Establishment Of Invasive Species Research Articles

Assisted recovery of mediterranean native fish species by removal of two established invasive alien species, Pterois miles and Diadema setosum

The introduction of alien species is probably one of the most important factors affecting native biodiversity in various regions of the world. The Mediterranean is considered the most affected sea in the world. Although many efforts to control several invasive alien species (IAS) have been carried out in the Mediterranean, complete success has not been obtained so far. In the eastern Mediterranean (Levantine Sea), the island of Cyprus is among the first places where marine species migrating across the Suez Canal are reported and known to have been established. To test whether native species are able to recover in the absence of IAS, removal experiments of two established IAS, the common lionfish Pterois miles and the long-spined sea urchin Diadema setosum, were carried out at two submerged rocky reefs in Cyprus where human activities are limited.A baseline period of three months was dedicated to characterizing the fish communities by visual censuses, followed by a middle period of four months of monthly removals which ended with the second and final characterization period of three months of the fish communities. The removals of D. setosum were very effective suggesting that the recolonization rate of the species is considerably low. The removals of lionfish seem to help the populations remain small, although recolonization rates are higher than D. setosum. Moreover, our results suggest that the removal of these two species helps native fish recover while conversely affecting other alien fish in a negative manner. Despite the amount of enough data, it is possible to preliminarily estimate the rate of removals. Monitoring of the two IAS along with the native flora and fauna is suggested in these two sites to identify seasonality and trends.

Loss and gain of marine biodiversity in Mediterranean seawaters

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots worldwide. The high biodiversity level of the basin is confirmed by the presence of about 17,000 marine species of which 20.2% are endemics. Amongst them, Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile can form, in pristine coastal waters, large and extensive meadows, performing a pivotal role in endemic processes. However, the richness of marine biota is, actually, affected by some threats such as habitat loss, marine pollution, climate changes, eutrophication and the establishment of invasive alien species coming from the Indo-Pacific region through the pathway of Suez Canal. This trend could lead to a new kind of marine biodiversity influenced by the introduction of termophilic species altering the pattern of Mediterranean biota. Anyway, it is necessary a global approach, ensuring the better ecological conditions so to protect marine biodiversity in meditrranean seawaters.

How to deal with invasive species that have high economic value?

The ever-accelerating process of introduction and establishment of invasive alien species (IAS) in marine waters requires engaging different actors in the management and planning. To address this challenge, stakeholders need an integrated approach for defining actions of control and management within an ecosystem-based framework: to seek and enhance coordination, collaboration and trust among all stakeholders affected by changes in linked marine social - ecological systems. This study explores the complexities and opportunities in managing economically valuable IAS, demonstrating the need for tailored management strategies that consider key ecological details needed for successful control such as timing of removals and key economic considerations such as appropriate incentive mechanisms and time horizons in favor of long-term conservation goals. We propose a set of actions that can serve as a roadmap for effective IAS control and management, considering their dual role as nuisances and valuable resources. These actions pertain to local, regional and international levels, encouraging meaningful stakeholder engagement through co-management structures that can foster the development of robust management plans, enabling better IAS control. The outcome holds potential for positive contributions to the blue economy— sustainable use of marine resources, including fisheries, tourism, and renewable energy— and for meeting sustainability objectives.

Multiple stressors mediate the effects of warming on leaf decomposition in a large regulated river

AbstractPredicting how increasing temperatures interact with other global change drivers to influence the structure and dynamics of Earth's ecosystems is a primary challenge in ecology. Our study made use of multiple simultaneous “natural experiments” to examine how rapid warming, declining nutrients, invasive consumers, and riparian invasive species management interact to influence leaf decomposition in a large and regulated river. Specifically, we compared the breakdown of cottonwood (Populus fremontii), willow (Salix exigua), and saltcedar (Tamarix sp.) leaf litter in 2022 to a previous experiment from 1998 that occurred under much cooler water temperatures, and had higher water phosphorus concentrations, low numbers of invasive New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum), and unaltered litter chemistry from the herbivory of saltcedar leaf beetles (Diorhabda carinulata). We found that the effects of up to 10°C warmer temperatures on leaf decomposition were mediated by the establishment and management of invasive species and declining water nutrient concentrations arising from upstream reservoir lowering. Such interactions led to accelerated breakdown of saltcedar, but relatively minor effects of warming on the rate of cottonwood and willow decomposition. Additionally, our results demonstrate the potential for favorable invasive species management outcomes in the terrestrial environment to produce unintended responses in adjacent freshwater ecosystems. As temperatures continue to rise, it is critical that future studies consider how warming interacts with multiple stressors and environmental factors to influence processes such as decomposition in freshwater ecosystems.

