Scientific and societal unknowns make it difficult to predict how global environmental changes such as climate change and biological invasions will affect ecological systems. In the long term, these ...changes may have interacting effects and compound the uncertainty associated with each individual driver. Nonetheless, invasive species are likely to respond in ways that should be qualitatively predictable, and some of these responses will be distinct from those of native counterparts. We used the stages of invasion known as the "invasion pathway" to identify 5 nonexclusive consequences of climate change for invasive species: (1) altered transport and introduction mechanisms, (2) establishment of new invasive species, (3) altered impact of existing invasive species, (4) altered distribution of existing invasive species, and (5) altered effectiveness of control strategies. We then used these consequences to identify testable hypotheses about the responses of invasive species to climate change and provide suggestions for invasive-species management plans. The 5 consequences also emphasize the need for enhanced environmental monitoring and expanded coordination among entities involved in invasive-species management.
Summary
Non‐native invasive species (NIS) release chemicals into the environment that are unique to the invaded communities, defined as novel chemicals. Novel chemicals impact competitors, soil ...microbial communities, mutualists, plant enemies, and soil nutrients differently than in the species’ native range. Ecological functions of novel chemicals and differences in functions between the native and non‐native ranges of NIS are of immense interest to ecologists. Novel chemicals can mediate different ecological, physiological, and evolutionary mechanisms underlying invasion hypotheses. Interactions amongst the NIS and resident species including competitors, soil microbes, and plant enemies, as well as abiotic factors in the invaded community are linked to novel chemicals. However, we poorly understand how these interactions might enhance NIS performance. New empirical data and analyses of how novel chemicals act in the invaded community will fill major gaps in our understanding of the chemistry of biological invasions. A novel chemical‐invasion mechanism framework shows how novel chemicals engender invasion mechanisms beyond plant–plant or plant–microorganism interactions.
Although marine invasions are increasingly a matter of concern, the impact of invasive species in the ecosystem and their ability to replace native taxa is still little understood. Data from 2011 to ...2021 in marinas of the Southern Iberian Peninsula supported that the invasive amphipod Caprella scaura is replacing the resident Caprella equilibra over time. Six marinas where C. equilibra was abundant in 2011 and C. scaura was absent, are now dominated by C. scaura. Although this displacement is more evident in Mediterranean shores than in Atlantic coasts, it is very variable between marinas. The spreading of the invasive species in marinas of the Alboran Sea mainly occurred from 2011 to 2017, preventing C. equilibra from regaining its former distribution. The ultimate factors responsible for the displacement, such as the aggressive behaviour of C. scaura, environmental influences or physiological performance in a global warming context, should be further investigated experimentally.
•Spatio-temporal data supports the displacement of C. equilibra by C. scaura.•This displacement is more evident in Mediterranean marinas.•Marina singularity also influences the displacement of the resident caprellid.•Ultimate factors driving this process should be further explored.•Arborescent fouling basibionts can be useful for exploring invasions dynamics.
Abstract Invasive species are one of the main reasons for the decline in global biodiversity. When it comes to the management of invasive species, stakeholders who are directly involved with this ...issue play a particularly important role, as they are directly engaged in management and can also influence the public’s perception. This study therefore investigates how different stakeholder groups in Germany perceive invasive species. In total, more than 2200 people were surveyed, belonging to nine different stakeholder groups that are in contact with invasive species (hunters and members in hunting associations, farmers, members of environmental and conservation organizations, members in allotment garden clubs, animal welfare supporters, divers, employees in zoological gardens, administrative employees in the regulatory authority, speleologists). It was found that the number of invasive animal and plant species in Germany was roughly correctly estimated in all groups, but the economic damage caused by invasive species was substantially underestimated. When invasive species were mentioned, mainly conspicuous mammals or plants were listed (e.g. Procyon lotor or Impatiens glandulifera ). In all surveyed groups, there was a notable level of interest in invasive species, and they were commonly regarded as environmental issues. While these results offer valuable insights into stakeholders’ perspectives on invasive species, they also highlight the need for improvement. In particular, there is a need for greater education of stakeholders about inconspicuous invasive species, the spread of invasive species and the damage caused by them.
