A paper published in the journal Pest Management Science showed that herbicide is likely to become less effective in controlling the invasive famine weed (Parthenium hysterophorus) in the future as CO2 levels rise.
In this commentary, a group of researchers, including C∙I∙B researchers and former C∙I∙B students, argue that when protected areas containing invasive alien species (IAS) are subjected to protected area downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement (PADDD), there is a higher chance that IAS will cause environmental and socioeconomic effects.
The invasive plant sour fig (Carpobrotus edulis: also known as Hottentot-fig, ice plant, highway ice plant, or pigface) can have a clear impact reducing the abundance of native invertebrates, with substantial effects on herbivores.
In an article recently published in Current Biology, an international team led by C·I·B Research Associate Jaco Le Roux suggest that care should be taken when conveying scientific data related to biodiversity impacts caused by climate change, as policy makers often make decisions based on scientific evidence.
Over the past decade research has been done towards understanding the role of phytochemicals in the success of plant invasions. This research has led to the well-known Novel Weapon Hypothesis, which suggests that the release of certain phytochemicals by alien plants can inhibit the early development of native species that have not previously experienced them, thus granting alien species a competitive advantage.
