Understanding Of Invasive Species Research Articles

First record of the lobster cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea (Olivier, 1789) (Insecta: Blattodea) in Europe with remarks on synanthropic cockroaches of the Iberian Peninsula

AbstractGlobalization has facilitated the introduction and establishment of organisms beyond their natural ranges, leading to significant ecological and economic consequences. While many non‐native species are well documented, others remain understudied, either due to their unknown impact or morphological similarities with native species. This study addresses such a case, focusing on synanthropic cockroaches within the order Blattodea. Despite the order's diversity, less than 1% of known species are recorded in urban environments. While certain species like Periplaneta americana, Blatta orientalis and Blattella germanica are well distributed and studied, others remain largely unknown. This research unveils the first established population of Nauphoeta cinerea in Europe, specifically in Spain (Asturias, northern Iberian Peninsula), with specific genetic and morphological confirmation. This study also explores potential pathways of introduction for N. cinerea. Long‐distance transport by ships or escape/release from captivity are proposed as potential pathways for the newly established populations in Asturias. The species' high fecundity and parthenogenetic reproduction raise concerns about its potential invasiveness. Additionally, this study includes unpublished data on various synanthropic cockroaches in Asturias (with the first records of P. lateralis and Supella longipalpa for this area), drawn from specimens deposited in biological collections and some extra collections. An identification key for all Spanish non‐native synanthropic cockroach species is provided to assist in future detections. This research emphasizes the imperative need for robust monitoring systems, highlights the scarcity of scientific information regarding synanthropic cockroach distribution and underscores the pivotal role of biological collections in advancing our understanding of invasive species.

Where Is Garlic Mustard? Understanding the Ecological Context for Invasions of Alliaria petiolata.

The invasive plant Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) has spread throughout forest understory and edge communities in much of North America, but its persistence, density, and impacts have varied across sites and time. Surveying the literature since 2008, we evaluated both previously proposed and new mechanisms for garlic mustard's invasion success and note how they interact and vary across ecological contexts. We analyzed how and where garlic mustard has been studied and found a lack of multisite and longitudinal studies, as well as regions that may be under- or overstudied, leading to poor representation for understanding and predicting future invasion dynamics. Inconsistencies in how sampling units are scaled and defined can also hamper our understanding of invasive species. We present new conceptual models for garlic mustard invasion from a macrosystems perspective, emphasizing the importance of synergies and feedbacks among mechanisms across spatial and temporal scales to produce variable ecological contexts.

Combined Searches of Chinese Language and English Language Databases Provide More Comprehensive Data on the Distribution of Five Pest Thrips Species in China for Use in Pest Risk Assessment

Background: Globally, China and the USA are thought to present the greatest biosecurity threat from invasive species given the invasive species they already contain and their trade patterns. A proportion of Chinese scientific publications are published in Chinese language journals in Chinese characters, thus, they are not easily available to the international biosecurity community. Information in these journals may be important for invasive species biosecurity risk assessment. Methods: To assess the need for retrieving information from non-international databases, such as Chinese databases, we compared quantitative and qualitative information on the presence and distribution of five invasive pest thrips species (Frankliniella schultzei, Selenothrips rubrocinctus, Scirtothrips dorsalis, Thrips hawaiiensis, and Thrips palmi) in China, retrieved from an international English language database (Web of Science/WOS) and a Chinese language database (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure/CNKI). Such information is necessary for climate matching models which are used regularly for pest risk assessment. Results: Few publications on Frankliniella schultzei were found in either database. For the other species, more publications were sourced from CNKI than WOS. More publications on the provincial distribution of S. rubrocinctus and S. dorsalis in China were found in CNKI than the Crop Protection Compendium (CPC); the two sources had equivalent publications on T. palmi and T. hawaiiensis. The combined provincial distributional data from WOS, CNKI and CPC for the four species provided distribution records at a higher latitude than a recently published checklist—information that is important for optimised climate matching. Additionally, CNKI provided sub-provincial distributional data not available in CPC that will enable a more refined approach for climate matching. Data on the relative proportion of publications found in different databases were constant over time. Conclusions: This study, focusing on pest distributional data, illustrates the importance of searching in Chinese databases in combination with standard searches in international databases, to gain a comprehensive understanding of invasive species for biosecurity risk assessment.

Botany is the root and the future of invasion biology.

Botany is the root and the future of invasion biology.

Cuticular hydrocarbons of Gonipterus weevils: are there species differences?

Gonipterus weevils have been a taxonomic challenge for many years, with implications on our understanding of invasive species, host plant relationships and natural enemies. We assessed cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) analysis as a tool for discrimination of some of the many species of Gonipterus occurring in Australia. Weevils were collected across several localities and kept under identical conditions prior to a whole-body wash for extraction of CHCs in hexane. Weevil identifications were confirmed using morphology and molecular tools. CHC extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and the relative peak areas in profiles were compared; compounds were identified according to MS fragmentation and retention indices. CHC profiles of the seven species of Gonipterus analyzed differed from each other, and from another weevil genus (Oxyops), used as an outgroup. The compounds that contributed most to species differences were alkanes, alkenes and methyl branched alkanes. Within some species, locality of collection affected CHC profiles. Our study presents CHC analysis as a promising tool for distinction of Gonipterus species.

