Recently published C·I·B research conducted in association with the International Polar Year ‘Aliens in Antarctica’ project has measured the propagule load carried in the clothing and gear of researchers and visitors to the Antarctic region.
The management of invasive species is made more complex when more than one invasive species is present in a given ecosystem at the same time. Several invasive species may have a greater effect than one species does alone and there can be synergistic effects that result in a cascade of impacts and a large change in the way the ecosystem functions.
Fruit flies are major economic pests throughout the world, causing huge economic losses to commercial fruit production. Some of the most notorious invasive species cause widespread damage by puncturing the fruit during egg laying and leaving the larvae to develop in the fruit.
Determining the extent to which organisms are able to tolerate and respond to climate change is important for assessing species vulnerability and informing strategies for biodiversity management. Recent work has demonstrated that responses to warming may be less variable and more predictable in marine than in terrestrial organisms.
Biological invasions are taking place at an increasing rate, causing environmental and economic problems worldwide. It is therefore important to be able to predict and identify those species that may have damaging ecological impacts.
