Read more about the article What can we learn about predicting impacts of alien predators from a globally invasive crab?
The number of mussel prey eaten by European shore crabs in native and various alien regions. (Graphic: Howard et al., 2018)

What can we learn about predicting impacts of alien predators from a globally invasive crab?

Because resources for addressing environmental problems are limited, it has been suggested that management should focus on those species that have the highest impacts in their new environments. Comparing the ability of alien and native species to utilize resources has been shown to offer a sound approach for identifying alien species with high impacts.

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Read more about the article Port Jackson impacts the restoration of <em>Protea repens</em> long after its removal
Mlungele Nsikani in the greenhouse where the Sugarbush growth trials took place. (Photo credit: Zama Mahlobo-Nsikani)

Port Jackson impacts the restoration of Protea repens long after its removal

The growth of our native Sugarbush (Protea repens) is not negatively affected by the legacy of altered soil chemistry after the clearing of invasive Port Jackson (Acacia saligna).

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Read more about the article Barriers to restoration presented by soil legacy effects
How to combine potential management actions to address barriers to restoration presented by soil legacy effects of invasive alien N2-fixing woody species into an integrated management effort to improve restoration outcomes. (Graphic from Nsikani et al., 2018)

Barriers to restoration presented by soil legacy effects

The soil legacy effects of invasive nitrogen fixing woody species can present several barriers to the restoration of native plant communities. This was the finding of a recent review paper by C·I·B PhD student, Mlungele Nsikani, and C·I·B Core Team Members, Brian van Wilgen and Mirijam Gaertner, in the journal Restoration Ecology.

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Read more about the article Being mycorrhizal is important for the persistence and spread of alien plants
Canadian poplar (Populus Canadensis) was one of the alien tree species considered in the study. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Creative Commons)

Being mycorrhizal is important for the persistence and spread of alien plants

A “mycorrhiza” is a relationship between a fungus and the roots of a plant. The fungus lives inside the plant roots, and increases the roots’ efficiency in absorbing nutrients from the soil. In such a relationship, both the plants and the fungi, are said to be mycorrhizal and this relationship between plant roots and its associated fungi (“mycorrhizal fungi”) is, amongst other things, important for plant growth.

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Read more about the article New protocol helps identify and categorise environmental impacts of alien species
The mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) has massive impact through hybridisation. (Photo credit: By WPPilot - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38620499)

New protocol helps identify and categorise environmental impacts of alien species

A new protocol for identifying and categorising the environmental impacts of alien species may help invasion biologists to complete a global stocktake on the environmental impacts of all known alien species by 2020.

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