A new synthesis paper by C∙I∙B Core Team member John Wilson and C∙I∙B Associate Petr Pyšek, provides advice on how to address context dependency in invasion science.
Urban areas are foci for the introduction of alien species and very often act as launching sites for invasions into natural ecosystems that adjoin urban ecosystems. Until very recently, the study of biological invasions has focused on developing concepts and frameworks mainly for (semi)natural ecosystems.
Invasion science must adapt to meet growing societal demands and biosecurity challenges in the face of rapid global environmental change. This task was addressed at a workshop during the NEOBIOTA conference in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, in September 2018 that was attended by several researchers affiliated with the Centre for Invasion Biology (C∙I∙B).
Impact classification schemes for alien taxa are becoming more prominent as the threats posed by biological invasions increase. A recent study found that despite a high variety of uncertainties occurring in impact assessments, some of which cannot be eliminated easily, communicating their existence, cause and variety can lead to more useful and reliable outcomes of impact assessments.