Invasive species watch lists: guidance for development, communication, and application

The first checklist of alien vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan, with new records and critical evaluation of earlier data. Contribution 3

Background

We continue the series of detailed treatments of alien vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan. The complete background for every species occurrence (herbarium specimens, documented observations, published literature) is uncovered and critically evaluated in a wide context of plant invasions in Central Asia with a reference to Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, based on events in the political and economic history. Complete point distribution maps are provided for each species in Central Asia, in general and Kyrgyzstan, in particular.

New information

All records of Hesperismatronalis in Central Asia (including Kyrgyzstan) belong to H.pycnotricha; the latter species is newly reported as a locally naturalised alien in Kazakhstan. The previous record of Sisymbriumirio from Kyrgyzstan is rejected as based on a misidentified specimen of S.loeselii, but the species is newly recorded here as a recent casual alien. Hirschfeldiaincana is presumably native in south-western Turkmenistan; its second record in Central Asia was caused by the import of contaminated wheat grain in the times of the Soviet grain crisis and its recent expansion may be linked to the increasing import of forage grain. The introduction of Crambeorientalis was connected with its cultivation for fodder and as an ornamental plant and its further broad dispersal was aided by winds. Rorippaaustriaca is native in the steppes of north-western Kazakhstan, but alien in the mountains of Central Asia. The occurrences of three alien species originated directly from cultivation (Hesperispycnotricha as an ornamental, Armoraciarusticana as an edible plant, Crambeorientalis as an ornamental and fodder plant), three species (Hirschfeldiaincana, Mutardaarvensis, Sisymbriumirio) were imported as grain contaminants, whereas two others (Rorippaaustriaca, R.sylvestris) have arrived with contaminated soil on ornamental plants or arboreous saplings. The arrival period is inferred as the Neolithic period (Mutardaarvensis), the Imperial times (Armoraciarusticana, Hesperispycnotricha), the post-war Soviet times (Crambeorientalis, Rorippaaustriaca, R.sylvestris) and the independence times (Hirschfeldiaincana, Sisymbriumirio). All the treated species, but two, increase their frequency in Kyrgyzstan; Mutardaarvensis has already reached its complete distribution, being an ubiquitous weed, whereas Armoraciarusticana experiences a projected decline because its common cultivation has ceased. No species is invasive in natural habitats. A new combination, Mutardaarvensisvar.orientalis (L.) Sennikov, is proposed for a variant with pubescent pods.

World of Crayfish™: a web platform towards real-time global mapping of freshwater crayfish and their pathogens

Freshwater crayfish are amongst the largest macroinvertebrates and play a keystone role in the ecosystems they occupy. Understanding the global distribution of these animals is often hindered due to a paucity of distributional data. Additionally, non-native crayfish introductions are becoming more frequent, which can cause severe environmental and economic impacts. Management decisions related to crayfish and their habitats require accurate, up-to-date distribution data and mapping tools. Such data are currently patchily distributed with limited accessibility and are rarely up-to-date. To address these challenges, we developed a versatile e-portal to host distributional data of freshwater crayfish and their pathogens (using Aphanomyces astaci, the causative agent of the crayfish plague, as the most prominent example). Populated with expert data and operating in near real-time, World of Crayfish™ is a living, publicly available database providing worldwide distributional data sourced by experts in the field. The database offers open access to the data through specialized standard geospatial services (Web Map Service, Web Feature Service) enabling users to view, embed, and download customizable outputs for various applications. The platform is designed to support technical enhancements in the future, with the potential to eventually incorporate various additional features. This tool serves as a step forward towards a modern era of conservation planning and management of freshwater biodiversity.

Screening for High-Risk Marine Invaders in the Hudson Bay Region, Canadian Arctic

The Canadian Arctic is receiving increased ship traffic, largely related to non-renewable resource exploitation and facilitated by climate change. This traffic, much of which arrives in ballast, increases opportunities for the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS). One of the regions at greatest risk is the Hudson Bay Complex. A horizon scanning exercise was conducted using the semi-quantitative Canadian Marine Invasive Screening Tool (CMIST) to identify AIS of potential concern to the region. This screening-level risk assessment tool, uses documented information to answer questions related to the likelihood and impact of invasion. Species were analyzed by ecological categories (zoobenthos, zooplankton, phytobenthos) and taxonomic groups, with 14 species (out of 31) identified as being of highest relative risk. Crabs, mollusks, macrozooplankton and macroalgae were the taxonomic groups with the highest overall risk scores, through a combination of higher likelihood of invasion and impact scores relative to other taxa. Species that may pose the highest AIS risk are currently mainly distributed on the east and west coasts of the North Atlantic Ocean. Their distributions coincide with source ports and shipping pathways that are well connected to the Hudson Bay Complex. This first horizon scan to identify potential high-risk AIS for the Canadian Arctic incorporated two novel approaches into the CMIST analysis: i) use of the tool to assess two new ecological categories (phytobenthos and zooplankton), and ii) use of averaged CMIST results to interpret general risk patterns of ecological categories. This study is also the first to use CMIST scores to highlight common source regions and connected ports for the highest risk species. In a scenario of climate change and increasing ship traffic, this information can be used to support management actions such as the creation of watch lists to inform adaptive management for preventing AIS establishment, and mitigating associated environmental and economic impacts.