Density dependence mediates the ecological impact of an invasive fish

AbstractAimThe way in which habitat heterogeneity and predator density affect predator–prey dynamics, space use and prey risk are understudied aspects of foraging ecology, particularly for invasive species. Likewise, how an invasive species’ impact scales with its abundance is poorly understood. We used a model invasive species—lionfish (Pterois volitans)—to understand emergent multiple predator effects and influences of habitat heterogeneity on consumption rate and prey mortality risk.LocationFlorida, USA.MethodsWe considered effects of both predator and prey abundance on density‐dependent impact. We used functional response methodology to quantify the per‐capita effect of P. volitans, assessing concomitant influences of prey refuge (3 levels) and predator density (3 levels) on predator–prey space use and predation efficiency across increasing prey densities (7 levels). We then assessed intraspecific interaction outcomes by comparing observed per‐capita effects with predicted estimates based on consumption rates of individual predators. This allowed us to detect the presence of emergent multiple predator effects (MPEs) and tease apart density‐dependent impacts.ResultsLionfish predatory impact was mediated by predator and prey density but unaffected by refugia. Despite incongruent patch preferences between predators and their prey, predator impacts were context‐independent. We also detected nonlinear scaling of impact with increasing predator abundance. Pairs of lionfish had the greatest per‐capita effect, whose cumulative impact on prey matched that expected of independently foraging predators. At the highest predator density (four fish), antagonistic multiple predator effects precipitated prey risk reduction, in which we observed the lowest per‐capita effect. Across predator abundances, prey mortality rates were inversely density‐dependent.Main conclusionsQuantifying non‐independent consumptive effects of multiple conspecific predators across levels of prey abundance can inform better prediction and understanding of invasive species' density‐dependent effects. Additionally, consideration of heterogeneity‐mediated FRs and predator–prey spatial distributions may facilitate more precise and realistic predictions of invader impact across their invaded range.

Investigating population genetics of invasive rainbow smelt in the Great Lakes Region

Increasing our understanding of invasive species is important because of the negative impacts they can have on the economies and ecosystems of invaded regions. There is growing interest in how environmental variability (e.g. temperature) and stochastic invasion events (e.g. founder effects) affect the genetic composition of populations of invasive species. Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) are a cold-water, planktivorous fish that spread into the Great Lakes basin in the early 1900s. We performed genetic analyses using microsatellites (N = 10) to investigate the influence stochastic invasion events have had on the genetic composition of invasive rainbow smelt populations across a broad geographic range. Genetic analyses were conducted on rainbow smelt populations (N = 30/population) from Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and four inland lakes in Northern Wisconsin. Populations from the Great Lakes were generally less differentiated than inland populations. Additionally, we found evidence of a significant bottleneck in two inland populations and evidence for two distinct genetic strains of rainbow smelt in Lake Ontario. We also performed genetic analyses using microsatellites to determine if a thermally-induced extreme mortality event had an effect on a population of rainbow smelt and found that there was no measurable genetic effect on the population. Overall, this study provides evidence that the genetic structure and diversity of introduced populations can vary significantly, and are likely influenced by factors such as the frequency and magnitude of introductions. Also the resiliency of an invasive species can be high despite a history of bottlenecks and low genetic diversity.

Current understanding of invasive species impacts cannot be ignored: potential publication biases do not invalidate findings

Current understanding of invasive species impacts cannot be ignored: potential publication biases do not invalidate findings

College Student Knowledge and Perceptions of Invasive Species

The purpose of this study was to determine college students’ understanding of invasive species and their support for plant and animal pest control and eradication methods. Surveys were administered at a university and community college in Texas in biology and agriculture departments. A total of 533 respondents participated in the study. Most students said they were not part of any type of environmental organization and felt they were not very informed about invasive species issues. More students reported learning about invasive species in high school than in college courses. The average score on knowledge questions related to invasive and native plants and animals was 32%. Most students underestimated the negative impact of invasive species but many were aware of costs to manage those species. Reliable reported sources of information included environmental organizations, college courses, and the Internet. Pearson product-moment correlations showed positive relationships between students who had college class instruction regarding invasive species and positive attitudes toward management of invasive species. Positive relationships were also found between instruction and an awareness of invasive plants or animals. Respondents who were knowledgeable of invasive species in the community had more positive attitudes toward the management of invasive species. In demographic comparisons, differences were found with males, upperclassmen, and those identifying as Caucasian or other having more knowledge of invasive species and more positive attitudes toward their management.

