Emerging infectious diseases, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), are driven by ecological and socioeconomic factors, and their rapid spread and devastating impacts mirror those of invasive ...species. Collaborations between biomedical researchers and ecologists, heretofore rare, are vital to limiting future outbreaks. Enhancing the crossdisciplinary framework offered by invasion science could achieve this goal.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The ecological niche is a key concept for elucidating patterns of species distributions and developing strategies for conserving biodiversity. However, recent times are seeing a widespread debate ...whether species niches are conserved across space and time (niche conservatism hypothesis). Biological invasions represent a unique opportunity to test this hypothesis in a short time frame at the global scale. We synthesized empirical findings for 434 invasive species from 86 studies to assess whether invasive species conserve their climatic niche between native and introduced ranges. Although the niche conservatism hypothesis was rejected in most studies, highly contrasting conclusions for the same species between and within studies suggest that the dichotomous conclusions of these studies were sensitive to techniques, assessment criteria, or author preferences. We performed a consistent quantitative analysis of the dynamics between native and introduced climatic niches reported by previous studies. Our results show there is very limited niche expansion between native and introduced ranges, and introduced niches occupy a position similar to native niches in the environmental space. These findings support the niche conservatism hypothesis overall. In particular, introduced niches were narrower for terrestrial animals, species introduced more recently, or species with more native occurrences. Niche similarity was lower for aquatic species, species introduced only intentionally or more recently, or species with fewer introduced occurrences. Climatic niche conservatism for invasive species not only increases our confidence in transferring ecological niche models to new ranges but also supports the use of niche models for forecasting species responses to changing climates.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The enemy release hypothesis predicts that invasive species will receive less damage from enemies, compared to co-occurring native and noninvasive exotic species in their introduced range. However, ...release operating early in invasion could be lost over time and with increased range size as introduced species acquire new enemies. We used three years of data, from 61 plant species planted into common gardens, to determine whether (1) invasive, noninvasive exotic, and native species experience differential damage from insect herbivores and mammalian browsers, and (2) enemy release is lost with increased residence time and geographic spread in the introduced range. We find no evidence suggesting enemy release is a general mechanism contributing to invasiveness in this region. Invasive species received the most insect herbivory, and damage increased with longer residence times and larger range sizes at three spatial scales. Our results show that invasive and exotic species fail to escape enemies, particularly over longer temporal and larger spatial scales.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, INZLJ, KILJ, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK, ZRSKP
European lowland forests have undergone significant transformations over the past century due to increased canopy closure, eutrophication and plant invasions. The new millennium has brought plant ...invasions, alien fungal pathogens, and extreme weather conditions, all contributing to forest diebacks. However, the response of plant diversity remains poorly understood. We examined changes in understorey vegetation following a decade (2012–2021) of severe drought in four temperate lowland forest types (dominated by oaks, hornbeams, ashes, and willows) to understand how water availability, canopy openness, and alien fungal pathogens altered diversity in interaction with climate change. Following an exceptionally warm decade, the vegetation exhibited increased homogeneity, with denser shrub and herb layers, likely resulting from diminished tree canopy, particularly in hornbeam and ash forests. Homogenization was manifested by the colonization of plants with conservative life-history strategies (higher leaf dry matter content) to cope with increased drought. Consequently, communities with fewer species increased their species richness, while species-rich communities experienced impoverishment. Conversely, herbaceous species with higher specific leaf area were declining. Compositional changes were particularly prominent in hornbeam and oakwoods at the drier end of moisture gradient where the understorey became dominated by woody plants. Ashwoods were opening up due to ash dieback by fungal pathogens, causing replacement of wetland forbs by nitrophilous forbs and woody saplings. The overall number of species decreased in oakwoods but increased in hornbeam and ashwoods due to increased cover of grasses and shade-tolerant woody species, mostly Acer campestre. Conversely, willow understorey vegetation at the wetter end of the moisture gradient remained relatively stable. Our findings suggest shifts towards more homogeneous vegetation. Conservation plans for managing the remnants of species-rich lowland forests should consider the accelerated environmental changes linked to canopy alterations, biological invasions, and extreme climate events.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Invasive species affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but their impacts along the abundance gradient has been insufficiently recognized. Here we aimed to assess the impacts of invasive ...× Sorbaronia fallax nothosubsp. mitschurinii (hereafter × Sorbaronia) spread into temperate Scots pine forests on understory vegetation biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We hypothesized that × Sorbaronia will affect light transmittance into the forest floor, chemical composition of soil and litter, stand and litter production, and understory vegetation. We assessed the set of experimental plots along the invasion gradient in homogenous soil conditions in Western Poland. Around the initial propagule source (abandoned plantation) we established 66 study plots in a systematic design. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models and redundancy analysis we assessed the response of studied predictors to × Sorbaronia biomass. We showed that the studied taxon decreased light transmittance as well as understory cover and species richness of vascular plants. We also confirmed an increase in soil P and litter P, K, and Ca contents. Therefore × Sorbaronia modified the biogeochemical cycles of temperate Scots pine forests. We did not find an effect of the studied taxon on carbon sequestration, due to no impacts on the litter and soil C pools, or on stand productivity. Revealed impacts are scalable with invasive taxon abundance, expressed as aboveground biomass. The impacts of × Sorbaronia are similar to the impacts of the functionally and phylogenetically close widespread invasive species. The studied taxon has a high potential to negatively affect biodiversity and alter the functioning of temperate Scots pine forests, fulfilling the criteria of ‘transformers’ as an invasive taxon. Our results provide quantitative evidence for nature conservation and risk assessments related to the spread of the studied taxa.
