Our group is investigating how local environmental factors (e.g. enemies, resources, disturbance regime and recruitment limitation) interact with post-invasion adaptation to determine the likelihood and severity of Chinese Tallow Tree (Sapium sebiferum) invasions into East Texas coastal prairie, mesic forests, and floodplain forests.  We also study the ecosystem level impacts of exotic tree invasions into coastal prairies. We are engaged in a number of applied research projects related to controlling exotic plant and animal invasions into Texas ecosystems. A primary focus of our current research is the role of post-introduction evolutionary changes in Chinese Tallow Tree invasions.