Are Introduced Alien Species More Predisposed to Invasion in Recipient Environments If They Provide a Wider Range of Services to Humans?

The drivers of invasion success of alien species remain, to some extent, a matter of debate. Here, we suggest that the services (the benefits humans obtain from a species) provided by alien plants could predict their invasion status, such that alien species providing more services would be more likely to be invasive than not. The rationale for this expectation is that alien species providing multiple services stand a better chance of being introduced in various numbers and multiple times outside their native range (propagule pressure theory). We investigated this hypothesis on alien woody species in South Africa. First, we defined 12 services provided by all the 210 known naturalized alien woody plants in South Africa. Then, we tested for a phylogenetic signal in these services using a DNA barcode-based phylogeny. Finally, we tested for potential links between the services and invasion status by fitting GLM models with appropriate error families. We found a phylogenetic signal in most services, suggesting that closely related species tend to provide similar services. Counter-intuitively, we consistently found that alien non-invasive species tend to provide more services, or even unique services, in comparison to alien invasive species. Although alternative scenarios are plausible to explain this unexpected finding, we speculate that harvesting alien plants for human benefits may limit their invasion ability. This warrants further investigation.

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Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species: challenges with classification

Biodiversity Information Science and Standards ◽

10.3897/biss.2.25306 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. e25306

Author(s):

Shyama Pagad

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Alien Species ◽

Alien Invasive Species ◽

Validation And Verification ◽

The World ◽

Invasive Status

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) presents annotated country checklists of introduced and invasive species. Annotations include higher taxonomy of the species, synonyms, environment/system in which the species occurs, and its biological status in that country. Invasiveness is classified by evidenced impact in that country. Draft country checklists are subjected to a process of validation and verification by networks of country experts. Challenges encountered across the world include confusion with alien/invasive species terminology, classification of the ‘invasive’ status of an alien species and issues with taxonomic synonyms.

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Managing alien bird species: Time to move beyond “100 of the worst” lists?

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270915000167 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 154-163 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

SABRINA KUMSCHICK ◽

TIM M. BLACKBURN ◽

DAVID M. RICHARDSON

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Alien Species ◽

Expert Opinion ◽

Bird Species ◽

Alien Invasive Species ◽

Common Myna ◽

Acridotheres Tristis ◽

Pycnonotus Cafer ◽

Selection Of Species ◽

The Impact

SummaryAlien species can cause severe impacts in their introduced ranges and management is challenging due to the large number of such species and the diverse nature and context of their impacts. Lists of the most harmful species, like the “100 of the World’s Worst” list collated by the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) or the “100 of the Worst” invaders in Europe collated by the Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories in Europe (DAISIE) project, raise awareness about these impacts among the public, and can guide management decisions. Such lists are mainly based on expert opinion, but in recent years a more objective comparison of impacts has become possible, even between highly diverse taxa. In this study, we use a semi-quantitative generic impact scoring system to assess impacts of the three birds listed among the “100 of the World’s Worst” IUCN list (IUCN100) and the four birds on the list of “100 of the Worst” European invaders by DAISIE (DAISIE100) and to compare their impacts with those of other alien birds not present on the respective lists. We found that generally, both lists include some of the species with the highest impacts in the respective regions (global or Europe), and these species therefore deserve the dubious honour of being listed among the “worst”. However, there are broad overlaps between some species with regards to the impact mechanisms and the related issues of invasions, especially those of the Common Myna Acridotheres tristis and Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer on the IUCN100, are very similar which might not warrant listing both species. To make the selection of species on such lists more transparent we suggest moving beyond lists based on expert opinion to a more transparent and defendable system for listing alien species based on published records of their impacts and related mechanisms.

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Alien invasive species at the Romanian Black Sea coast - Present and perspectives

Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa” ◽

10.2478/v10191-010-0031-6 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

pp. 443-467 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Marius Skolka ◽

Cristina Preda

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Alien Species ◽

Black Sea ◽

Alien Invasive Species ◽

Aquatic Animal ◽

Freshwater Species ◽

Field Observations ◽

Native Communities ◽

Black Sea Coast ◽

Sea Coast

Alien invasive species at the Romanian Black Sea coast - Present and perspectives Using literature data and personal field observations we present an overview of aquatic animal alien invasive species at the Romanian Black Sea coast, including freshwater species encountered in this area. We discuss records, pathways of introduction, origin and impact on native communities for some of these alien invasive species. In perspective, we draw attention on the potential of other alien species to become invasive in the study area.

