Why is exotic species a problem

View Citation. Tam, C. Geological Survey invasive species research—Improving detection, awareness, decision support, and control: U. Geological Survey Circular , 28 p. Year Published: Occurrence, fate, and transport of aerially applied herbicides to control invasive buffelgrass within Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District, Arizona, —18 The spread of the invasive and fire-adapted buffelgrass Cenchrus ciliaris L.

Paretti, Nicholas V. Paretti, N. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report —, 65 p. Year Published: The Transformation of dryland rivers: The future of introduced tamarisk in the U. Nagler, Pamela L. Nagler, P. Geological Survey Fact Sheet —, 6 p. Chapman, Duane C. Chapman, D.

Geological Survey Fact Sheet —, 2 p. Year Published: Invasive species research—Science for detection, containment, and control Invasive species research within the U.

Attribution: Ecosystems. Campbell, E. Geological Survey Fact Sheet —, 4 p. Kolar, Cynthia S. Kolar, C. Geological Survey Fact Sheet , 4 p. Hubert, Terrance D. Hubert, T. Geological Survey Open-File Report —, 16 p. Year Published: Invasive Species Science Branch: research and management tools for controlling invasive species Invasive, nonnative species of plants, animals, and disease organisms adversely affect the ecosystems they enter.

Reed, Robert N. Year Published: Invasive lionfish use a diversity of habitats in Florida Two species of lionfish Pterois volitans and Pterois miles are the first marine fishes known to invade and establish self-sustaining populations along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Schofield, Pamela J. Virgin Islands.

Year Published: Using genetic research to inform imperiled and invasive species management The long-term viability of species and populations is related to their potential to migrate, reproduce, and adapt to environmental changes. Hunter, Margaret E.

Using genetic research to inform imperiled and invasive species management; ; FS; ; Hunter, Margaret E. Year Published: Invasive crayfish in the Pacific Northwest Invasive species directly threaten freshwater biodiversity, particularly in regions of high aquatic richness like the Pacific Northwest PNW.

Pearl, Christopher A. Date published: October 1, Date published: August 24, Date published: April 24, Date published: November 13, Date published: April 25, Scroll down to hear and download calls of Cuban treefrogs and two native treefrogs. Date published: April 23, Attribution: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. Date published: August 23, Date published: January 11, Date published: November 16, This recommendation is currently under consideration by the EU, and a final decision about policy approach is expected by Europe's position as a centre for international trade over many centuries has resulted in it having a large number and diversity of established non-native species.

Many of these species are invasive and they affect all European habitats. Impacts include loss of native biodiversity, economic losses, and harm to human health. Over the last several decades the field of invasion biology has grown markedly [ 19 ] and has created a growing understanding of the biology of invasive species.

One of the emergent insights of invasion biology has been that invasions are an inherently multi-disciplinary issue. More specifically, species are introduced through human economic activities. Without a clear understanding of these activities it is impossible to explain and understand biological invasions.

This is clearly illustrated by the importance of propagule pressure as a driver of invasions. Propagule pressure is driven by human activities and is increasingly recognized as a strong factor in many, if not most, invasions.

Where timelines of species non-native species discovery are available, it is clear that the problem of invasions has not been fully addressed by current national or EU policies. Indeed, many European habitats appear to be acquiring new non-native species faster now than at any time in recorded history. Creating and enforcing policies that slow the rate of invasion is difficult for many reasons, including the value derived from many of the pathways that move the most species e.

These policies may be especially difficult in Europe because it is an environmentally heterogeneous region where barriers to the movement of goods have been actively removed to encourage free trade and travel. Despite this difficulty, current deliberations in the EU about developing a comprehensive policy instrument to address invasive species are very promising. Apart from the policy and management considerations, the spread of non-native species offers many insights into biological and ecological processes as well as into the links between biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and socio-economic impacts.

Many researchers have been attracted to study species invasions because of the complexities, and the possibility to integrate across disciplines in ways that both generate new insight and that can lead to practical policy solutions.

By reviewing a broad range of invasive species, and by reviewing both the biological and economic literature, we hope that this manuscript can make a useful contribution toward a more integrative understanding of species invasions in Europe. Ann NY Acad Sci , — Google Scholar. Trends Ecol Evol , — Williamson M: Biological invasions. Science , — CAS Google Scholar. Dordrecht: Springer; A pan-European cross-taxa assessment. Front Ecol Environ , 8: — Conserv Biol , — J Appl Ecol , — Preslia , — Stuttgart: Ulmer; Kowarik I: Time lags in biological invasions with regard to the success and failure of alien species.

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You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to Reuben P Keller. RK organized all text into the final version. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Reprints and Permissions. Keller, R. Invasive species in Europe: ecology, status, and policy. Environ Sci Eur 23, 23 Download citation. Received : 01 April Accepted : 20 June Published : 20 June Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Skip to main content. Search all SpringerOpen articles Search. Download PDF. Abstract Globalization of trade and travel has facilitated the spread of non-native species across the earth. Introduction Globalization has integrated widely dispersed human communities into a worldwide economy. The invasion process To become invasive, a species must pass through a number of transitions e.

Introduction pathways There is a long history of classifying the pathways of non-native species. Table 1 Some important pathways of introduction for non-native terrestrial animals, terrestrial plants, and aquatic organisms Full size table.

Characteristics of highly invaded regions The number of invasive species found in a region depends on the number of species that have been introduced, the proportion of introduced species that have become established, and the proportion of established species that have gone on to cause impacts.

Terrestrial animals There is a particular lack of support for the biotic resistance hypothesis when terrestrial animals are considered see [ 52 ] and references therein. Plants Patterns of plant invasion in Europe offer little support for the biotic resistance hypothesis e. Aquatic organisms European aquatic ecosystems containing the highest numbers of non-native species tend to be those with high connectivity to other ecosystems, high frequency of human access e.

