Impacts of biological invasions: what's what and the way forward.
Study of the impacts of biological invasions, a pervasive component of global change, has generated remarkable understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of the spread of introduced populations. The growing field of invasion science, poised at a crossroads where ecology, social sciences, resource management, and public perception meet, is increasingly exposed to critical scrutiny from several perspectives. Although the rate of biological invasions, elucidation of their consequences, and knowledge about mitigation are growing rapidly, the very need for invasion science is disputed. Here, we highlight recent progress in understanding invasion impacts and management, and discuss the challenges that the discipline faces in its science and interactions with society.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA. dsimberloff@utk.edu
Daniel
D
Simberloff
Jean-Louis
JL
Martin
Piero
P
Genovesi
Virginie
V
Maris
David A
DA
Wardle
James
J
Aronson
Franck
F
Courchamp
Bella
B
Galil
Emili
E
García-Berthou
Michel
M
Pascal
Petr
P
Pyšek
Ronaldo
R
Sousa
Eric
E
Tabacchi
Montserrat
M
Vilà
D000818:Animals; D003142:Communication; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D058865:Introduced Species; D011639:Public Opinion; D035501:Uncertainty