Highlighted papers

Read more about the article Comparing impacts of alien plants and animals using a standard scoring system
Lantana (Lantana camara) is poisonous to humans and animals, and responsible for livestock losses in South Africa
2015 / Highlighted papers

Comparing impacts of alien plants and animals using a standard scoring system

Knowing which species to manage amongst all the species introduced outside of their native ranges is a huge challenge. Many factors play a role in the decision making process, one of the most important ones being whether or not the alien species causes harm to native ecosystems and species, or damages the economy.

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22 April 2015
Read more about the article Mutualisms — fundamental mediators of biological invasions
Potential effects of biological invasions on different types of mutualisms compared with effects caused by other drivers of global change. Symbols: ∆ changes in; ↑ increases in; ↓ decreases in.
2014 / Highlighted papers

Mutualisms — fundamental mediators of biological invasions

Mutualisms are relationships between organisms of different species in which each individual benefits from the activity of the other. These relationships are hugely important in nature. Essential services provided by mutualists include pollination, seed dispersal and the constitution of global cycles of carbon and other nutrients.

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19 December 2014
Read more about the article Improving pastures for the livestock industry poses major weed threat
Pathways that are driving the emergence of problems with newly developed pasture plants as invasive species (A) and potential solutions to these problems (B).
2014 / Highlighted papers

Improving pastures for the livestock industry poses major weed threat

The new approach of ‘sustainable intensification’ in the livestock industry aims to increase food production from existing farmland while minimising pressure on the environment. While beneficial in many respects, this approach poses a major environmental risk, since many newly developed pasture plants pose a high risk of becoming invasive.

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7 November 2014
Read more about the article Zeta beats beta in the game of biodiversity measurement – A new common currency for quantifying and linking biodiversity patterns and relationships
By providing a continuous biodiversity turnover metric, zeta diversity is particularly useful for assessing the conservation status of protected areas not only based on endangered species but also common ones, such as the Lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudata) in Kruger National Park (South Africa). Photo credit: C. Hui.
2014 / Highlighted papers

Zeta beats beta in the game of biodiversity measurement – A new common currency for quantifying and linking biodiversity patterns and relationships

Mounting challenges from man-made environmental change means measuring and tracking changes in biodiversity—the total living natural assets on earth—is becoming increasingly more important.

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2 October 2014
Read more about the article Birds helped acacia trees travel 18,000km from Hawaii to Réunion Islands
2014 / Highlighted papers

Birds helped acacia trees travel 18,000km from Hawaii to Réunion Islands

Island biogeography theory predicts that most island species originate from nearby mainland regions and therefore arrive through rare, long-distance dispersal events. How close islands are to mainland regions must therefore be an important factor in determining the make-up of island biotas.

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2 July 2014