Jaco Le Roux

Jaco Le Roux is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University, Australia, and holds an external position as Extraordinary Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University. His research focuses on invasive species ecology, plant evolutionary biology, phylogeography, and plant-microbial interactions. He joined Macquarie University in 2018 following doctoral and postgraduate studies in Botany and Microbiology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and University of Pretoria.

Education Background:

• PhD in Botany (Phylogeography and population genetics of invasive plants in the Hawaiian Islands), University of Hawaii at Manoa (2007)
• MSc in Microbiology (Diversity of root-nodule symbionts of the genus Lotononis), University of Pretoria (2003)
• BSc(Hons) in Microbiology (Root-nodule symbionts of soybean in South Africa), University of Pretoria (2001)
• BSc in Microbiology, University of Pretoria (1999)

Research Interests:

Le Roux’s work spans three core themes: 1) Population dynamics of invasive species, including genetic and ecological drivers of invasiveness; 2) Plant evolutionary biology and biogeography, exploring historical dispersal and adaptation patterns; 3) Plant-microbial interactions, focusing on mutualisms and their roles in invasion success. He examines topics like legume-rhizobium symbioses, soil microbial responses to plant invasions, and phylogeographic patterns in disjunct species distributions.

Key Projects (2020–2025):

• Network perspective for ecosystem responses to plant invasion (2024–2028)
• Mycorrhizal fungal diversity linked to small mammals (2023–2023)
• Microbial diversity in invasive bumblebees (2022–2022)
• Themeda triandra ploidy study (2020–2022)

Publications Trends (2020–2025): Focus on invasion genetics, plant-microbe interactions, and biogeographic patterns. Recent work emphasizes legacy effects of invasions on soil communities, genetic introductions of invasive species, and mutualism dynamics in alien plant species.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Smart Green Cities Research Centre and collaborates internationally on projects addressing global plant invasions and biodiversity loss.