Ventenata, cheatgrass and spotted knapweed are all considered invasive species in Montana because of their tendency to muscle native grasses and other plants out of their habitats. While completely eradicating invasive plants is virtually impossible, Montana State University plant ecologist Lisa Rew has dedicated her decades-long career to understanding the ecology of invasive species and developing strategies to manage them.
Rew will discuss that career and the need for a multifaceted and broad approach to invasive species management in her upcoming lecture, “Life of an Alien: Ecology and Management of Unwanted Plants.” She will speak in the final installment of the 2024-25 Provost’s Distinguished Lecturer Series on Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m. in the Museum of the Rockies’ Hager Auditorium. All events in the series are free, open to the public and followed by a reception in the museum lobby.
Rew is a professor in MSU’s Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, housed in the College of Agriculture. Originally from the United Kingdom, she was raised on a farm, an experience she said sparked her lifelong curiosity about how plants grow, where they thrive and how to manage unwanted ones.
“I remember pushing through a field of corn plants the first time we grew it, exploring what it’s like to be under a crop that tall. I found a big patch of tomatoes in that field and thought, ‘What are they doing there?’” Rew said. “I think that’s the first time I really started thinking about how and where plants can grow, and if and why we should care where they grow and what else they grow with.”
After receiving her undergraduate degree in environmental science from the University of Southampton and a doctorate in agroecology from the University of Reading in southern England, Rew moved to Tamworth, Australia, where she evaluated remote-sensing imagery for precision and integrated weed management. She has been at MSU since 2001, studying detection and management of nonnative invasive plants in crops, rangeland, wildland and mountain ecosystems.
Rew’s lecture will include an introduction from Jane Mangold, also a professor in the LRES department and an MSU Extension specialist focused on noxious and invasive weed management. Rew said having Mangold introduce her was an intentional choice, as the two have collaborated extensively for many years to not only conduct research but to ensure that it is effectively translated and disseminated to the people in Montana who can apply it best.
“It’s always been a drive for me that I want my research to be applicable to managers,” said Rew. “Being here and having Jane as the Extension specialist is amazing, because she’s so good at what she does. We have a very good synergy together in terms of asking questions that will give us both more basic knowledge and, at the same time, more applied knowledge.”
While Rew called the grass ventenata the timeliest focus for invasive plant managers, she said her goal with both research and teaching is to reinforce the importance of a broad approach to management. Her early curiosity about why plants fared differently in different places still applies: Plants that are harmful in one location may be neutral or even beneficial elsewhere. More importantly, what works to manage them effectively in one place may not be as effective somewhere else.
She hopes that attendees of her lecture can leave with an expanded understanding of managing invasive plants.
“It’s not just a question of removing the invasive plant,” she said. “We also need to think about what causes it to be there and equally important, what do we want to be there when we remove the unwanted species? There isn’t a silver bullet, and we need to think more broadly to be able to manage these plants effectively.”
The Provost’s Distinguished Lecturer Series recognizes outstanding MSU faculty for their creative scholarship and leadership, inviting them to share the stories of their academic journeys. More information about the Provost’s Distinguished Lecturer series can be found on the Office of the Provost website at montana.edu/provost.