This document summarizes Laurent J. Lamarque's PhD oral examination on the ecology and evolution of invasive maple tree species. The examination focused on (1) population demography, (2) traits promoting invasiveness, and (3) genetic and environmental determinism of traits in invasive maple trees. Key findings included that invasive populations of Acer negundo had higher abundance and increased plasticity compared to native populations, but this was not true for Acer platanoides. Reciprocal common gardens showed evidence of genetic differentiation and pre-adapted plasticity in Acer negundo, but more research is needed to understand genetic-environment interactions. The conclusion was that tree invaders are not fundamentally different from other invaders