Can intensive trapping to reduce the abundance of an invasive crayfish benefit an imperiled congener?

Abstract Management aimed at reducing the population sizes of established invasive species can be beneficial for the conservation of native species. Crayfish are some of the most widespread and impactful invasive species in freshwater ecosystems. This study evaluated the efficacy of intensive baited trapping as a tool to reduce the abundance of an invasive crayfish (Procambarus spiculifer) in small streams and benefit an imperiled congener (Procambarus pictus). The invasive crayfish was captured and removed from a 1‐km stream reach through three rounds of intensive trapping conducted over a 16‐month period. The abundance of the invasive species declined significantly in the trapping reach after the initial round of trapping. Throughout the year following the onset of trapping, its abundance within the trapping reach was less than half of that at control sites. The sex ratio of invasive crayfish collected in traps was approximately 1:1, and 31% of captured individuals were likely to be immature based on size class. The abundance of the imperiled species did not change significantly over the study period, but 1 year may not be long enough to detect a response. Overall, the data suggest that periodic intensive trapping can effectively reduce the abundance of this invasive crayfish in small streams, and the extent to which this benefits the imperiled species remains an open question. Future research examining how trapping can best be applied to achieve lasting effects (including trap type, season and barriers to immigration) would be valuable for understanding the conservation potential of this management technique.

Difference in Germination Traits between Congeneric Native and Exotic Species May Affect Invasion.

Germination traits are components of invasion potential, and comparing seed traits in sympatric native and invasive species can offer insights into the invasion process. We characterized seed germination traits and how they influenced the success of Eragrostis mexicana, a native species, and Eragrostis tenuifolia, an exotic species (Poaceae) in Mexico, in the context of their potential for biological invasion. Seeds from both species were collected from four sites in a natural protected area in Mexico City, and the germination of seeds of different ages was conducted in experiments at different temperatures. E. tenuifolia exhibited higher germination percentages than the native E. mexicana across all treatments. Seed age had differential effects, with older seeds of the native E. mexicana germinating better, while E. tenuifolia performed better with younger seeds. Temperature positively impacted germination for both species, although E. mexicana was limited at lower temperatures. Exotic E. tenuifolia can germinate over a wider temperature range with earlier germination rates, and generate a seed bank lasting several years, which may contribute to naturalization. The importance of germination traits in the context of invasive species establishment underscores the potential role of seed banks in facilitating biological invasions.

Plant-soil feedback and plant invasion: effect of soil conditioning on native and invasive Prosopis species using the plant functional trait approach.

Invasive species have been identified as a major threat to native biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide due to their superiority in spread and growth. Such superiority is explained by the invasional meltdown phenomena, which suggests that invasive species facilitate the establishment of more invasive species rather than native species by modifying the plant-soil feedback (PSF). We conducted a two-phase plant-soil feedback experiment using the native Prosopis cineraria and the invasive Prosopis juliflora in Oman. Firstly, we conditioned the soil by planting seedlings of native species, invasive species, native and invasive species "mixed", and unconditioned soil served as a control. Secondly, we tested the feedback of these four conditioned soil on the two species separately by measuring the productivity (total biomass) and the performance in the form of plant functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf nitrogen content (Nmass), leaf carbon content (Cmass) and specific root length (SRL) of native and invasive species as well as the nutrient availability in soil (soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN)). We found that the native species produced more biomass, best performance, and higher SOC and STN when grown in soil conditioned by native species, additionally, it gave lower biomass, reduced performance, and lower SOC and STN when grown in the soil conditioned by invasive and mixed species. These results suggest negative PSF for native species and positive PSF for invasive species in the soil conditioned by invasive species, which can be considered as red flag concerning the restoration of P. cineraria as an important native species in Oman, as such positive PSF of the invasive species P. juliflora will inhibit the regeneration of P. cineraria.

