaw Puzzle: Field Site Selection Using Critical Invertebrate Areas as Sampling Locations

Thomas Trott
Suffolk University
41 Temple Street
Boston, MA 02114-4280
617.573.8246
codfish2@earthlink.net

Among the New England coastal states, the least is known about invasive species introductions and distributions in Maine. Information about the status of the Maine coastal environment and the health and diversity of habitats impacted by invasive species is needed for local and regional management decisions. Trott will use island and coastline case studies to document ecological change by assessing community composition and structure following invasive species introductions. Using standardized monitoring methods, he will compare data obtained at selected field site to archived maps, photo-documentation, faunal inventories, and geological/land use descriptions. Trott will then explore the feasibility of incorporating this data into a Web accessible electronic atlas, such as the Gulf of Maine Biogeographic Information System.

1-year: $4,000