The research is important because it could allow for plant invasions to be caught before they take over, she said.

“If we understand the traits that are likely to invade, then maybe we can catch it early,” she said. “It’s really hard to eradicate an exotic species once it becomes dominant. If there’s only a few, then it’s possible to control it.”

By definition, an invasive species causes harm either environmentally economically or publicly by threatening public health, said Robert Schutzki, an associate professor in landscape and nursery crop production and an officer in the Michigan Invasive Plant Council.

These plants are capable of jumping natural gaps and spreading in a manner considered invasive, and research into the genetics behind invasive plants could help people understand how they spread, Schutzki said.

“Once we find the genetics, there might be a gene that predisposes a plant to behave a certain way,” he said. “And once we understand that, maybe we can understand why it spreads the way it does.”

Lau said invasive plants can decrease ecological diversity, transforming a diverse community into a monoculture. The effects of an invasion have the potential to cascade up food webs and impact other organisms.

Lau said she is excited to begin the research, which will take place in California and out of the Kellogg Biological Station in Kalamazoo, when funding begins in August.

“It means other people are interested in your work and it also means you get the resources to do the work you’ve been thinking about,” she said.

The offering of the grant to an MSU researcher gives credence to MSU’s role as a leader in research, Val Osowski, spokeswoman for the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, said.

“Getting grants, awards, speaks to the high caliber of research and researchers we have at Michigan State taking an increasing leadership role,” she said.