Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > WR > WR08058
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 35(3)

Alien invasive vertebrates in ecosystems: pattern, process and the social dimension

Piran C. L. White A , Adriana E. S. Ford A , Mick N. Clout B , Richard M. Engeman C , Sugoto Roy D and Glen Saunders E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.

B Centre for Biodiversity & Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.

C USDA/Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80521-2154, USA.

D Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK.

E Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Forest Road, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia.

F Corresponding author. Email: PCLW1@york.ac.uk

Wildlife Research 35(3) 171-179 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR08058
Submitted: 15 April 2008  Accepted: 15 April 2008   Published: 20 May 2008

Abstract

The rate of biological invasions has increased dramatically over recent centuries. Alien invasive vertebrates have significant adverse effects on biodiversity, and island fauna are especially susceptible. Human-induced environmental change is likely to exacerbate these negative impacts of alien invasive species. However, invasion biology has advanced considerably over the last two decades, with improvement in understanding of the processes of establishment and spread. New developments in spatial modelling have elucidated the way in which behavioural processes at the individual level can drive population-level patterns such as spread. Combined with new genetic insights into the process of invasion, these advances may assist in the development of novel, better-targeted management strategies that provide new options in how to deal with the threat posed by invasive species. Decisions about whether to and how we should intervene are questions for all sectors of society, but research on the social and cultural impacts of invasive species is largely lacking. There are many opportunities for enhancing the social dimensions of invasive species research, and integrated assessments of the social, economic and environmental impacts of species provide one potential avenue. As part of this, there is also a need to increase stakeholder participation in the decision-making process regarding alien invasive species. These more holistic approaches are essential if we are to reduce the impact of alien invasive species to within acceptable limits in the face of rapid environmental change.

Additional keywords: alien species, biological invasion, climate change, ecosystem effects, invasive species.


Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Camilla Myers for all her help and enthusiasm in putting together this Special Issue, and to all the authors and reviewers for their contributions. The Special Issue arose partly out of a symposium run by The Mammal Society (UK) in London in November 2006. We thank The Mammal Society, Defra, the Invasive Animals CRC and the Zoological Society of London for their support for the symposium.


References

Aguilar, B. J. (1999). Applications of ecosystem health for the sustainability of managed systems in Cost Rica. Ecosystem Health 5, 36–48.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Anon.  (1995a). ‘Biodiversity: the UK Steering Group Report, Volume 1: Meeting the Rio Challenge.’ (HMSO: London.)

Anon.  (1995b). ‘Biodiversity: the UK Steering Group Report, Volume 2: Action Plans.’ (HMSO: London.)

Atkinson, I. A. E. (1996). Introductions of wildlife as a cause of species extinctions. Wildlife Biology 2, 135–141.
Bomford M., and Hart Q. (2002). Non-indigenous vertebrates in Australia. In ‘Biological Invasions: Environmental and Economic Costs of Alien Plant, Animal and Microbe Invasions’. (Ed. D. Pimental.) pp. 25–44. (CRC Press: New York.)

Born, W. , Rauschmayer, F. , and Bräuer, I. (2005). Economic evaluation of biological invasions – a survey. Ecological Economics 55, 321–336.
Brown J. H. (1995). ‘Macroecology.’ (University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL.)

Brown, J. H. , and Sax, D. F. (2004). An essay on some topics concerning invasive species. Austral Ecology 29, 530–536.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Clout M. N., and Lowe S. J. (2000). Invasive species and environmental changes in New Zealand. In ‘Invasive Species in a Changing World’. (Eds H. A. Mooney and R. J. Hobbs.) pp. 369–383. (Island Press: Washington, DC.)

Clout, M. N. , and Russell, J. C. (2008). The invasion ecology of mammals: a global perspective. Wildlife Research 35, 180–184.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Elkington J. (1998). ‘Cannibals with Forks: the Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business.’ (New Society Publishers: Gabriola Island, BC.)

Engeman, R. M. , Smith, H. T. , Shwiff, S. A. , Constantin, B. U. , Nelson, M. , Griffin, D. , and Woolard, J. (2003). Prevalence and economic value of feral swine damage to native habitat in three Florida state parks. Environmental Conservation 30, 319–324.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Fuller P. L. (2003). Freshwater aquatic vertebrate introductions in the United States: patterns and pathways. In ‘Invasive Species: Vectors and Management Strategies’. (Eds G. M. Ruiz and J. T. Carlton.) pp. 123–151. (Island Press: Washington, DC.)

Gaston, K. J. , Jones, A. G. , Hanel, C. , and Chown, S. L. (2003). Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 270, 1091–1098.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Gleeson D., Harman H., and Armstrong T. (2006). Genetics of invasive species in New Zealand. In ‘Biological Invasions in New Zealand’. (Eds R. B. Allen and W. G. Lee.) Ecological Studies 186, 103–118.

Glen, A. S. , and Dickman, C. R. (2005). Complex interactions among mammalian carnivores in Australia, and their implications for wildlife management. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 80, 387–401.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Hannon B. (1992). Measures of economic and ecological health. In ‘Ecosystem Health: New Goals for Environmental Management’. (Eds R. Constanza, B. G. Norton and B. J. Haskell.) pp. 207–222. (Island Press: Washington, DC.)