Margaret Levyns and the Decline of Ecological Liberalism in the Southwest Cape, 1890–1975

This article analyses the life and ideas of Margaret Rutherford Levyns (née Michell), a South African botanist who worked from 1918 to 1946 as a lecturer in botany at the University of Cape Town and continued to write about the Cape flora (known today as the Cape Floristic Region) until her death in 1975. Until the early 1960s, Levyns maintained a neutral scientific and moral understanding of invasive species, defined here as ‘ecological liberalism’, that reflected her gendered experiences as a botanist, her prevailing ideas of ecology, the lingering ideals of Cape liberalism, and her extensive research into the phytogeography and taxonomy of the Cape flora. Levyns began to shift her views on non-native invasive species only after retirement. By using Levyns as a lens onto the period, this article distinguishes between a prevailing Cape ecological liberalism from the 1890s to the 1950s that shifted towards a more critical stance on invasive alien species in the 1950s and 1960s.

Gradual loss of genetic diversity of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. populations in the invaded range of central Serbia

As an invasive allergenic weed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. causes serious public health and economic problems in invaded ranges of Europe. Over the last two decades, while expanding toward southern parts of Serbia, this common ragweed has become a very troublesome plant species in the whole country. Considering the importance of genetic studies in understanding of invasive species, our main objectives in this study were to analyze the genetic diversity and genetic structure of Ambrosia artemisiifolia populations from Central Serbia, a relatively recently invaded region. Comparing values of genetic measures obtained by microsatellite analyses, a number of differences were detected in genetic diversity between sampled populations. Allelic richness-r (ranged from 5.42 to 7.80), the mean number of alleles per locus-NA (5.8-8.4) and the mean number of rare alleles per locus-NR (2.8-5.8) have quite similar ranges across populations. We observed greater genetic variability in populations from the northern part of investigated area than in southern populations. Based on pairwise Fst values, AMOVA results and PCo Analysis, moderate differentiation among population was detected, while the STRUCTURE analysis clearly separated SR-Kru and SR-Les. Data obtained for analyses of differentiation and gradual losses of genetic diversity of sampled populations provides useful information about invasion dynamics of common ragweed in recently invaded region.

An invasive species’ relationship with environmental variables changes across multiple spatial scales

To further our understanding of invasive species’ novel distributions, knowledge of invasive species’ relationships with environmental variables at multiple spatial scales is paramount. Here, we investigate which environmental variables and which spatial scales best explain the invasive mute swan’s (Cygnus olor) distribution in southern Ontario (Canada). Specifically we model mute swan distribution changes according to ecologically-relevant spatial scales: average territory size radius, 140 m; median dispersal distance of cygnets, 3,000 m; and average activity distance of males, 8,000 m. For individual spatial scales, global models using variables measured at each particular scale result in the highest Akaike weights, AUC, and Cohen’s Kappa values. Yet composite models (models combining variables measured at different scales) elicit the best models, as determined by higher Akaike weights and high AUC and Cohen’s Kappa values. Overall, percent water, waterbody perimeter density, temperature, precipitation, and road density are positively correlated with mute swan distribution, while percent forest and elevation are negatively correlated at all scales of analysis. Only percent water and annual precipitation are more influential in determining mute swan distribution at the 3,000 and 8,000 m zone scales than the territory scale. While most species distribution models are performed at a single scale, the results of our study suggest that composite models reflecting a species’ ecological needs provide models of better fit with similar, if not better, predictive accuracy. When analyzing species distributions, we also recommend that ecologists consider the scale of the underlying landscape processes and the effect that this may have on their modelling outcomes.

Ecological and socio‐economic impacts of invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes): a review

Summary1. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is one of the world’s most invasive aquatic plants and is known to cause significant ecological and socio‐economic effects.2. Water hyacinth can alter water clarity and decrease phytoplankton production, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, heavy metals and concentrations of other contaminants.3. The effects of water hyacinth on ecological communities appear to be largely nonlinear. Abundance and diversity of aquatic invertebrates generally increase in response to increased habitat heterogeneity and structural complexity provided by water hyacinth but decrease due to decreased phytoplankton (food) availability.4. Effects of water hyacinth on fish are largely dependent on original community composition and food‐web structure. A more diverse and abundant epiphytic invertebrate community may increase fish abundance and diversity, but a decrease in phytoplankton may decrease dissolved oxygen concentrations and planktivorous fish abundance, subsequently affecting higher trophic levels.5. Little is known about the effects of water hyacinth on waterbird communities; however, increases in macroinvertebrate and fish abundance and diversity suggest a potentially positive interaction with waterbirds when water hyacinth is at moderate density.6. The socio‐economic effects of water hyacinth are dependent on the extent of the invasion, the uses of the impacted waterbody, control methods and the response to control efforts. Ecosystem‐level research programmes that simultaneously monitor the effects of water hyacinth on multiple trophic‐levels are needed to further our understanding of invasive species.

Aquatic Invaders: Sea Grant/AZA project explains pathways to zoo and aquarium audiences

University researchers and government agency scientists can join new allies in efforts to increase public understanding of aquatic invasive species. More than 200 “free choice learning” centers accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, along with Sea Grant programs across the United States, have received Aquatic Invaders program toolkits as part of an outreach project funded by NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program. Surveys results show that the AZA educators have already reached audiences totaling at least 10,000 with messages to limit the introduction and spread of AIS. The educators also report significant increases in their own understanding of invasive species. The kit reflects a successful project that brought together scientists and educators for a program designed on a national scale, yet can be adapted for local use/emphasis.