Putting a federal capacities assessment to work: blueprint for a national program for the early detection of and rapid response to invasive species (EDRR)

This paper responds to national policy directives intended to improve the US government’s capacity to protect national security from the adverse impacts of invasive species. It is the final, synthesizing contribution to a Special Issue of Biological Invasions comprising 12 papers that collectively inform the development and implementation of a national program for the early detection of and rapid response to invasive species (EDRR). The blueprint sets forth policies, goals, and actions to be taken by relevant Executive Branch agencies and components of the Executive Office of the President to develop a national EDRR program, appropriations permitting. It is designed to function as guidance for advancing federal policy through Presidential, Secretarial, and/or Congressional directives. Those committed to protecting national security, the economy, and the well-being of American people are forewarned that our ability to establish a national EDRR program is undermined by the diminishment of the federal workforce; institutional structures, policies, and programs; and directly applicable leadership mechanisms, including the National Invasive Species Council, Invasive Species Advisory Committee, and their managerial Secretariat.

Federal legal authorities: guidance for application to the early detection of and rapid response to invasive species

Federal agency programs and associated actions are contingent on having the legal authority to act. There is no single authority established to direct the early detection of and rapid response to invasive species (EDRR). Rather, a patchwork of authorities unevenly addresses various aspects of the suite of EDRR measures. To support the development of national EDRR capacity, it is essential to delineate the federal legal statutes, regulations, and policies that enable or limit invasive species EDRR. Here we set forth general principles and a checklist of actions that agencies can refer to when they construct a more comprehensive EDRR legal and policy framework for addressing invasive species. This guidance is intended to complement the review and analysis of federal authorities contained elsewhere in this issue (Burgos-Rodríguez and Burgiel in Biol Invasions. 10.1007/s10530-019-02148-w, 2019, this issue).

Capacity of United States federal government and its partners to rapidly and accurately report the identity (taxonomy) of non-native organisms intercepted in early detection programs

The early detection of and rapid response to invasive species (EDRR) depends on accurate and rapid identification of non-native species. The 2016–2018 National Invasive Species Council Management Plan called for an assessment of US government (federal) capacity to report on the identity of non-native organisms intercepted through early detection programs. This paper serves as the response to that action item. Here we summarize survey-based findings and make recommendations for improving the federal government’s capacity to identify non-native species authoritatively in a timely manner. We conclude with recommendations to improve accurate identification within the context of EDRR by increasing coordination, maintaining taxonomic expertise, creating an identification tools clearinghouse, developing and using taxonomic standards for naming and identification protocols, expanding the content of DNA and DNA Barcode libraries, ensuring long-term sustainability of biological collections, and engaging and empowering citizens and citizen science groups.

The early detection of and rapid response (EDRR) to invasive species: a conceptual framework and federal capacities assessment

Globalization necessitates that we address the negative externalities of international trade and transport, including biological invasion. The US government defines invasive species to mean, “with regard to a particular ecosystem, a non-native organism whose introduction causes, or is likely to cause, economic or environmental harm, or harm to human, animal, or plant health.” Here we address the role of early detection of and rapid response to invasive species (EDRR) in minimizing the impact of invasive species on US interests. We provide a review of EDRR’s usage as a federal policy and planning term, introduce a new conceptual framework for EDRR, and assess US federal capacities for enacting well-coordinated EDRR. Developing a national EDRR program is a worthwhile goal; our assessment nonetheless indicates that the federal government and its partners need to overcome substantial conceptual, institutional, and operational challenges that include establishing clear and consistent terminology use, strategically identifying and communicating agency functions, improving interagency budgeting, facilitating the application of emerging technologies and other resources to support EDRR, and making information relevant to EDRR preparedness and implementation more readily accessible. This paper is the first in a special issue of Biological Invasions that includes 12 complementary papers intended to inform the development and implementation of a national EDRR program.

Instituting a national early detection and rapid response program: needs for building federal risk screening capacity

The invasive species issue is inherently a matter of risk; what is the risk that an invasive species will adversely impact valued assets? The early detection of and rapid response to invasive species (EDRR) requires that an assessment of risk is conducted as rapidly as possible. We define risk screening as rapid characterization of the types and degree of risks posed by a population of non-native species in a particular spatio-temporal context. Risk screening is used to evaluate the degree to which various response measures are warranted and justifiable. In this paper, we evaluate the US government’s risk screening programs with a view towards advancing national EDRR capacity. Our survey-based findings, consistent with prior analyses, indicate that risk evaluation by federal agencies has largely been a reactive, ad hoc process, and there is a need to improve information sharing, risk evaluation tools, and staff capacity for risk screening. We provide an overview of the US Department of Agriculture’s Tiered Weed Risk Evaluation and US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ecological Risk Screening Summaries, two relatively new approaches to invasive species risk screening that hold promise as the basis for future work. We emphasize the need for a clearinghouse of risk evaluation protocols, tools, completed assessments and associated information; development of performance metrics and standardized protocols for risk screening; as well as support for complementary, science-based tools to facilitate and validate risk screening.

Envisioning a national invasive species information framework

With a view toward creating a national Early Detection and Rapid Response Program (EDRR) program, the United States National Invasive Species Council Management Plan for 2016–2018 calls for a series of assessments of federal EDRR capacities, including the evaluation of “relevant federal information systems to provide the data and other information necessary for risk analyses/horizon scanning, rapid specimen identification, and rapid response planning.” This paper is a response to that directive. We provide an overview of information management needs for enacting EDRR and discuss challenges to meeting these needs. We then review the history of relevant US policy directives for advancing invasive species information systems and provide an overview of federal invasive species information system capacities, including current gaps and inconsistencies. We conclude with a summary of key principles and needs for establishing a national invasive species information framework. Our findings are consistent with earlier studies and, thus, emphasize the need to act on long-recognized needs. As a supplement to this paper, we have cataloged federal invasive species databases and information tools identified through this work.