Hemami, M. R. , Watkinson, A. R. , and Dolman, P. M. (2004). Habitat selection by sympatric muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in a lowland commercial pine forest. Forest Ecology and Management 194, 49–60.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | IPCC (2007). ‘Summary for Policymakers. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

IUCN (2000). ‘IUCN Guidelines for the Prevention of Biodiversity Loss caused by Alien Invasive Species.’ Information Paper from the Fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, approved by the 51st Meeting of Council, February 2000. (IUCN: Gland..)

Jeschke, D. M. , and Strayer, D. L. (2005). Invasion success of vertebrates in Europe and North America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102, 7198–7202.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Kraus F. (2003). Invasion pathways for terrestrial vertebrates. In ‘Invasive Species: Vectors and Management Strategies’. (Eds G. M. Ruiz and J. T. Carlton.) pp. 68–92. (Island Press: Washington, DC.)

Kutz, S. J. , Hoberg, E. P. , Polley, L. , and Jenkins, E. J. (2005). Global warming is changing the dynamics of Arctic host-parasite systems. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 272, 2571–2576.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Lever C. (1977). ‘The Naturalized Animals of the British Isles.’ (Hutchinson & Co.: London.)

Lever C. (1985). ‘Naturalized Mammals of the World.’ (Longman: London.)

Lever C. (1996). ‘Naturalized Fishes of the World.’ (Academic Press: London.)

Lever C. (2001). ‘The Cane Toad. The History and Ecology of a Successful Colonist.’ (Westbury Academic and Scientific Publishing: Otley, UK.)

Lockwood J. L., Hoopes M. F., and Marchetti M. P. (2007). ‘Invasion Ecology.’ (Blackwell Publishing: Oxford.)

Loomis, J. B. , and White, D. S. (1996). Economic benefits of rare and endangered species: summary and meta-analysis. Ecological Economics 18, 197–206.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Lunney D., Eby P., Hutchings P., and Burgin S. (2007). ‘Pest or Guest: the Zoology of Overabundance.’ (Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales: Mosman.)

Mack R. N. (2003). Global plant dispersals, naturalization, and invasion: pathways, modes, and circumstances. In ‘Invasive Species: Vectors and Management Strategies’. (Eds G. M. Ruiz and J. T. Carlton.) pp. 3–30. (Island Press: Washington, DC.)

Mack, R. N. , Simberloff, D. , Lonsdale, W. M. , Evans, H. , Clout, M. , and Bazzaz, F. A. (2000). Biotic invasions: causes, epidemiology, global consequences, and control. Ecological Applications 10, 689–710.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | McLeod R. (2004). ‘Counting the Cost: Impact of Invasive Animals in Australia, 2004.’ (Pest Animal Control CRC: Canberra.)

Meyerson, L. A. , Engeman, R. , and O’Malley, R. (2008). Tracking non-native vertebrate species: indicator design for the United States of America. Wildlife Research 35, 235–241.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Mooney H. A., and Hobbs R. J. (2000). ‘Invasive Species in a Changing World.’ (Island Press: Washington, DC.)

Moriarty, A. (2004). The liberation, distribution, abundance and management of wild deer in Australia. Wildlife Research 31, 291–299.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Myers K. (1986). Introduced vertebrates in Australia with emphasis on the mammals. In ‘Ecology of Biological Invasions: An Australian Perspective’. (Eds R. H. Groves and J. J. Burdon.) pp. 120–136. (Australian Academy of Science: Canberra.)

O’Dowd, D. J. , Green, P. T. , and Lake, P. S. (2003). Invasional ‘meltdown’ on an oceanic island. Ecology Letters 6, 812–817.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Raffaelli D., White P. C. L., Perrings C. A., Smart J. S., and Renwick A. (2005). ‘The Future of Healthy Ecosystems.’ Report to Defra. (University of York: York.)

Rapport, D. J. , Bohm, G. , Buckingham, D. , Cairns, J. , and Costanza, R. , et al. (1999). Ecosystem Health: the concept, the ISEH, and the important tasks ahead. Ecosystem Health 5, 82–90.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Savolainen P., Leitner T., Wilton A. N., Matisoo-Smith E., and Lundeberg J. (2004). A detailed picture of the origin of the Australian dingo, obtained from the study of mitochondrial DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences10112387–12390,

Sax, D. F. , and Gaines, S. D. (2003). Species diversity: from global decreases to local increases. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 18, 561–566.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Williamson M. (1996). ‘Biological Invasions.’ (Chapman & Hall: London.)

Williamson, M. , and Fitter, A. (1996). The varying success of invaders. Ecology 77, 1661–1666.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Wittenberg R., and Cock M. J. W. Eds (2001). ‘Invasive Alien Species: A Toolkit of Best Prevention and Management Practises.’ (CAB International: Wallingford, Oxford.)

Xu, W. , and Mage, J. A. (2001). A review of concepts and criteria for assessing agroecosystem health including a preliminary case study of southern Ontario. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 83, 215–233.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |