Trees and shrubs as invasive alien species - 2013 update of the global database

Aim: Large-scale datasets are becoming increasingly available for macroecological research from different disciplines. However, learning their specific extraction and analytical requirements can become prohibitively time-consuming for researchers. We argue that this issue can be tackled with the provision of methodological frameworks published in open-source software. We illustrate this solution with the invacost R package, an open-source software designed to query and analyse the global database on reported economic costs of invasive alien species, InvaCost. Innovations: First, the invacost package provides updates of this dynamic database directly in the analytical environment R. Second, it helps understand the nature of economic cost data for invasive species, their harmonisation process, and the inherent biases associated with such data. Third, it readily provides complementary methods to query and analyse the costs of invasive species at the global scale, all the while accounting for econometric statistical issues. Main conclusions: This tool will be useful for scientists working on invasive alien species, by (i) facilitating access and use to this multi-disciplinary data resource and (ii) providing a standard procedure which will facilitate reproducibility and comparability of studies, one of the major critics of this topic until now. We discuss how the development of this R package was designed as an enforcement of general recommendations for transparency, reproducibility and comparability of science in the era of big data in ecology.

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Trees and shrubs as invasive alien species - a global review

Diversity and Distributions ◽

10.1111/j.1472-4642.2011.00782.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 788-809 ◽

Cited By ~ 545

Author(s):

David M. Richardson ◽

Marcel Rejmánek

Keyword(s):

Alien Species ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Trees And Shrubs

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Are the “100 of the world’s worst” invasive species also the costliest?

10.21203/rs.3.rs-227453/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ross Cuthbert ◽

Christophe Diagne ◽

Phillip J. Haubrock ◽

Anna J Turbelin ◽

Franck Courchamp

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

North America ◽

Biological Invasions ◽

Alien Species ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

The Other ◽

Species List ◽

True Cost ◽

Global Database

Abstract Biological invasions are increasing worldwide, damaging ecosystems and socioeconomic sectors. Two decades ago, the “100 of the world’s worst” invasive alien species list was established by the IUCN to improve communications, identifying particularly damaging ‘flagship’ invaders globally (hereafter, worst ). Whilst this list has bolstered invader awareness, whether worst species are especially economically damaging and how they compare to other invaders (hereafter, other ) remain unknown. Here, we quantify invasion costs using the most comprehensive global database compiling them (InvaCost). We compare these costs between worst and other species against sectorial, taxonomic and regional descriptors, and examine temporal cost trends. Only 60 of the 100 worst species had invasion costs considered as highly reliable and actually observed estimates (median: US$ 43 million). On average, these costs were significantly higher than the 463 other invasive species recorded in InvaCost (median: US$ 0.53 million), although some other species had higher costs than most worst species. Damages to the environment from the worst species dominated, whereas other species largely impacted agriculture. Disproportionately highest worst species costs were incurred in North America, whilst costs were more evenly distributed for other species; animal invasions were always costliest. Proportional management expenditures were low for the other species, and surprisingly, over twice as low for the worst species. Temporally, costs increased more for the worst than other taxa; however, management spending has remained very low for both groups. Nonetheless, since 40 species had no robust and/or reported costs, the “true” cost of “some of the world’s worst ” 100 invasive species still remains unknown.

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Are the “100 of the world’s worst” invasive species also the costliest?

Biological Invasions ◽

10.1007/s10530-021-02568-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ross N. Cuthbert ◽

Christophe Diagne ◽

Phillip J. Haubrock ◽

Anna J. Turbelin ◽

Franck Courchamp

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

North America ◽

Biological Invasions ◽

Alien Species ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Species List ◽

True Cost ◽

Global Database

AbstractBiological invasions are increasing worldwide, damaging ecosystems and socioeconomic sectors. Two decades ago, the “100 of the world’s worst” invasive alien species list was established by the IUCN to improve communications , identifying particularly damaging ‘flagship’ invaders globally (hereafter, worst). Whilst this list has bolstered invader awareness, whether worst species are especially economically damaging and how they compare to other invaders (hereafter, other) remain unknown. Here, we quantify invasion costs using the most comprehensive global database compiling them (InvaCost). We compare these costs between worst and other species against sectorial, taxonomic and regional descriptors, and examine temporal cost trends. Only 60 of the 100 worst species had invasion costs considered as highly reliable and actually observed estimates (median: US$ 43 million). On average, these costs were significantly higher than the 463 other invasive species recorded in InvaCost (median: US$ 0.53 million), although some other species had higher costs than most worst species. Damages to the environment from the worst species dominated, whereas other species largely impacted agriculture. Disproportionately highest worst species costs were incurred in North America, whilst costs were more evenly distributed for other species; animal invasions were always costliest. Proportional management expenditures were low for the other species, and surprisingly, over twice as low for the worst species. Temporally, costs increased more for the worst than other taxa; however, management spending has remained very low for both groups. Nonetheless, since 40 species had no robust and/or reported costs, the “true” cost of “some of the world’s worst” 100 invasive species still remains unknown.

