Abstract
AbstractBiological invasions are a leading cause of rapid ecological change and often present a significant financial burden. As a vibrant discipline, invasion biology has made important strides in identifying, mapping, and beginning to manage invasions, but questions remain surrounding the mechanisms by which invasive species spread and the impacts they bring about. Frequent, multiscalar ecological monitoring such as that provided through the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) can be an important tool for addressing some of these questions. We articulate a set of major outstanding questions in invasion biology, consider how NEON data science is positioned to contribute to addressing these questions, and provide suggestions to help equip a growing contingent of NEON data users in solving invasion biology problems. We demonstrate these ideas through four case studies examining the mechanisms of plant invasions in the U.S. Intermountain West. In Case Study I, we evaluate the relationships between native species richness, non‐native species richness, and probability of invasion across scales. In Case Studies II and III, we explore the relationship between environmental factors and non‐native species presence to understand invasion mechanisms. Case Study IV outlines a method for improving the ability to distinguish invasive plants from native vegetation in remotely sensed data by leveraging temporal patterns of phenology. There are many novel elements in the NEON sampling design that make it uniquely poised to shed light on the mechanisms that can help us understand invasibility, prediction, and progression, as well as on the variability, longevity, and interactions of multiple invasive species’ impacts. Thus, knowledge gained through analysis of NEON data is expected to inform sound decision‐making in unique ways for managers of systems experiencing biological invasions.
Highlights
Biological invasions are a leading cause of abrupt ecological change (Vitousek et al 1997) and a strong source of economic burden to society (Pimentel et al 2005, Crowl et al 2008)
As land management concerns are critical at each site and as invasive species pose significant management challenges (Crowl et al 2008), the questions and case studies presented here highlight the relevance of National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) data to inform both ecology and management issues
We identified several key points for researchers to understand when it comes to using NEON data to address questions related to invasive species
Summary
Biological invasions are a leading cause of abrupt ecological change (Vitousek et al 1997) and a strong source of economic burden to society (Pimentel et al 2005, Crowl et al 2008). Understanding the mechanisms enhances the ability to understand impacts, that is, the means by which invasive species introduce functional change to ecosystems (Parker et al 1999, Strayer 2012) Understanding these key topics lays the groundwork for developing efficient treatment and prioritizing management efforts (Andersen et al 2004). The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored continental-scale facility designed to collect and provide long-term, openaccess ecological data to better understand how U.S ecosystems are changing (Keller et al 2008). Only a small fraction of published literature utilizing NEON resources to date considers invasive species (Appendix S1: Table S1) This compels us to highlight some of the strengths of NEON-enabled science that are directly relevant to invasive species research
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