Alien invasions / Timing: 6:02

Alien invasions

Im Philine zu Ermgassen and in this video, well be looking at the threats posed by invasive species.

Invasive species are species that have been brought into new regions by humans and which have
devastating impacts when they establish and spread1. Not all species that are introduced are invasive; in
fact, a relatively small subset actually goes on to have these damaging impacts. The vast majority, we
would just term non-native or alien and have very little impact indeed on the new ecosystem.
Impacts include predation on native species, competition with native species, altering the structure of
ecosystems and transmitting diseases.

There are three things that distinguish invasive species from other non-native species: these are a good
dispersal ability, a fast reproductive rate and an ability to tolerate a wide range of environmental
factors2.

You may be familiar with many invasive species not only from the news but from your own gardens or
garden centres. A large number of invasive species have invaded following escape from ponds or
gardens. For example, in the UK, Rhododendron escaped from gardens and is now found widely
throughout Wales and Scotland in heathlands and woodlands where it dramatically alters the ecosystem
and shades out native plants. Japanese knotweed which youve seen if youve ever travelled through
Europe by train, escaped from gardens into the wild following its introduction from Japan by
enthusiastic Victorian botanists in the late 1800s. Japanese knotweed can cause significant economic
damage because its capable of growing up through concrete and asphalt. Imagine the economic
damage that can cause to valuable infrastructure3.

Before the risks of introducing new species were completely understood, people used to regularly
introduce species to new lands. For example, deer which threaten many native plants in New Zealand
were deliberately introduced by European settlers seeking to make their new country seem more like
home4.

There have also been a series of introductions with the original intention of bringing other species under
control often with catastrophic consequences for the native species. Cane toads were introduced to
Australia in the 1930s in order to keep pests in commercial sugar cane fields under control. However,
cane toads are toxic, and this led to declines in some of the native predators5.
Weve since learnt that introducing toxic species is not a good idea!

Not all introductions, however, are intentional. A large number arise as a result of contamination of traded
products. For example, numerous mosquito species have arrived in Europe through the used tire trade6
whereas rats that are now found almost everywhere on Earth, originally hitchhiked their way there aboard
boats from Asia7.

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There are few places left on earth untouched by non-native species. This is largely because there are few
places untouched by people. In particular, areas with high population or significant amounts of trade are
more likely to be invaded simply because more species are likely to arrive and therefore, have the
opportunity to invade. Furthermore, areas with high human population are more likely to be disturbed.
Physical disturbance by humans knocks back native species and creates opportunities for non-native
species to establish and spread.

Island ecosystems offer many opportunities for non-native species. Islands far from other landmasses
are not yet fully stocked with species simply because species have to arrive there naturally by the slow
process of chance8. If a species with a novel trait or behaviour is introduced to the island, it can have
devastating consequences. The vast majority of extinctions from invasive species have taken place on
islands; these are largely the result of novel predators exploiting nave island prey. Rats are a leading
cause of extinctions of ground nesting birds on islands and cats can similarly have a devastating effect.

But while mammals dominate the field of unwanted predators on island systems, they are not alone.
The Rosy wolf snail is a predatory snail and while it will eat the African land snail, it really preferred in
this case, the smaller, tastier morsel of the Partula tree snails that are endemic to many of the
Polynesian islands to which the Rosy wolf snail was introduced. The result has been that many Partula
snails are now extinct in the wild and known only in captivity, housed in a network of zoos9.

Invasive species do not only impact native species through predation. For example, in California,
invasion by fire-promoting Eurasian grass species has led to an increased frequency of fire and a decline
in the desert shrubland communities10.

Invasive species not only harm biodiversity but they also negatively impact industry and ecosystem
services delivery. Zebra mussels are native to the Ponto-Caspian region but in North America and
Western Europe, they clog pipes at great cost to industry. And Eucalyptus, a very water thirsty plant,
draws down the water table and reduces water availability for both native plants and humans where it is
invasive11.

Invasive species also include micro-organisms that can cause disease. In the next video, youll find out
more about how disease poses another threat to biodiversity. Before that, test your knowledge in the
quick learning check.

1
Convention on Biological Diversity what are invasive alien species? https://www.cbd.int/idb/2009/about/what/
2
Van Kleunen M et al. (2010) A meta-analysis of trait differences between invasive and non-invasive plant species.
Ecology Letters 13(2): 235-245

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3
Richardson DM & Rejmnek M (2011), Trees and shrubs as invasive alien species a global review. Diversity and
Distributions, 17: 788809.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2011.00782.x/full
4
Veblena TT & Stewart GH (1982) The effects of introduced wild animals on New Zealand forests. Annals of the
Association of American Geographers 72(3) 372-297.
5
Shine R (2010) The Ecological Impact of Invasive Cane Toads (Bufo Marinus) in Australia. The Quarterly Review of
Biology 85 (3): 253-291
6
Medlock JM et al. (2012) A Review of the Invasive Mosquitoes in Europe: Ecology, Public Health Risks, and Control
Options. Vector Borne Zoonotic Diseases 12(6): 435447
7
Global invasive species database: brown rat
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=19&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN
8
Reaser JK et al. (2007) Ecological and socioeconomic impacts of invasive alien species in island ecosystems.
Environmental Conservation, 34, pp 98-111.
9
Partula snail conservation at ZSL http://www.zsl.org/conservation/regions/oceania/partula-snail-conservation-
programme
10
Brooks ML et al. (2004) Effects of Invasive Alien Plants on Fire Regimes. BioScience (2004) 54 (7): 677-688
11
Karatayev AY et al. (2015) Predicting the spread of aquatic invaders: insight from 200 years of invasion by zebra
mussels. Ecological Applications 25:430440.