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Biological invasions can begin with just 1 insect
September 12, 2007A new study by York University biologists Amro Zayed and Laurence Packer has shown that a lone insect can initiate a biological invasion.
Zayed, a recent graduate of Packer's lab, examined patterns of genetic diversity in both native European and invasive North American populations of a solitary bee. He concluded that the invasion was most likely founded by one mated female. The study was published today in the open access journal PLoS ONE.
"This is a shocking result, especially since bees suffer from huge genetic problems in small populations," says Zayed, now a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois.
"We're now seeing that the introduction of even one single insect can cause a potentially costly invasion, so we have to be extremely vigilant with reducing the number of animals that are unintentionally transported around the globe," he says.
The study contradicts a popular theory of invasive biology: the more individuals introduced to an area, the higher the success of the invasion. This concept is commonly referred to as the "propagule pressure hypothesis."
Zayed adds that numbers are not the only factor controlling the success of invasions. "Chance and the specific characteristics of invasive species and their introduced habitats can be more important," he says.
Packer, a professor in York's Department of Biology, notes that exotic invasive species are considered a major threat to biodiversity conservation, and can cause huge economic losses.
"Understanding how exotic species establish and spread in their new habitats is the first step to solving the invasive species problem," Packer says.
Public Library of Science
"We're now seeing that the introduction of even one single insect can cause a potentially costly invasion, so we have to be extremely vigilant with reducing the number of animals that are unintentionally transported around the globe," he says.
The study contradicts a popular theory of invasive biology: the more individuals introduced to an area, the higher the success of the invasion. This concept is commonly referred to as the "propagule pressure hypothesis."
Zayed adds that numbers are not the only factor controlling the success of invasions. "Chance and the specific characteristics of invasive species and their introduced habitats can be more important," he says.
Packer, a professor in York's Department of Biology, notes that exotic invasive species are considered a major threat to biodiversity conservation, and can cause huge economic losses.
"Understanding how exotic species establish and spread in their new habitats is the first step to solving the invasive species problem," Packer says.
Public Library of Science
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For the first time it is now possible to get a comprehensive overview of which alien species are present in Europe, their impacts and consequences for the environment and society.
Madagascar`s lost wilderness @ the London `Catastrophes` conference
In the last 2000 years Madagascar has lost its entire endemic megafauna. This includes giant lemurs, pygmy hippos, elephant birds, and giant tortoises. This loss is the planet`s most recent prehistoric extinction event affecting a region with continental-scale diversity.
The earliest Australians
One of the really big challenges in anthropology is to date accurately the arrival of humans in the different continents. New results, to be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Quaternary Science, show that humans arrived in Australia a lot earlier than was previously thought.
More Biological Invasion Current Events and Biological Invasion News Articles
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Biological Invasions in Marine Ecosystems: Ecological, Management, and Geographic Perspectives (Ecological Studies) by Gil Rilov (Editor), Jeffrey A. Crooks (Editor) Biological invasions are considered to be one of the greatest threats to the integrity of most ecosystems on earth. This volume explores the current state of marine bioinvasions, which have been growing at an exponential rate over recent decades. Focusing on the ecological aspects of biological invasions, it elucidates the different stages of an invasion process, starting with uptake and transport, through inoculation, establishment and finally integration into new ecosystems. Basic ecological concepts - all in the context of bioinvasions - are covered, such as propagule pressure, species interactions, phenotypic plasticity, and the importance of biodiversity. The authors approach bioinvasions as hazards to the integrity of natural communities, but also as a tool for better... |
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Invasion Biology (Oxford Biology) by Mark A. Davis (Author) With the exception of climate change, biological invasions have probably received more attention during the past ten years than any other ecological topic. Yet this is the first synthetic, single-authored overview of the field since Williamson's 1996 book. Written fifty years after the publication of Elton's pioneering monograph on the subject, Invasion Biology provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the science of biological invasions while also offering new insights and perspectives relating to the processes of introduction, establishment, and spread. The book connects science with application by describing the health, economic, and ecological impacts of invasive species as well as the variety of management strategies developed to mitigate harmful impacts. The author... |
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Invasion Ecology by Julie Lockwood (Author), Martha Hoopes (Author), Michael Marchetti (Author) This book provides a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of biological invasion by non-native species. Highlighting important research findings associated with each stage of invasion, Invasion Ecology provides an overview of the invasion process from transportation patterns and causes of establishment success to ecological impacts, invader management, and post-invasion evolution. Increasing awareness of the problems associated with invasion has led to a rapid growth in research into the dynamics of non-native species and their adverse effects on native biota and human economies. This book provides a synthesis of this fast growing field of research, and is an essential text for undergraduate and graduate students in ecology and conservation management. |
