title: Microbial invasions: the process, patterns, and mechanisms.
abstract: There has recently been a surge of literature examining microbial invasions into a variety of environments. These studies often include a component of biological diversity as a major factor determining an invader's fate, yet common results are rarely cross-compared. Since many studies only present a snapshot of the entire invasion process, a bird's eye view is required to piece together the entire continuum, which we find consists of introduction, establishment, spread, and impact phases. We further examine the patterns and mechanisms associated with invasion resistance and create a mechanistic synthesis governed by the species richness, species evenness, and resource availability of resident communities. We conclude by exploring the advantages of using a theoretical invasion framework across different fields.
authors.affiliation: Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Gronignen, Nijenborg 7, Groningen, 9747 AG, The Netherlands. Electronic address: c.a.mallon@rug.nl.
authors.forename: Cyrus Alexander
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mallon
authors.affiliation: Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Gronignen, Nijenborg 7, Groningen, 9747 AG, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan Dirk van
authors.initials: JDV
authors.lastname: Elsas
authors.affiliation: Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Gronignen, Nijenborg 7, Groningen, 9747 AG, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Joana Falcão
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Salles
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development; D044822:Biodiversity; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005658:Fungi / Q000254:growth & development; D008954:Models, Biological; D011158:Population Growth; D014780:Viruses / Q000254:growth & development
keywords: diversity; microbial invasion; resource availability; species evenness; species richness