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Henriksen MV, Arlé E, Pili A, Clarke DA, García-Berthou E, Groom Q, Lenzner B, Meyer C, Seebens H, Tingley R, Winter M, McGeoch MA. Global indicators of the environmental impacts of invasive alien species and their information adequacy. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230323. [PMID: 38583467 PMCID: PMC10999262 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Monitoring the extent to which invasive alien species (IAS) negatively impact the environment is crucial for understanding and mitigating biological invasions. Indeed, such information is vital for achieving Target 6 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. However, to-date indicators for tracking the environmental impacts of IAS have been either lacking or insufficient. Capitalizing on advances in data availability and impact assessment protocols, we developed environmental impact indicators to track realized and potential impacts of IAS. We also developed an information status indicator to assess the adequacy of the data underlying the impact indicators. We used data on 75 naturalized amphibians from 82 countries to demonstrate the indicators at a global scale. The information status indicator shows variation in the reliability of the data and highlights areas where absence of impact should be interpreted with caution. Impact indicators show that growth in potential impacts are dominated by predatory species, while potential impacts from both predation and disease transmission are distributed worldwide. Using open access data, the indicators are reproducible and adaptable across scales and taxa and can be used to assess global trends and distributions of IAS, assisting authorities in prioritizing control efforts and identifying areas at risk of future invasions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie V. Henriksen
- Department of Landscape and Biodiversity, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Trondheim 7031, Norway
| | - Eduardo Arlé
- Macroecology & Society, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997712, Israel
| | - Arman Pili
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - David A. Clarke
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | - Bernd Lenzner
- Division of BioInvasions, Global Change & Macroecology, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Carsten Meyer
- Macroecology & Society, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Geosciences and Geography, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06099 Halle, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hanno Seebens
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt 6325, Germany
| | - Reid Tingley
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
- EnviroDNA Pty Ltd, 95 Albert Street, Brunswick, Victoria 3056, Australia
| | - Marten Winter
- sDiv, Synthesis Centre, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Melodie A. McGeoch
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
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McGeoch MA, Clarke DA, Mungi NA, Ordonez A. A nature-positive future with biological invasions: theory, decision support and research needs. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230014. [PMID: 38583473 PMCID: PMC10999266 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
In 2050, most areas of biodiversity significance will be heavily influenced by multiple drivers of environmental change. This includes overlap with the introduced ranges of many alien species that negatively impact biodiversity. With the decline in biodiversity and increase in all forms of global change, the need to envision the desired qualities of natural systems in the Anthropocene is growing, as is the need to actively maintain their natural values. Here, we draw on community ecology and invasion biology to (i) better understand trajectories of change in communities with a mix of native and alien populations, and (ii) to frame approaches to the stewardship of these mixed-species communities. We provide a set of premises and actions upon which a nature-positive future with biological invasions (NPF-BI) could be based, and a decision framework for dealing with uncertain species movements under climate change. A series of alternative management approaches become apparent when framed by scale-sensitive, spatially explicit, context relevant and risk-consequence considerations. Evidence of the properties of mixed-species communities together with predictive frameworks for the relative importance of the ecological processes at play provide actionable pathways to a NPF in which the reality of mixed-species communities are accommodated and managed. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melodie A. McGeoch
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - David A. Clarke
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ninad Avinash Mungi
- Section of Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Ordonez
- Section of Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
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3
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Williams GM, Ginzel MD, Ma Z, Adams DC, Campbell F, Lovett GM, Pildain MB, Raffa KF, Gandhi KJK, Santini A, Sniezko RA, Wingfield MJ, Bonello P. The Global Forest Health Crisis: A Public-Good Social Dilemma in Need of International Collective Action. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2023; 61:377-401. [PMID: 37253697 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-021722-024626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Society is confronted by interconnected threats to ecological sustainability. Among these is the devastation of forests by destructive non-native pathogens and insects introduced through global trade, leading to the loss of critical ecosystem services and a global forest health crisis. We argue that the forest health crisis is a public-good social dilemma and propose a response framework that incorporates principles of collective action. This framework enables scientists to better engage policymakers and empowers the public to advocate for proactive biosecurity and forest health management. Collective action in forest health features broadly inclusive stakeholder engagement to build trust and set goals; accountability for destructive pest introductions; pooled support for weakest-link partners; and inclusion of intrinsic and nonmarket values of forest ecosystems in risk assessment. We provide short-term and longer-term measures that incorporate the above principles to shift the societal and ecological forest health paradigm to a more resilient state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey M Williams
