Behavioural variation and the success of invasive animals

Invasive species can cause significant economic and ecological damage in their new home. Focused preventive measures are difficult unless we know what makes invasions succeed. We have some answers; but the role of behaviour is not yet settled - especially inter-individual behavioural variation within species. This Project will uncover how and why such variation assists invasion. Using a known invasive reptile model, it will determine experimentally which relevant behaviours are heritable, and therefore subject to evolutionary selection during introduction, establishment, and spread into new locations. As a theoretical and very practical outcome, we will understand better why some species repeatedly succeed in invading, while others fail.