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Suggestions for the Improvement of the Invasive Alien Species Management in Korea - A Comparative Analysis of the Legal Framework for Invasive Alien Species between Japan and Korea

Journal of Environmental Policy and Administration ◽

10.15301/jepa.2013.06.21.2.35 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Saeromi Mun

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Alien Species ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Legal Framework ◽

Species Management

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Achieving Aichi biodiversity targets: Prevention, control, or eradication of invasive alien species that threaten biodiversity, agricultural production, and human well-being

10.1603/ice.2016.93650 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Junko Shimura

Keyword(s):

Alien Species ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Well Being ◽

Aichi Biodiversity Targets

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Invasive alien species in China: the current situation, problems and possible solutions

Advances in Earth and Environmental Sciences ◽

10.2495/icesep131351 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Congcong Xu

Keyword(s):

Alien Species ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Current Situation

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Podarcis siculus (Reptilia: Sauria: Lacertidae), a new alien species for Russian fauna

Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS ◽

10.31610/trudyzin/2020.324.3.364 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 324 (3) ◽

pp. 364-370

Author(s):

B.S. Tuniyev ◽

L.M. Shagarov ◽

O.J. Arribas

Keyword(s):

Alien Species ◽

Urban Area ◽

First Record ◽

Survey Method ◽

The Black Sea ◽

Species Introduction ◽

Space Images ◽

The Caucasus ◽

Podarcis Siculus ◽

Trees And Shrubs

Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) or Italian wall lizard is one of the most invasive reptile-species. Recently, this lacertid lizard has been introduced to Mediterranean areas of southern Europe, South-West Asia (Turkey) and North America (USA). An abundant population of P. siculus was discovered on one of the sites of the Natural Ornithological Park in the Imeretinskaya Lowland, on an area of over 0.22 km2 (Sochi, Russia). The data were collected in the May of 2020 in a strip survey method in the Imeretinskaya Lowland. To identify the colonization area of the invader, we examined all 8 sections of the Natural Ornithological Park in the Imeretinskaya Lowland and adjacent urbanized areas. More than 150 animals were observed. These Italian wall lizards, undoubtedly, belong to the northern-central Italian morphotype (presumably P. s. campestris). This is the first record of this species in the former USSR area and, also, this is the species’ north-easternmost locality. The population inhabits secondary natural biotopes and urban area. Among them are the banks of artificial water bodies, areas with cultivated trees and shrubs, as well as parks, and house lawns in the urban area. Population density was estimated from eight to 40 specimens per 100 m of the transect. A moderate proportion of young specimens (more than a 40%) would indicate a healthy and continued growth of the emerging population. To determine the possible period of the species introduction, space images of the Imeretinskaya Lowland were analyzed beginning from the transformation of its landscape for the Winter Olympic Games of Sochi 2014 until the May of 2020. The introduction of the species presumably occurred with the delivery of large-sized ornamental trees and shrubs from Italy in 2012–2013. Podarcis siculus should be included in the list of herpetofauna of Russia and particularly of the Caucasus. This is an alien species with a proven ability to become an invasive species, what will lead to a greater undesirable and unavoidable contact with native small lizards of the genus Darevskia Arribas, 1997. On the other hand, as it is often observed with new invaders, a sudden rise in population abundance could be followed by a sharp decline. A continuous monitoring of the area in question and of the number of local Italian wall lizards is necessary to confirm or refute the assumed scenarios of further invasion of P. siculus on the Black Sea Coast of the Caucasus. Further action plans for this population should be developed depending on supposed future trends.

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Introduction and Spread of the Invasive Alien Species Ageratina altissima in a Disturbed Forest Ecosystem

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116152 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6152

Author(s):

Eunyoung Kim ◽

Jaeyong Choi ◽

Wonkyong Song

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

South Korea ◽

Alien Species ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Management Policy ◽

Economic Damage ◽

Forest Edges ◽

Forest Interior ◽

Lower Elevation ◽

Canopy Area

Invasive alien species (IAS) not only displace nearby indigenous plants and lead to habitat simplification but also cause severe economic damage by invading arable lands. IAS invasion processes involve external forces such as species characteristics, IAS assemblage traits, environmental conditions, and inter-species interactions. In this study, we analyzed the invasion processes associated with the introduction and spread of Ageratina altissima, a representative invasive plant species in South Korea. We investigated 197 vegetation quadrats (2 × 20 m) in regions bordering 47 forests in southern Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A total of 23 environmental variables were considered, which encompassed vegetation, topography, land use, and landscape ecology indices. The model was divided into an edge and an interior model and analyzed using logistic regression and a decision tree (DT) model. The occurrence of Ageratina altissima was confirmed in 61 sites out of a total of 197. According to our analysis, Ageratina altissima easily invaded forest edges with low density. The likelihood of its occurrence increased with lower elevation and gentler slope. In contrast, the spread of Ageratina altissima in the forest interior, especially based on seed spread and permeability, was favored by a lower elevation and gentler slopes. The analysis of Ageratina altissima settlement processes in forest edges coupled with the DT model demonstrated that land characteristics, such as the proximity to urbanized areas and the number of shrub and tree species, play a pivotal role in IAS settlement. In the forest interior, Ageratina altissima did not occur in 68 of the 71 sites where the soil drainage was under 2.5%, and it was confirmed that the tree canopy area had a significant impact on forest spread. Based on these results, it can be assumed that Ageratina altissima has spread in South Korean forests in much the same way as other naturalized species. Therefore, vegetation management strategies for naturalized species should be developed in parallel with land use management policy in regions surrounding forest edges to successfully manage and control Ageratina altissima invasion.

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