Characteristics of invasive species An alternative perspective comes from asking whether there are traits of non-native species that are associated with successful passage through the invasion process.

Terrestrial animals Recent studies of the characteristics of invasive terrestrial animal species have shown that invasive species tend to have been introduced in higher numbers and more frequently than non-invasive species [ 69 , 78 ]. Terrestrial plants Several factors are related to the invasion success of individual plant species. Aquatic organisms As for terrestrial animals and plants, there are some general rules that separate non-native aquatic species that successfully pass through the invasion sequence from those that do not.

Number of established non-native species in Europe At least several thousand non-native species are now established in Europe [ 6 ]. Terrestrial animals According to the DAISIE database, there are 33 non-native established mammal species [ 31 ] and 77 established bird species in Europe [ 32 ].

Terrestrial plants Terrestrial plants are generally well sampled, but it can be difficult to assess total numbers of established non-native species because the same species is often given different scientific names in different parts of Europe. Aquatic organisms It is estimated that non-native multicellular animal species from marine environments and non-native freshwater animal species are now established in Europe [ 36 , 37 ]. Impacts of non-native species in Europe Invasive species have a large and diverse range of impacts in Europe.

Figure 1. Full size image. Management and policy for invasive species Policy challenges Compared to other environmental problems, invasive species present at least six particular challenges. Bioeconomic approaches to policy and management Ecological studies of species invasions have increased in number and sophistication over the last several decades [ 19 ].

General principles for policy and management It is generally accepted, and has often been shown, that the best way to reduce total impacts from invasive species is to prevent their introduction [ , , ]. Invasive species policy in Europe There is a large diversity of national approaches to invasive species within the EU see review in [ ]. This third option could be complemented by the creation of a European Centre for Invasive Species Management that would provide a coordinating role [ ] Shine et al [ ] recently prepared a comprehensive review of existing national, international and European policy, and built upon this to evaluate the three policy options.

Conclusions Europe's position as a centre for international trade over many centuries has resulted in it having a large number and diversity of established non-native species.

References 1. Google Scholar 4. Google Scholar 7. Google Scholar COM final Google Scholar The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is native to China, Japan, and surrounding countries.

They were first discovered in the United States in Pennsylvania during the late s, but no one knows for certain how they were introduced to North America. Brown marmorated stink bug BMSB populations are exploding in the absence of their natural predators, and they are quickly becoming a nuisance to people in their homes and to the agriculture industry.

The bugs begin to come indoors, searching for warm, protected areas when outside temperatures turn cooler in the fall. BMSBs feed on host plants by piercing the skin and consuming the juices within; the signs of stink bug feeding appear as "necrotic" or dead spots on the surface.

A wide variety of plants are known food sources for BMSBs, including ornamental trees and shrubs; fruit crops like peaches, apples, grapes, and pears; vegetable crops like green beans and asparagus; and soybeans and corn.

Zebra mussels and quagga mussels are virtually identical, both physically and behaviorally. Originally from Eastern Europe, these tiny trespassers were picked up in the ballast water of ocean-going ships and brought to the Great Lakes in the s.

They spread dramatically, outcompeting native species for food and habitat, and by , zebra mussels and quagga mussels had infested all of the Great Lakes.

Now both quagga mussels and zebra mussels have spread to 29 states by hitching rides on boats moving between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins. Artificial channels like the Chicago Area Waterways System facilitate their spread. These man-made channels act like super-highways and are also a pathway for invasive carp, which are currently spreading towards the Great Lakes.

The quagga and zebra mussels blanketing the bottom of the Great Lakes filter water as they eat plankton and have succeeded in doubling water clarity during the past decade. Clear water may look nice to us, but the lack of plankton floating in the water means less food for native fish.

Clearer water also allows sunlight to penetrate to the lake bottom, creating ideal conditions for algae to grow. In this way, zebra and quagga mussels have promoted the growth and spread of deadly algae blooms. Zebra and quagga mussels harm native fish populations, ruin beaches and attach to boats, water intake pipes, and other structures, causing the Great Lakes economy billions of dollars a year in damage.

They devastate native species by stripping the food web of plankton, which has a cascading effect throughout the ecosystem. Lack of food has caused populations of alewives, salmon, whitefish, and native mussel species to plummet. In her five-year lifetime, a single quagga or zebra mussel will produce about five million eggs, , of which reach adulthood.

The offspring of a single mussel will in turn produce a total of half a billion adult offspring. There are an estimated 10 trillion quagga and zebra mussels in the Great Lakes today. Once zebra and quagga mussels become established in a water body, they are impossible to fully eradicate. Scientists have not yet found solutions that kills zebra and quagga mussels without also harming other wildlife.

One way to curb the spread of invasive species is to plant native plants and remove any invasive plants in your garden. There are many good native plant alternatives to common exotic ornamental plants. In addition, learn to identify invasive species in your area, and report any sightings to your county extension agent or local land manager. Regularly clean your boots, gear, boat, tires, and any other equipment you use outdoors to remove insects and plant parts that may spread invasive species to new places.

When camping, buy firewood near your campsite within 30 miles instead of bringing your own from home, and leave any extra for the next campers. Invertebrates and plants can easily hitch a ride on firewood you haul to or from a campsite—you could inadvertently introduce an invasive to a new area. A plan to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes may save a way of life—and an entire ecosystem.

We're working to monitor and eradicate invasive species in the United States and prevent new introductions. A groundbreaking bipartisan bill aims to address the looming wildlife crisis before it's too late, while creating sorely needed jobs.

More than one-third of U.