A simulation study evaluating how population survival and genetic diversity in a newly established population can be affected by propagule size, extinction rates, and initial heterozygosity.

The introduction and establishment of invasive species in regions outside their native range, is one of the major threats for the conservation of ecosystems, affecting native organisms and the habitat where they live in, causing substantial biological and monetary losses worldwide. Due to the impact of invasive species, it is important to understand what makes some species more invasive than others. Here, by simulating populations using a forward-in-time approach combining ecological and single polymorphic nucleotides (SNPs) we evaluated the relation between propagule size (number of individuals = 2, 10, 100, and 1,000), extinction rate (with values 2%, 5%, 10%, and 20%), and initial heterozygosity (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5) on the population survival and maintenance of the heterozygosity of a simulated invasive crab species over 30 generations assuming a single introduction. Our results revealed that simulated invasive populations with initial propagule sizes of 2-1,000 individuals experiencing a high extinction rate (10-20% per generation) were able to maintain over 50% of their initial heterozygosity during the first generations and that under scenarios with lower extinction rates invasive populations with initial propagule sizes of 10-1,000 individuals can survive up to 30 generations and maintain 60-100% of their initial heterozygosity. Our results can help other researchers better understand, how species with small propagule sizes and low heterozygosities can become successful invaders.

A biological perspective for the fishery management of a small urban lake in Indonesia: a case study on the reproductive stage of the red devil (Amphilopus citrinellus) in Situ Cilodong, West Java, Indonesia

The presence and establishment of invasive alien fish species is one of the biggest threats to aquatic biodiversity. The red devil, Amphilopus citrinellus, is one of the emerging invasive species and its occurrence is massively detected in common water bodies in tropical areas such as Indonesia. However, the topic remains under-reported from the small urban lakes. This study aims to present the reproductive characteristics of the fish in Situ Cilodong, a small urban lake in the country, that can be used as a principal reference for population control. The sampling was conducted in June 2021 and May 2022 using a mix of seven mesh-sized gillnets. The results of the length-weight relationship reveal that both the female and male fish perform isometric growth type. The calculated Gonad Somatic Index (GSI) and the histological analysis confirmed that the fish is a multi-spawner species. The results imply that sustainable population control efforts must include intensive catch and engage a participatory approach between the legal authority and the local fishers.

Leafhoppers as vectors of phytoplasma diseases in Canadian berry crops: a review in the face of climate change

Abstract Climate change has facilitated the introduction, establishment, and movement of invasive species in northern regions, enabling the colonization of previously unsuitable areas. While the responses of insects to these changes have been increasingly studied, our understanding of how such alterations impact trophic interactions still requires further research to make reliable predictions about the spread of diseases in a warming world. Phytoplasmas, a group of obligate parasitic unculturable Mollicutes, primarily rely on leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) for transmission, spread, and survival. Phytoplasmas are associated with over 600 diseases affecting more than 1,000 plant species, including berries, grapevines, and other small fruits. In North America, diseases such as grapevine yellows, blueberry stunt, and strawberry green petal diseases have been linked to phytoplasma strains transmitted by known leafhopper species. However, the number of phytoplasma diseases has significantly increased in North America over the past decade, suggesting the presence of unidentified vectors or an abundance of leafhopper vectors. This short review provides an overview of the current knowledge on leafhoppers as vectors of phytoplasmas to berries, focusing on the last decade’s research in Canada. This paper also explores the potential implications of climate change on this pathosystem, including the anticipated range expansion of leafhopper species, changes in phytoplasma acquisition and transmission, and the risk of new leafhopper-transmitted plant-pathogen introductions through the arrival of new leafhopper species.

