Despite the fact that, by definition, alien species invade ecological communities, invasion and community ecology have mostly grown independently. This led to differences in how ecological processes are considered in the two fields, which can be detrimental for understanding and predicting the spread and impacts of alien species.
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.
Can the colors or shapes of invasive plants tell us how they interact with native plants? Tackling the question, C·I·B student, Michelle Gibson and supervisors, Dave Richardson and Anton Pauw, used the problematic invasive Australian Acacia saligna to determine whether floral traits (characteristics) can be used to predict the impact of this invasive on co-occurring native plants in the Cape Floristic Region.
Much remains to be understood about why some introduced species become invasive whereas others do not. Recently, polyploidy (whole genome duplication) has been proposed as an important determinant of invasiveness in plants.