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Marine alien species as an aspect of global change

Advances in Oceanography and Limnology ◽

10.4081/aiol.2010.5300 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 199 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Anna Occhipinti-Ambrogi ◽

Bella Galil

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Invasive Species ◽

Global Change ◽

Alien Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Alien Invasive Species ◽

Climate Projections ◽

Starting Point ◽

Daunting Task ◽

The Mediterranean

The transport of organisms across oceans is an anthropogenic agent of global change that has profoundly affected the natural distribution of littoral biota and altered the makeup of biogeographic regions. The homogenization of marine biotas is a phenomenon especially affecting coastal regions and is spearheaded by a suite of opportunistic species at the expense of native species. Climate change may exacerbate the trend: sea surface temperatures, hydrodynamics, pH and carbonate cycles, already show marked fluctuations compared to the past. Alien invasive species are impacted by the change of marine climate in a variety of ways, which are we have just begun to notice, observe and interpret. A conceptual framework has yet to be conceived that links theories on biological introductions and invasions with the physical aspects of global change. Therefore predicting the scale of invasions or their impact on biodiversity is a daunting task. Integration of biological and environmental information systems, niche models, and climate projections would improve management of aquatic ecosystems under the dual threats of biotic invasions and climate change. The recorded spread of alien species and analysis of patterns of invasions may serve as the starting point for searching connections with climate change descriptors. The Mediterranean Sea is home to an exceptionally large number of alien species, resulting from its exceptional history and multiple vectors. For much of the twentieth century alien thermophilic species, which had entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, have been confined to the Levantine Basin. In recent years climate driven hydrographic changes have coincided with a pronounced expansion of alien thermophilic biota to the central and western basins of the Mediterranean. We discuss some changes in emergent functions and services in Mediterranean ecosystems under the combined effect of invasive species and climate changes.

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Into the great wide open: do alien plants spread from rivers to dry savanna in the Kruger National Park?

NeoBiota ◽

10.3897/neobiota.60.54608 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 60 ◽

pp. 61-77

Author(s):

Petr Pyšek ◽

Martin Hejda ◽

Jan Čuda ◽

Guin Zambatis ◽

Klára Pyšková ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Alien Species ◽

Plant Species ◽

National Park ◽

Alien Plants ◽

Kruger National Park ◽

Parthenium Hysterophorus ◽

Alien Plant ◽

Widespread Species ◽

Tridax Procumbens

Protected areas play an important role as refuges from invasive species impacts on biodiversity. Within the MOSAIK (Monitoring Savanna Biodiversity in the Kruger National Park) project, plant species were recorded in a representative set of 60 plots, 50 × 50 m in size, across the entire KNP, distributed so as to cover a range of savanna habitats, i.e. perennial rivers, seasonal rivers and dry crests, and two main bedrock types (granite and basalt). The data were used to assess the role of rivers in the dispersal of alien plants and study whether the alien plant species spread from rivers to open dry savanna. The resulting dataset provided the first thorough information on the spatial distribution of naturalised alien plants in KNP. In total, we recorded 20 plant species that are alien to the park, four of them considered invasive: Parthenium hysterophorus, Opuntia stricta, Xanthium strumarium and Zinnia peruviana. The most widespread species in KNP was Tridax procumbens, recorded in 11 plots (i.e. 18% of all sampled), four other species were found in > 10% of the plots. One species, Bidens bipinnata, was not previously reported from the park and represents a new record. The majority of aliens were concentrated along perennial rivers (60% of all occurrences), but some were repeatedly recorded at seasonal rivers as well and two of the most invasive species in KNP, Opuntia stricta and Parthenium hysterophorus, occurred also on dry crests away from water. The average number of alien species per plot was low (1.6), as was their mean percentage contribution to all species in a plot (2.2%), but some plots harboured as many as seven species and contributed up to 11.9%. Moreover, only 21 plots (35%) were alien-species free. In terms of the total species number per habitat, perennial rivers had significantly more aliens than crests and were marginally significantly richer than seasonal rivers. By recording all naturalised alien species occurring in the plots – many of them are not invasive but may become so in the future – and by using the GloNAF database of global distribution of naturalised species, we assessed the invasion potential of the recorded species.

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Promise and challenges of risk assessment as an approach for preventing the arrival of harmful alien species

Bothalia ◽

10.4102/abc.v47i2.2136 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Reuben P. Keller ◽

Sabrina Kumschick

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

Invasive Species ◽

Alien Species ◽

Well Being ◽

Tool Development ◽

Acceptable Risk ◽

Species Introductions ◽

Different Levels ◽

Intentional Introduction

Background: Harmful alien species impose a growing environmental, economic and human well-being burden around the globe. A promising way to reduce the arrival of new species that may become harmful is to utilise pre-border risk assessment (RA) tools that relate the traits of introduced species to whether those species have become established and harmful. These tools can be applied to species proposed for intentional introduction so that informed decisions can be made about whether each species poses an acceptable risk and should be allowed for import. Objectives: A range of approaches to RA tool development have emerged, each relying on different assumptions about the relationships between traits and species impacts, and each requiring different levels and types of data. We set out to compare the qualities of each approach and make recommendations for their application in South Africa, a high biodiversity developing country that already has many invasive species. Method: We reviewed five approaches to pre-border RA and assessed the benefits and drawbacks of each. We focused on how pre-border RA could be applied in South Africa. Results: Recent legislation presents a framework for RA to evaluate species introductions to South Africa, but we find that this framework assumes an approach to RA that is relatively slow and costly and that does not leverage recent advances in RA tool development. Conclusion: There is potential for proven RA approaches to be applied in South Africa that would be less costly and that could more rapidly assess the suite of species currently being introduced.