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•Most studies assessed invasive taxa impacts comparing invaded and uninvaded sites.•We assessed impacts of × Sorbaronia along its abundance gradient.•Studied taxon decreased light availability, cover, and understory species richness.•It also increased soil P, and litter P, Ca, and K, affecting biogeochemical cycles.•× Sorbaronia acts as a ‘transformer’, altering ecosystem functioning.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Insect invasions, the establishment and spread of nonnative insects in new regions, can have extensive economic and environmental consequences. Increased global connectivity accelerates rates of ...introductions, while climate change may decrease the barriers to invader species' spread. We follow an individual-level insect- and arachnid-centered perspective to assess how the process of invasion is influenced by phenotypic heterogeneity associated with dispersal and stress resistance, and their coupling, across the multiple steps of the invasion process. We also provide an overview and synthesis on the importance of environmental filters during the entire invasion process for the facilitation or inhibition of invasive insect population spread. Finally, we highlight important research gaps and the relevance and applicability of ongoing natural range expansions in the context of climate change to gain essential mechanistic insights into insect invasions.
Understanding the likely future impacts of biological invasions is crucial yet highly challenging given the multiple relevant environmental, socio‐economic and societal contexts and drivers. In the ...absence of quantitative models, methods based on expert knowledge are the best option for assessing future invasion trajectories. Here, we present an expert assessment of the drivers of potential alien species impacts under contrasting scenarios and socioecological contexts through the mid‐21st century. Based on responses from 36 experts in biological invasions, moderate (20%–30%) increases in invasions, compared to the current conditions, are expected to cause major impacts on biodiversity in most socioecological contexts. Three main drivers of biological invasions—transport, climate change and socio‐economic change—were predicted to significantly affect future impacts of alien species on biodiversity even under a best‐case scenario. Other drivers (e.g. human demography and migration in tropical and subtropical regions) were also of high importance in specific global contexts (e.g. for individual taxonomic groups or biomes). We show that some best‐case scenarios can substantially reduce potential future impacts of biological invasions. However, rapid and comprehensive actions are necessary to use this potential and achieve the goals of the Post‐2020 Framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Distribution of uncertainty if 15 major drivers of biological invasions will exhibit major impacts on the environment by 2050 under a best‐ and worst‐case scenario.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Conflict in invasive species management Crowley, Sarah L; Hinchliffe, Steve; McDonald, Robbie A
Frontiers in ecology and the environment,
April 2017, Volume:
15, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
As invasive species management becomes more ambitious in scope and scale, projects are increasingly challenged by disputes and conflicts among people, which can produce undesirable environmental and ...social outcomes. Here, we examine when and how conflicts have arisen from invasive species management, and consider why some management approaches may be more prone to conflict than others. Insufficient appreciation of sociopolitical context, non-existent or perfunctory public and community engagement, and unidirectional communications can all foster "destructive" conflict. We propose that approaches to conflict in invasive species management might be transformed by anticipating disagreements, attending more carefully to the social-ecological contexts of management, adopting more inclusive engagement mechanisms, and fostering more open, responsive communication. Conflicts may be unavoidable, but they can be anticipated and need not be destructive.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The subfamily Bruchinae includes the majority of alien to Europe Chrysomelidae. Up-to-date, seven alien seed-beetle species have been collected from Cyprus affecting ornamental plants and stored ...products. During the last decade
Stator limbatus
(Horn, 1873), a New World species has been gradually reported invading Middle-Eastern countries and Mediterranean islands. In this publication,
S. limbatus
is recorded for the first time from the island of Cyprus. Specimens were collected from
Ficus microcarpa
,
Eucalyptus
sp. and
Delonix regia
, with the later species being confirmed as a suitable host for
S. limbatus
. The alarming presence of
S. limbatus
in both urban and protected areas raises some questions about any adverse effects on native biodiversity and socioeconomic parameters. The general lack of knowledge regarding the Bruchinae fauna of Cyprus hampers research endeavours for possible agonistic behaviour between native and alien species for resources and host-plants.
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