Growth and survival of juvenile red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) fed invasive macroalgae

ABSTRACT Abalone is one of the most important small-scale fisheries in Mexico and is challenged by multiple stressors. For example, the loss of the native main food, Macrocystis pyrifera, and the subsequent takeover of non-indigenous algae species represent a major threat to abalone growth and survival. In Baja California, Mexico two introduced macroalgae, Undaria pinnatifida and Sargassum horneri have become common in the past decade with unknown consequences on native herbivores. In this work, we explored the effect of these invasive algae on the growth and survival of juvenile red abalone, Haliotis rufescens. One hundred and ten juvenile red abalone were tagged and fed with invasive algae U. pinnatifida and S. horneri, and a control with M. pyrifera. Then, the shell length, body weight, and survivorship were assessed monthly for 90 days. Results show that abalone fed U. pinnatifida had a total growth in length, weight, and survivorship, similar to those fed native M. pyrifera. In contrast, abalone fed S. horneri had significantly lower overall performance. Marine heatwaves and other climatic impacts are expected to favour the establishment of invasive species. These results may be relevant to inform local fisheries and management efforts in this area under future scenarios.

Terrestrial Alien Flora of the Iberian Alboran Coast: Assessment, Attributes, and Future Implications

Although Mediterranean coastal regions in southern Spain have high floristic diversity and numerous Habitats of Community Interest (HCIs) identified by the European Union Directive Council, they are also vulnerable to invasive plants. In our study, we aimed to create a checklist of terrestrial alien taxa in the Iberian area of the Alboran coast, assess each species’ current invasion, analyse the influence of environmental attributes on invasion, estimate the richness of alien species per HCI group, and evaluate each species’ potential invasiveness based on its reproductive and dispersal attributes. The checklist that we developed includes 123 alien taxa, most belonging to the Asteraceae, Asparagaceae, and Poaceae families. Notably, 20% of the species are super invaders that occupy more than 20% of HCIs. We also identified Aloe vera, Cylindropuntia spp., Agave salmiana, Opuntia spp., and Paspalum spp. as incipient invaders with the potential for future expansion. Although most alien flora in the HCIs are not regulated by Spanish legislation (RDL 630/2013), monitoring and eradication plans are crucial. Advocating the cessation of using those plants in gardens and reducing anthropogenic pressure are also essential, as human activities worsen invasion dynamics and facilitate the introduction and establishment of invasive species.

Native plants change the endophyte assembly and growth of an invasive plant in response to climatic factors.

Climate change, microbial endophytes, and local plants can affect the establishment and expansion of invasive species, yet no study has been performed to assess these interactions. Using a growth chamber, we integrated the belowground (rhizosphere soils) and aboveground (mixture of mature leaf and leaf litter) microbiota into an experimental framework to evaluate the impacts of four native plants acting as microbial inoculation sources on endophyte assembly and growth of the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora in response to drought stress and temperature change. We found that fungal and bacterial enrichment in the leaves and roots of A. adenophora exhibited distinct patterns in response to climatic factors. Many fungi were enriched in roots in response to high temperature and drought stress; in contrast, many bacteria were enriched in leaves in response to low temperature and drought stress. Inoculation of microbiota from phylogenetically close native plant species (i.e., Asteraceae Artemisia atrovirens) causes the recipient plant A. adenophora (Asteraceae) to enrich dominant microbial species from inoculation sources, which commonly results in a lower dissimilar endophytic microbiota and thus produces more negative growth effects when compared to non-Asteraceae inoculations. Drought, microbial inoculation source, and temperature directly impacted the growth of A. adenophora. Both drought and inoculation also indirectly impacted the growth of A. adenophora by changing the root endophytic fungal assembly. Our data indicate that native plant identity can greatly impact the endophyte assembly and host growth of invasive plants, which is regulated by drought and temperature.IMPORTANCEThere has been increasing interest in the interactions between global changes and plant invasions; however, it remains to quantify the role of microbial endophytes in plant invasion with a consideration of their variation in the root vs leaf of hosts, as well as the linkages between microbial inoculations, such as native plant species, and climatic factors, such as temperature and drought. Our study found that local plants acting as microbial inoculants can impact fungal and bacterial enrichment in the leaves and roots of the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora and thus produce distinct growth effects in response to climatic factors; endophyte-mediated invasion of A. adenophora is expected to operate more effectively under favorable moisture. Our study is important for understanding the interactions between climate change, microbial endophytes, and local plant identity in the establishment and expansion of invasive species.

Invasive alien plants are phylogenetically distinct from other alien species across spatial and taxonomic scales in China.

