Global biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. Causes of these declines include the destruction of natural habitats as a result of human development, and the introduction of non-native species.
Predicting which introduced plants and animals are likely to become invasive is a key challenge for invasion biology. To help make these predictions, scientists use models that can predict the potential spread of introduced species.
Millions of years ago a number of species independently evolved a new type of photosynthesis that allowed them to cope better with low CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. This “innovation” is called C4 photosynthesis and despite evolving a number of different times, it evolved within just a few groups of plants, most notably among the grasses.
Alien species cause a number of impacts in the ecosystems they live in, ranging from hardly detectable to dramatic change. Measuring such impacts is not always straightforward. Furthermore, a wide range of methods and variables has been used to describe these impacts, making comparison between species and habitats difficult.
Research on rough-barked Honey Myrtle (Melaleuca parvistaminea) in South Africa began in 2009 when the newly formed SANBI’s Invasive Species Programme attempt to identify potentially invasive alien plant species as targets for eradication.