- International Programs, US Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture, Lansing, Michigan, USA;
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Matthew D Ginzel
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Zhao Ma
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Damian C Adams
- Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Faith Campbell
- Center for Invasive Species Prevention, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gary M Lovett
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, USA
| | - María Belén Pildain
- Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Esquel, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Kenneth F Raffa
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Kamal J K Gandhi
- D. B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Alberto Santini
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Richard A Sniezko
- Dorena Genetic Resource Center, US Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture, Cottage Grove, Oregon, USA
| | - Michael J Wingfield
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Pierluigi Bonello
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA;
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4
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Clarke DA, McGeoch MA. Invasive alien insects represent a clear but variable threat to biodiversity. CURRENT RESEARCH IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 4:100065. [PMID: 37564301 PMCID: PMC10410178 DOI: 10.1016/j.cris.2023.100065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Invasive alien insects are an important yet understudied component of the general threat that biological invasions pose to biodiversity. We quantified the breadth and level of this threat by performing environmental impact assessments using a modified version of the Environmental Impact Assessment for Alien Taxa (EICAT) framework. This represents the largest effort to date on quantify the environmental impacts of invasive alien insects. Using a relatively large and taxonomically representative set of insect species that have established non-native populations around the globe, we tested hypotheses on: (1) socioeconomic and (2) taxonomic biases, (3) relationship between range size and impact severity and (4) island susceptibility. Socioeconomic pests had marginally more environmental impact information than non-pests and, as expected, impact information was geographically and taxonomically skewed. Species with larger introduced ranges were more likely, on average, to have the most severe local environmental impacts (i.e. a global maximum impact severity of 'Major'). The island susceptibility hypothesis found no support, and both island and mainland systems experience similar numbers of high severity impacts. These results demonstrate the high variability, both within and across species, in the ways and extents to which invasive insects impact biodiversity, even within the highest profile invaders. However, the environmental impact knowledge base requires greater taxonomic and geographic coverage, so that hypotheses about invasion impact can be developed towards identifying generalities in the biogeography of invasion impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Clarke
- Department of Environment and Genetics, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Melodie A. McGeoch
- Department of Environment and Genetics, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia
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Villacorta-Rath C, Lach L, Andrade-Rodriguez N, Burrows D, Gleeson D, Trujillo-González A. Invasive terrestrial invertebrate detection in water and soil using a targeted eDNA approach. NEOBIOTA 2023. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.83.98898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial invasive invertebrates can rapidly colonise new areas, causing detrimental effects on biodiversity, economy and lifestyle. Targeted environmental DNA (eDNA) methods could constitute an early detection tool given their sensitivity to small numbers of individuals. We hypothesised that terrestrial runoff would transport eDNA from the land into adjacent waterbodies and used the invasive yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) as a model species to test this hypothesis. We collected water samples from four waterbodies adjacent (< 10 m from the creek edge) to infestations following rainfall events for eDNA analysis. We also collected soil samples from areas of known infestations and tested five eDNA extraction methods to determine their efficiency to extract eDNA from soil. Water samples resulted in positive yellow crazy ant eDNA amplification (20–100% field replicates across all sites), even at one site located 300 m away from where ants had been detected visually. Soil samples resulted in a higher percentage of false negatives when sampled from ant transit areas than from nest entrances. Unpurified DNA extracts from soil also resulted in false negative detections and only after applying a purification step of DNA extracts, did we detect yellow crazy ant eDNA in 40–100% of field replicates across all methods and sites. This is the first study to empirically show that eDNA from a terrestrial invertebrate can be successfully isolated and amplified from adjacent or downstream waterbodies. Our results indicate that eDNA has the potential to be a useful method for detecting terrestrial invertebrates from soil and water.