Phylogenetic relatedness is one of the important factors in the community assembly process. Here, we aimed to understand the large-scale phylogenetic relationship between alien plant species at different stages of the invasion process and how these relationships change in response to the environmental filtering process at multiple spatial scales and different phylogenetic extents. We identified the alien species in three invasion stages, namely invasive, naturalized, and introduced, in China. The occurrence records of the species were used to quantify two abundance-based phylogenetic metrics [the net relatedness index (NRI) and the nearest taxon index (NTI)] from a highly resolved phylogenetic tree. The metrics were compared between the three categories of alien species. Generalized linear models were used to test the effect of climate on the phylogenetic pattern. All analyses were conducted at four spatial scales and for three major angiosperm families. We observed significantly higher NRI and NTI values at finer spatial scales, indicating the formation of more clustered assemblages of phylogenetically closely related species in response to the environmental filtering process. Positive NTI values for the invasive and naturalized aliens suggested that the presence of a close relative in the community may help the successful naturalization and invasion of the introduced alien species. In the two-dimensional phylogenetic space, the invasive species communities significantly differed from the naturalized and introduced species, indicating that established alien species need to be phylogenetically different to become invasive. Positive phylogenetic measures for the invasive aliens across the spatial scales suggested that the presence of invasive aliens could facilitate the establishment of other invasive species. Phylogenetic relatedness was more influenced by temperature than precipitation, especially at a finer spatial scale. With decreased temperature, the invasive species showed a more clustered assemblage, indicating conservatism of their phylogenetic niche. The phylogenetic pattern was different at the family level, although there was a consistent tendency across families to form more clustered assemblages. Overall, our study showed that the community assemblage became more clustered with the progression of the invasion process. The phylogenetic measures varied at spatial and taxonomic scales, thereby highlighting the importance of assessing phylogenetic patterns at different gradients of the community assembly process.

Historical trends of aquatic invasive species introduction and establishment in Illinois, USA

Historical trends of aquatic invasive species introduction and establishment in Illinois, USA

Optimal R&D investment in the management of invasive species

Invasive alien species (IAS) threaten world biodiversity, ecosystem services, and economic welfare. While existing literature has characterized the optimal control of an established IAS, it has not considered how research and development (R&D) into new removal methods or technologies can affect management decisions and costs over time. R&D can lower the costs of control in a management plan and creates an intertemporal trade-off between quick but costly control and gradual but cheaper removal over time. In this paper, we develop and solve a continuous time dynamic optimization model to study how investment in R&D influences the optimal control of an established invasive species. After characterizing the dynamic model solution, we solve the model numerically to study the benefits from R&D in the management of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis), and explore how optimal solutions vary across economic and biological conditions. We find that the introduction of R&D significantly reduces overall costs of IAS and management and that the cost reductions substantially outweigh research expenditure. These results imply that policymakers seeking to control IAS should consider R&D as a vital component of cost effective control strategies.

Change in habitat suitability of the invasive Snowflake coral (Carijoa riisei) during climate change: An ensemble modelling approach

Global species range dynamics are intrinsically influenced by the interplay between human activities and climate compatibility. Snowflake coral (Carijoa riisei) is a soft octacoral species that belongs to the family Clavulariidae and can rapidly grow to colonise new habitats. This species has successfully colonised numerous habitats, displacing native species and disrupting the ecological balance in the introduced habitats. Recent investigations into species invasions in aquatic ecosystems suggest that anthropogenic activities and climate change will accelerate the introduction, establishment, and spread of invasive species to new habitats. In this study, we utilised ensemble species distribution modelling to investigate shifts in the invasive potential of Snowflake coral in current and future climatic settings on a global scale. Future distribution was forecasted using four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5) across two periods (2040–2050 and 2090–2100). The results accurately predicted the known distributional range of the species. Temperature, distance to the port, and bathymetry were identified as the three most significant predictor variables. The low and medium habitat suitability regions increased in all scenarios and periods. In the high habitat suitability category, only RCP 4.5 and RCP 6.0 in the 2090–2100 period exhibited an increase in percentage area. Under the worst-case climate scenario, RCP 8.5 (2090–2100), the high-suitability regions displayed a surprising decline in area percentage, which can be attributed to the temperature thresholds of the species. Our findings indicate that the species has a greater potential to spread under current climatic conditions than previously reported, and its expansion may further accelerate in the future. This highlights the urgent need for more intensive surveys employing advanced detection tools and the implementation of proactive management measures to protect vulnerable ecosystems that could be impacted by this species.

