When comparing three invasive alien plants (IAP) in South Africa to their native counterparts in the United States, a clear increase in phytochemical diversity in the invaded region was found, highlighting the role of secondary metabolites in plant 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.
Guttural toads (Sclerophrys gutturalis) have been invasive in Mauritius and Reunion for nearly 100 years (since ~1922), and have been in Constantia (near Cape Town) for another 20 years, but where did those colonising toads come from?
Clearing the invasive alien tree Port Jackson (Acacia saligna) doesn't necessarily lead to the recovery of native plant communities because secondary invaders may be dominant and persist up to three years after clearing at levels similar to, or higher than the first year after clearing.
Invasive species offer many important challenges to society. Their presence is intrinsically linked to human actions, but their impacts are felt across a wide range of environmental and socio-economic levels.