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Distributional Patterns of Alien Plants in China: The Relative Importance of Phylogenetic History and Functional Attributes

ISRN Ecology ◽

10.1155/2013/527052 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Youhua Chen

Keyword(s):

Alien Species ◽

Phylogenetic Signal ◽

Functional Limitation ◽

Environmental Filtering ◽

Mantel Test ◽

Alien Plants ◽

Alien Plant ◽

Reproduction Mode ◽

Functional Attributes ◽

Compositional Patterns

Distribution patterns of alien species in nonnative ranges might be driven by a combination of various mechanisms, including phylogenetic history, competition for resource, environmental filtering, and so on. Both phylogenetic and functional limitations might work synergistically to determine the distribution of alien species. In this report, by utilizing the information of provincial distribution, functional attributes, and phylogeny for 95 alien species of China, the corresponding phylogenetic and functional community structures are evaluated. The results show that introduction pathway, life form, and flowering time of alien plants of China processed significant phylogenetic clustering patterns, while both the origin of distribution and reproduction mode of alien species showed phylogenetic overdispersion patterns, as revealed by NRI/NTI indices. The phylogenetic signal tests using Pagel’s statistic and Blomberg et al.’s statistic further verified the previous patterns, even though there are some inconsistencies. Through partial Mantel test, it is found that compositional patterns of alien plant community were mainly affected by phylogenetic limitation but not functional limitation. Conclusively, phylogeny plays a more important role in structuring provincial distribution of alien plants in China.

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Ochrona gatunków rodzimych przed inwazjami biologicznymi

Studia Iuridica ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0013.2290 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 78 ◽

pp. 348-358

Author(s):

Emilia Nawrotek

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Alien Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Well Being ◽

Legal Regulation ◽

Alien Invasive Species ◽

Agricultural Systems ◽

Health And Economic Development ◽

Economic Well Being

Invasive alien species are a threat to biodiversity and food security, health and economic development. These species are causing enormous damage to biodiversity and the valuable natural agricultural systems upon which we depend. Globalisation, trade, travel, and transport of goods across borders they have facilitated the spread of invasive alien species. The spread of invasive alien species is now recognised as one of the greatest threats to the ecological and economic well being of the planet. The aim of the article is to analyze and attempt to assess the legal regulation relating protection native species against alien invasive species and alien species.

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Managing conflict-generating invasive species in South Africa: Challenges and trade-offs

Bothalia ◽

10.4102/abc.v47i2.2160 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Tsungai Zengeya ◽

Philip Ivey ◽

Darragh J. Woodford ◽

Olaf Weyl ◽

Ana Novoa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Invasive Species ◽

Risk Perception ◽

Alien Species ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Value Systems ◽

Hierarchy Theory ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Cognitive Hierarchy ◽

Negative Impacts

Background: This paper reviewed the benefits and negative impacts of alien species that are currently listed in the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act no 10 of 2004) and certain alien species that are not yet listed in the regulations for which conflicts of interest complicate management. Objectives: Specifically, it identified conflict-generating species, evaluated the causes and driving forces of these conflicts and assessed how the conflicts have affected management. Method: A simple scoring system was used to classify the alien species according to their relative degree of benefits and negative impacts. Conflict-generating species were then identified and further evaluated using an integrated cognitive hierarchy theory and risk perception framework to identify the value systems (intrinsic and economic) and risk perceptions associated with each conflict. Results: A total of 552 alien species were assessed. Most of the species were classified as inconsequential (55%) or destructive (29%). Beneficial (10%) and conflict-generating (6%) species made a minor contribution. The majority (46%) of the conflict cases were associated with more than one value system or both values and risk perception. The other conflicts cases were based on intrinsic (40%) and utilitarian (14%) value systems. Conclusions: Conflicts based on value and risk perceptions are inherently difficult to resolve because authorities need to balance the needs of different stakeholders while meeting the mandate of conserving the environment, ecosystem services and human well-being. This paper uses the identified conflict-generating species to highlight the challenges and trade-offs of managing invasive species in South Africa.

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A novel alien invasive species introduction, Clerodendrum paniculatum Linn (Pagoda) Lamiaceae, in a tropical African forest

10.21203/rs.3.rs-307017/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Omomoh Eromosele Bernard ◽

Leah Brown ◽

Karst Meiger ◽

Victor A. J. Adekunle ◽

Ganiyu Oboh

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Alien Species ◽

Novel Species ◽

Alien Invasive Species ◽

The Novel ◽

Species Introduction

Abstract We record a novel introduction of Clerodendrum paniculatum in Africa. The novel species appears to have a negligible impact within the new environment. In this communication, we describe the novel alien species and the environment to which it has been introduced.

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