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Biological Invasions in the Hudson River Basin (New York State Museum circular) by Mark D. Scheuerell (Author), Edward L. Mills (Author), James T. Carlton (Author), David L. Strayer (Author) The Hudson River is the most studied freshwater drainage in North America. It supports a diverse community of freshwater, estuarine and marine species. Exotic species constitute one of the most serious threats to indigenous biota-including that of the Hudson River. This volume examines the history of introductions in the basin, presents information on over 100 species of animals and plants, and reviews the problems associated with introductions. Bibliography is extensive. |
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Conceptual Ecology and Invasion Biology: Reciprocal Approaches to Nature (Invading Nature - Springer Series in Invasion Ecology) by Marc W. Cadotte (Editor), Sean M. McMahon (Editor), Tadashi Fukami (Editor) The conservation threat represented by invasive species is well-known, but the scientific opportunities are underappreciated. Invasion studies have historically been largely directed at the important job of collecting case studies. Invasion biology has matured to the point of being able to incorporating itself into the heart of ecology, and should be viewed as extensions or critical experiments of ecological theory. In this edited volume, global experts in ecology and evolutionary biology explore how theories in ecology elucidate the invasion processes while also examining how specific invasions informs ecological theory. This reciprocal benefit is highlighted in a number of scales of organization: population, community and biogeographic, while employing example invaders in all... |
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Biological Invasions: Theory and Practice (Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution) by Nanako Shigesada (Author), Kohkichi Kawasaki (Author) When a species colonizes an area that it has not previously inhabited, it is called an "invasion", and it can result in the extinction of endemic species. The increase in numbers of humans travelling the world presents opportunities for invasions by organisms and the spread of diseases such as rabies and smallpox. Using the large amount of data from studies in pest control and epidemiology, it is possible to construct mathematical models that can predict which species will become invaders, which habitats are susceptible to invasion, and the biological impact. This book presents a clear and accessible introduction to the modeling of biological invasions. It demonstrates the latest theories and models, and includes data and examples from various case studies showing how these models can be... |
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Biological Invasions (Population and Community Biology Series) by M. Williamson (Author) Some biological invasions have marked ecological and economic effects. But most fail, and most of those that succeed have small effects. This book is based on sound analyses, with many illustrative examples, of the causes of success and failure in invasions, and of the consequences of those that succeed. |
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Species Invasions: Insights into Ecology, Evolution, and Biogeography by et al Dov F. Sax (Editor) (Author), Dov F. Sax (Editor) Species invasions present significant conservation challenges, but they also provide invaluable information about the functioning of natural systems. In this edited book, experts from the fields of ecology, evolution, and biogeography explore the unique insights species invasions provide. Several key advances emerge in each discipline, and collectively they provide a template for new research that transforms invasion biology into a powerful tool for basic research in ecology, evolution, and biogeography |
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Exactly Solvable Models of Biological Invasion (Mathematical Biology and Medicine) by Sergei V. Petrovskii (Author), Bai-Lian Li (Author) Much of our current knowledge on biological invasion was derived from field studies, but many recent advances relied heavily on mathematics and computing, particularly mathematical modeling. While numerical simulations are clearly a useful approach, they have some serious drawbacks. Approximations errors and the number of parameter values can have a significant impact on the simulation results, the extent of which often remains obscure. Such difficulties do not arise, however, when the problem can be solved analytically. Exactly Solvable Models of Biological Invasion demonstrates the advantages and methods of obtaining exact solutions of partial differential equations that describe nonlinear problems encountered in the study of invasive species spread. With emphasis on PDEs of... |
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The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants by Charles S. Elton (Author) Much as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was a call to action against the pesticides that were devastating bird populations, Charles S. Elton's classic The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants sounded an early warning about an environmental catastrophe that has become all too familiar today—the invasion of nonnative species. From kudzu to zebra mussels to Asian long-horned beetles, nonnative species are colonizing new habitats around the world at an alarming rate thanks to accidental and intentional human intervention. One of the leading causes of extinctions of native animals and plants, invasive species also wreak severe economic havoc, causing $79 billion worth of damage in the United States alone. Elton explains the devastating effects that invasive species can have on... |
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