In contrast to the experimental literature, they found that when richness was related to invasion dynamics, it enhanced rather than impeded invasion. A mixture of factors, including resident species composition, total community cover, and species richness, determined invasion control. This research, published in the upcoming issue of Ecology Letters , calls into question the ubiquity of diversity as an ecological barrier to invasion, and suggests that each invasion has its own, unique suite of factors that constrain success.
Ecology Letters