Read more about the article How many invasive species can our ecosystems tolerate?
Mice are the most widely distributed vertebrate in the world due to historical shipping and trade patterns. The image shows a mouse hitchhiking on marine ropes (photo: James Russell). This is but one example of the many species that are introduced accidentally as a result of tourism. More work is needed to fully understand the role of different pathways in introducing non-native species and to find ways of managing these pathways to reduce the associated risks.

How many invasive species can our ecosystems tolerate?

An increase of 20 to 30 percent in the number of invasive alien species will lead to dramatic biodiversity loss worldwide. This is one conclusion of a study by an international team of researchers led by C·I·B associate Franz Essl that was published in the journal Global Change Biology.

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Read more about the article Scientists warn of increasing threats posed by invasive alien species
The Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer is an ambrosia beetle that is native to Asia and was first recorded in South Africa in 2017. This beetle and an associated fungus pose substantial threats to both native and alien trees in the country. At least 80 tree species, including 35 native, are known to be attacked. This invasion has already caused huge damage by killing large trees in urban areas. The full extent of impact of this invader on the South African urban environment will only be ascertained over time. Municipalities already face the costly removal of many heavily infested street trees. Photos: Samantha Bush, Trudy Paap

Scientists warn of increasing threats posed by invasive alien species

Invasive alien species are one of the top five threats to biodiversity and ecosystems globally, yet only a handful of countries regard biosecurity measures as a priority.

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Read more about the article Sour fig changes invertebrate diversity in the invasive range, C·I·B study shows
Carpobrotus edulis, native to South Africa, is invasive in the coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula (Galicia, Spain). (Photo credit: Jonatan Rodríguez)

Sour fig changes invertebrate diversity in the invasive range, C·I·B study shows

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.

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Read more about the article Mapping invasion hypotheses
Consensus map of invasion hypotheses created by Enders et al. (2020)

Mapping invasion hypotheses

The field of invasion biology has accumulated a number of hypotheses and concepts - some of these are overlapping or redundant, a few others even contradictory. This has led to the situation that invasion biologists are having an increasingly hard time to maintain an overview of the discipline’s important ideas.

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Read more about the article Identifying invasion syndromes to improve our capacity of understanding and managing biological invasions
Framework explaining the concept of invasion syndromes

Identifying invasion syndromes to improve our capacity of understanding and managing biological invasions

For decades, invasion scientists have been trying to identify generalisations that can allow us to understand which species will become invasive in the future, where and how they will be introduced, which impacts they will have in the invaded areas, and how we can efficiently manage them.

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