Invasive species and global climate change

Abstract

book reviews ISSN 1948-6596 Invasive species and global climate change Invasive Species and Global Climate Change. Lewis H. Ziska and Jeffrey S. Dukes (editors), 2014, CABI, 368 pp. £95 (Hardback) ISBN 9781780641645; http://www.cabi.org/ Ziska and Dukes have brought together an inter- esting range of chapters around an important topic for managing ecosystems in the 21 st cen- tury. The book uses the term 'invasive species' to describe those that have “crossed a major bio- geographic barrier (e.g. an ocean), usually with the assistance of humans, and whose introduc- tion has, or will, result in significant negative eco- nomic or environmental impacts”. The editors freely acknowledge there are alternative defini- tions and related concepts and it would perhaps have been useful to set these out more clearly in the opening chapter. Nevertheless, the book oc- cupies a clear niche and makes a useful contribu- tion. The scope is broad, including pathogenic microorganisms, vertebrates, invertebrates and invasive plant species. The geographical scope ranges from Antarctica to the tropics and marine, terrestrial and freshwater systems are all cov- ered. Agricultural and natural systems are in- cluded. Climate change includes the effects of rising CO 2 levels as well as changes in meteoro- logical variables. There is a strong American influ- ence, with nearly half of the contributors from the USA, but there is a wide range of examples from other countries. For me the strength of the book is the good use of case studies and examples to complement review material. Multi-author books are a good format for case studies – journals are often not interested in them, but they are a very valuable part of the evidence base for developing new pol- icy and management approaches. Case studies bring a topic to life and ground science in practi- cal experience. The latter sections of the book address management. The application of science to real world problems is strong, whilst at the same time maintaining a scientific approach, with extensive references. A book of this sort is useful not simply in its own right but as a gateway to the more specialist journal literature and this one fulfils that expectation. An important element of any management response is the availability of reliable information and good data for detecting and anticipating change and methodology for anticipating future impacts; five chapters cover these areas. These include specific examples of resources and more generic reviews of approaches, including distribu- tion- and population-based approaches to model- ling (respectively, the chapters by Bradley and Gutierrez and by Ponti). The final three chapters (by Ziska, Westbrooks et al., and Barnes et al.) deal explicitly with the development of manage- ment strategies. Economics feature in a number of chapters in the book, mostly by way of provid- ing context; the concluding chapter by Barnes et al. explicitly considers potential opportunities to exploit invasive species as an economic resource. The chapters vary in style and content. The climate change content is thin in some of them, which is disappointing, but others, such as Web- ber et al.’s account of invasive plants in Australia, do a really good job of integrating climate change and biological invasions. Most chapters identify evidence gaps and uncertainties and some set out lists of research needs. This is an area where there remain significant challenges and in some cases it is not possible to do much more than to acknowledge that climate change complicates and exacerbates the impacts of invasive species. In others there is already a good understanding of the mechanisms involved and it is possible to identify specific needs for research and develop- ment. This is a book that is likely to be a useful reference for a variety of readers and would make a good purchase for institutional libraries. It will be valuable for researchers in the field and I could see it supplying examples for lectures and student essays up to Masters level. It is also a re- source for policy makers, land managers and sci- entific advisors working at a strategic level to tackle the problems presented by invasive non- frontiers of biogeography 7.3, 2015 — © 2015 the authors; journal compilation © 2015 The International Biogeography Society