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6
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Cassini MH. A critical review of the precautionary approach of the IUCN impact classification for non-native taxa. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e14037. [PMID: 36424868 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) proposes the use of the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa to standardize the classification of introduced species (IS) based on their environmental impact. The IUCN invoked the precautionary principle (PP) via 2 rules: the impact assigned to a taxon must be the maximum recorded impact across different impact assessments, and when the main driver of environmental damage is unclear, it must be assumed to be caused by the IS. The validity of PP is conditioned on the degree of emergency that warrants urgent decisions and on the scientific evidence demonstrating the advantages of applying a preventive measure. The application of an impact classification system does not arise in the context of an emergency that requires management; it occurs before the decision-making phase. Thus, PP should not be used in early steps of the risk analysis process. The IUCN also did not provide enough scientific basis to justify the use of PP. Instead, the PP rules appear to be rooted primarily in the ethical value system underlying conservation science. Conservationists assign intrinsic value to native species by virtue of their roles and relationships within ecological and evolutionary systems and processes; thus, individuals introduced in new environments not only cease to have value because they are no longer part of that natural diversity and lack those links with the rest of the ecosystem, but they become a threat to what conservationists value most. The consequence of this belief is that all introduced taxa will have an impact at some level, suggesting that values justify the PP rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo H Cassini
- Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento, IBYME-CONICET, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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7
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Nahrung HF, Liebhold AM, Brockerhoff EG, Rassati D. Forest Insect Biosecurity: Processes, Patterns, Predictions, Pitfalls. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 68:211-229. [PMID: 36198403 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-120220-010854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The economic and environmental threats posed by non-native forest insects are ever increasing with the continuing globalization of trade and travel; thus, the need for mitigation through effective biosecurity is greater than ever. However, despite decades of research and implementation of preborder, border, and postborder preventative measures, insect invasions continue to occur, with no evidence of saturation, and are even predicted to accelerate. In this article, we review biosecurity measures used to mitigate the arrival, establishment, spread, and impacts of non-native forest insects and possible impediments to the successful implementation of these measures. Biosecurity successes are likely under-recognized because they are difficult to detect and quantify, whereas failures are more evident in the continued establishment of additional non-native species. There are limitations in existing biosecurity systems at global and country scales (for example, inspecting all imports is impossible, no phytosanitary measures are perfect, knownunknowns cannot be regulated against, and noncompliance is an ongoing problem). Biosecurity should be a shared responsibility across countries, governments, stakeholders, and individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen F Nahrung
- Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia;
| | - Andrew M Liebhold
- US Forest Service Northern Research Station, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA;
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Eckehard G Brockerhoff
- Forest Health and Biotic Interactions, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland;
| | - Davide Rassati
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and the Environment, University of Padova, Italy;
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8
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Bernardo-Madrid R, González-Moreno P, Gallardo B, Bacher S, Vilà M. Consistency in impact assessments of invasive species is generally high and depends on protocols and impact types. NEOBIOTA 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.76.83028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Impact assessments can help prioritising limited resources for invasive species management. However, their usefulness to provide information for decision-making depends on their repeatability, i.e. the consistency of the estimated impact. Previous studies have provided important insights into the consistency of final scores and rankings. However, due to the criteria to summarise protocol responses into one value (e.g. maximum score observed) or to categorise those final scores into prioritisation levels, the real consistency at the answer level remains poorly understood. Here, we fill this gap by quantifying and comparing the consistency in the scores of protocol questions with inter-rater reliability metrics. We provide an overview of impact assessment consistency and the factors altering it, by evaluating 1,742 impact assessments of 60 terrestrial, freshwater and marine vertebrates, invertebrates and plants conducted with seven protocols applied in Europe (EICAT; EPPO; EPPO prioritisation; GABLIS; GB; GISS; and Harmonia+). Assessments include questions about diverse impact types: environment, biodiversity, native species interactions, hybridisation, economic losses and human health. Overall, the great majority of assessments (67%) showed high consistency; only a small minority (13%) presented low consistency. Consistency of responses did not depend on species identity or the amount of information on their impacts, but partly depended on the impact type evaluated and the protocol used, probably due to linguistic uncertainties (pseudo-R2 = 0.11 and 0.10, respectively). Consistency of responses was highest for questions on ecosystem and human health impacts and lowest for questions regarding biological interactions amongst alien and native species. Regarding protocols, consistency was highest with Harmonia+ and GISS and lowest with EPPO. The presence of few, but very low, consistent assessments indicates that there is room for improvement in the repeatability of assessments. As no single factor explained largely the variance in consistency, low values can rely on multiple factors. We thus endorse previous studies calling for diverse and complementary actions, such as improving protocols and guidelines or consensus assessment to increase impact assessment repeatability. Nevertheless, we conclude that impact assessments were generally highly consistent and, therefore, useful in helping to prioritise resources against the continued relentless rise of invasive species.
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Jourdan H, Bourguet E, Mille C, Gula R, Theuerkauf J. Impact of invasive little fire ants Wasmannia auropunctata on rainforest soil fauna: implications for conservation of the endangered flightless kagu of New Caledonia. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02882-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, is an invasive species known to negatively affect many native species in its introduced range. Here, we studied the effect of little fire ant presence on the biomass of soil fauna in rainforest of New Caledonia to assess if little fire ants have an impact on an endangered endemic flightless bird, the kagu, Rhynochetos jubatus. The average biomass of soil fauna (except for millipedes) was lower in 53 sample plots with little fire ants than in 597 sample plots without little fire ants and the biomass decreased with increasing density of little fire ant nests. Millipedes on the contrary seemed to be positively impacted as their average biomass was higher in areas with fire ants than in areas without, but even millipede biomass decreased with increasing nest density of fire ants. Kagu density decreased with increasing area of rainforest invaded by little fire ants, suggesting, given their observed negative impact on soil fauna biomass, that they may limit food resources for kagu. Little fire ants might therefore transform rainforest into a less suitable habitat for the kagu by reducing the biomass of their prey and thus have a negative impact for kagu conservation.