Aim: Biological invasions are a substantial threat to Antarctic biodiversity and a priority conservation policy focus for Antarctic Treaty Parties and the sovereign states of surrounding islands. Key ...to their strategies is prevention, including assessment of establishment risk for alien species. Despite establishment of some of the worst globally invasive species across the Antarctic region, assessments of establishment potential of these species are non-existent Here, we address this deficit and determine whether these invasive species constitute a significant conservation threat to the broader Antarctic region both now and in response to future regional climate change. Location: Antarctica and the Southern Ocean islands (45°-90° S). Methods: We used ensemble species distribution models to assess the current and future climate suitability of the Antarctic region for 69 of the worst globally invasive species and 24 insect and plant species that have already established somewhere in the region. Results: The Antarctic continent is unsuitable for all of the worst globally invasive species under current conditions, but areas of the Antarctic Peninsula are predicted to become climatically suitable for up to six globally invasive species within the next century. By contrast, all Southern Ocean islands are presently climatically suitable for additional non-native species, with the threat increasing in the future. Main conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that climate, which is often cited as a key barrier to alien species establishment, may afford some protection to continental Antarctica, but that this protection is not currently extended to the Southern Ocean islands. Furthermore, existing climatic barriers to alien species establishment will weaken as warming continues across the region. This not only illustrates the value of applying distribution modelling methods to this largely ice-covered region, but demonstrates how these methods can be used to inform targeted surveillance of introduction pathways and sites that have the highest risk of establishment of invasive alien species.
Using the survey data on a representative sample of the New Zealand population, our study presents a process of understanding citizens' perceptions, identifying patterns in the perceptions, and ...recognising the knowledge gaps existing in the citizenry in the marine biosecurity context. While our findings show a healthy sign of the public accepting their own responsibility and the devolved responsibility of business/industry, there are considerable gaps between the general public's perceptions and (marine) biosecurity current practices and expectations. There is a moderately strong signal from survey respondents that suggest the need of significantly more effort and improved transparency in marine biosecurity communication. Our outcomes indicate an anthropocentric tendency, with influences of gender, age, education, income, frequency of beach visitation upon societal perceptions in terms of awareness, concern, perceived non-indigenous marine species impacts, and accountability in marine biosecurity management. The recognised socio-demographic patterns in societal perceptions would inform marine biosecurity communication strategies.
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•Limitation of social data poses a challenge to marine biosecurity worldwide•The New Zealand citizenry have knowledge gaps about marine biosecurity•Our outcomes indicate a healthy sign of potential biosecure citizenship•Demographic influences on societal perception of marine biosecurity were evident•Understanding societal perception is crucial to inform biosecurity communication
Biodiversity is severely declining worldwide and one of its main threats is invasion by exotic species. Successful management of these species requires citizens to be aware and engaged to prevent new ...introductions and support control interventions. We used questionnaires to investigate the knowledge and perceptions of Portuguese citizens aware of environmental issues, regarding invasive alien plants (IAPs). The influence of formal training in environmental areas vs. informal education about IAPs on the knowledge and perceptions of respondents was analysed. The results (735 responses) showed that environmentally conscious citizens have a great knowledge and awareness of IAPs (and biodiversity). While most respondents realize that IAPs negatively alter the landscape and cause negative impacts, some recognize that they can also have positive impacts and benefit the landscape. Formal training in environmental areas influences perception and increases knowledge about IAPs. In general, the opinion of whether a species should be removed or not was greatly influenced by the recognition of its invasive status, and less so by whether respondents liked or considered the species beautiful, suggesting that if citizens are informed about the invasive status of a species they are more willing to support its removal. More surprisingly, our results suggest that knowing the “Invasive Plants in Portugal” (Invasoras.pt) project, used as a proxy for higher awareness/informal education, increases knowledge and alters perceptions. Besides increasing understanding of IAPs' knowledge and perceptions among citizens, our work show that investing in public awareness projects pays off and can be focused on improving the planning of IAPs management strategies.
There are thousands of case studies documenting invasive species’ impacts and these have led to the development of over 30 hypotheses that describe how invasions occur and their impacts manifest. The ...proliferation of invasion hypotheses over the decades has spurred several efforts to identify conceptual overlap and increase clarity of impact mechanism in the field. What is still lacking, however, is a comprehensive accounting of the evidence base on invasive species impacts, especially in regard to the biological scales, temporal scales, and taxonomic groups that receive research. Identifying the ‘known unknowns’ of empirical invasion impact research serves a critical function in the effort to evaluate support for existing hypotheses and generate novel hypotheses. We built a taxonomically and geographically comprehensive database of over 1500 research articles that report measures of invasive species’ ecological impacts published over the past 18 years (1999–2016). We found that, field-wide, published measures of invasive species’ impacts are highly skewed toward those measured at the population or community-level with scarce information on impacts at other biological scales (e.g., physiology, behavior). We also show that existing impact evidence stems most often from one-off studies of single invasive species. Yet, even for species that receive consistent attention, impacts have rarely been documented across more than one biological scale, beyond very short time periods, or in several ecosystems. In order to predict and anticipate how impacts manifest in a variety of temporal and biological contexts, the evidence base informing existing invasion hypotheses must become more integrative both within and across publications.
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