Claire Schon is a PhD student in the Waterloo Wetland Laboratory, led by Dr. Rebecca Rooney at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Biology. Her research focuses on botany, wetland ecology, and invasive species control, working to control invasive Phragmites within the Waterloo Region and elsewhere within southern Ontario. Aside from research, Claire enjoys botanizing in the Waterloo Region.
Let’s join Claire Schon to learn about her research with biological control of invasive Phragmites australis. In 2005, invasive Phragmites was called Canada’s “worst invasive plant” and is still threatening wetlands in the Waterloo Region today. Claire’s research with collaborators at University of Toronto and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, focuses on the efficacy of a new technique for invasive Phragmites control and monitoring the recovery of native plant communities. Learn more about the two moth species that feed on invasive Phragmites and the promising results for Phragmites biological control she has found so far.