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10
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Pagad S, Bisset S, Genovesi P, Groom Q, Hirsch T, Jetz W, Ranipeta A, Schigel D, Sica YV, McGeoch MA. Country Compendium of the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Sci Data 2022; 9:391. [PMID: 35810161 PMCID: PMC9271038 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01514-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The Country Compendium of the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) is a collation of data across 196 individual country checklists of alien species, along with a designation of those species with evidence of impact at a country level. The Compendium provides a baseline for monitoring the distribution and invasion status of all major taxonomic groups, and can be used for the purpose of global analyses of introduced (alien, non-native, exotic) and invasive species (invasive alien species), including regional, single and multi-species taxon assessments and comparisons. It enables exploration of gaps and inferred absences of species across countries, and also provides one means for updating individual GRIIS Checklists. The Country Compendium is, for example, instrumental, along with data on first records of introduction, for assessing and reporting on invasive alien species targets, including for the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goals. The GRIIS Country Compendium provides a baseline and mechanism for tracking the spread of introduced and invasive alien species across countries globally.Design Type(s) | Data integration objective ● Observation design | Measurement Type(s) | Alien species occurrence ● Evidence of impact invasive alien species assessment objective | Technology Type(s) | Agent expert ● Data collation | Factor Type(s) | Geographic location ● Origin / provenance ● Habitat | Sample Characteristics - Organism | Animalia ● Bacteria ● Chromista ● Fungi ● Plantae ● Protista (Protozoa) ● Viruses | Sample Characteristics - Location | Global countries |
Measurement(s) | Presence of invasive alien species | Technology Type(s) | Literature and datasets | Factor Type(s) | scientificName | Sample Characteristic - Organism | Multitaxon | Sample Characteristic - Environment | Multihabitat | Sample Characteristic - Location | Global |
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Affiliation(s)
- Shyama Pagad
- University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. .,IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Stewart Bisset
- Department of Environment and Genetics, LaTrobe University, Melbourne, 3086, Victoria, Australia
| | - Piero Genovesi
- IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, Auckland, New Zealand.,Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Rome, Italy
| | | | - Tim Hirsch
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Secretariat, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Center for Biodiversity & Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ajay Ranipeta
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Center for Biodiversity & Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Dmitry Schigel
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Secretariat, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Yanina V Sica
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Center for Biodiversity & Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Melodie A McGeoch
- IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, Auckland, New Zealand. .,Department of Environment and Genetics, LaTrobe University, Melbourne, 3086, Victoria, Australia.
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Gruber MAM, Santoro D, Cooling M, Lester PJ, Hoffmann BD, Boser C, Lach L. A global review of socioeconomic and environmental impacts of ants reveals new insights for risk assessment. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2577. [PMID: 35191120 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Risk assessments are fundamental to invasive species management and are underpinned by comprehensive characterization of invasive species impacts. Our understanding of the impacts of invasive species is growing constantly, and several recently developed frameworks offer the opportunity to systematically categorize environmental and socioeconomic impacts of invasive species. Invasive ants are among the most widespread and damaging invaders. Although a handful of species receives most of the policy attention, nearly 200 species have established outside their native range. Here, we provide a global, comprehensive assessment of the impacts of ants and propose a priority list of risk species. We used the Socioeconomic Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (SEICAT), Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) and Generic Impact Scoring System (GISS) to analyze 642 unique sources for 100 named species. Different methodologies provided generally consistent results. The most frequently identified socioeconomic impacts were to human health. Environmental impacts were primarily on animal and plant populations, with the most common mechanisms being predation and competition. Species recognized as harmful nearly 20 years ago featured prominently, including Wasmannia auropunctata (little fire ant, electric ant), Solenopsis invicta (red imported fire ant), Anoplolepis gracilipes (yellow crazy ant), and Pheidole megacephala (African big-headed ant). All these species except W. auropunctata have been implicated in local extinctions of native species. Although our assessments affirmed that the most serious impacts have been driven by a small number of species, our results also highlighted a substantial number of less well publicized species that have had major environmental impacts and may currently be overlooked when prioritizing prevention efforts. Several of these species were ranked as high or higher than some of the previously recognized "usual suspects," most notably Nylanderia fulva (tawny crazy ant). We compared and combined our assessments with trait-based profiles and other lists to propose a consensus set of 31 priority species. Ever-increasing global trade contributes to growing rates of species introductions. The integrated approaches we used can contribute to robust, holistic risk assessments for many taxa entrained in these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica A M Gruber
- Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
- Pacific Biosecurity, Wellington UniVentures, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Davide Santoro
- Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
- Pacific Biosecurity, Wellington UniVentures, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Meghan Cooling
- Pacific Biosecurity, Wellington UniVentures, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Philip J Lester
- Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
- Pacific Biosecurity, Wellington UniVentures, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Benjamin D Hoffmann
- CSIRO, Health & Biosecurity, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, Winnellie, Northwest Territories, Australia
| | | | - Lori Lach
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
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