Root microbiome diversity and structure of the Sonoran desert buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare L.).

Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) is an invasive plant introduced into Mexico's Sonoran desert for cattle grazing and has converted large areas of native thorn scrub. One of the invasion mechanisms buffelgrass uses to invade is allelopathy, which consists of the production and secretion of allelochemicals that exert adverse effects on other plants' growth. The plant microbiome also plays a vital role in establishing invasive plants and host growth and development. However, little is known about the buffelgrass root-associated bacteria and the effects of allelochemicals on the microbiome. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to obtain the microbiome of buffelgrass and compare it between samples treated with root exacknudates and aqueous leachates as allelochemical exposure and samples without allelopathic exposure in two different periods. The Shannon diversity values were between H' = 5.1811-5.5709, with 2,164 reported bacterial Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs). A total of 24 phyla were found in the buffelgrass microbiome, predominantly Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria. At the genus level, 30 different genera comprised the buffelgrass core microbiome. Our results show that buffelgrass recruits microorganisms capable of thriving under allelochemical conditions and may be able to metabolize them (e.g., Planctomicrobium, Aurantimonas, and Tellurimicrobium). We also found that the community composition of the microbiome changes depending on the developmental state of buffelgrass (p = 0.0366; ANOSIM). These findings provide new insights into the role of the microbiome in the establishment of invasive plant species and offer potential targets for developing strategies to control buffelgrass invasion.

Ichthyoplankton metabarcoding: An efficient tool for early detection of invasive species establishment.

Detection of invasive species is critical for management but is often limited by challenges associated with capture, processing and identification of early life stages. DNA metabarcoding facilitates large-scale monitoring projects to detect establishment early. Here, we test the use of DNA metabarcoding to monitor invasive species by sequencing over 5000 fishes in bulk ichthyoplankton samples (larvae and eggs) from four rivers of ecological and cultural importance in southern Canada. We were successful in detecting species known from each river and three invasive species in two of the four rivers. This includes the first detection of early life-stage rudd in the Credit River. We evaluated whether sampling gear affected the detection of invasive species and estimates of species richness, and found that light traps outperform bongo nets in both cases. We also found that the primers used for the amplification of target sequences and the number of sequencing reads generated per sample affect the consistency of species detections. However, these factors have less impact on detections and species richness estimates than the number of samples collected and analysed. Our analyses also show that incomplete reference databases can result in incorrectly attributing DNA sequences to invasive species. Overall, we conclude that DNA metabarcoding is an efficient tool for monitoring the early establishment of invasive species by detecting evidence of reproduction but requires careful consideration of sampling design and the primers used to amplify, sequence and classify the diversity of native and potentially invasive species.

A snapshot of online wildlife trade: Australian e-commerce trade of native and non-native pets

The international trade of non-domesticated pets impacts both conservation and biosecurity via the harvest and release of live animals beyond their native distributions. The extent to which individual countries mitigate these impacts via regulation of trade is inconsistent, as is their capacity to monitor internet facilitated trade. We investigated the online trade of vertebrate pets within Australia, a country with a reputation for relatively stringent pet-importation regulations and world-class border biosecurity. Using semi-automated data mining (i.e., webscraping) techniques, we collected online pet trade data over the course of 14 weeks from 12 Australian e-commerce platforms selected using an a priori set of search terms. We analysed spatial, temporal and taxonomic biases in trade and identified instances of high rates of trade in: (i) threatened species, (ii) non-native species, (iii) and species not permissible for live import. We identified over 100,000 individual live animals across 1192 species, including: 667 non-native species for sale within Australia from 03/12/2019 to 20/03/2020 (mammals were excluded from our analysis). Our findings constitute a much greater scale (in terms of abundance and richness) of non-native species trade than previously recorded in Australia. Substantial changes to legislative control of domestically traded pets are needed at the national level to reduce the volume of non-native pets that may contribute to the establishment of invasive species in Australia. We suggest that contemporary examples of permit systems applied to native taxa may provide a valuable template for the implementation of such changes.