Spread dynamics of invasive species

Species invasions are a principal component of global change, causing large losses in biodiversity as well as economic damage. Invasion theory attempts to understand and predict invasion success and patterns of spread. However, there is no consensus regarding which species or community attributes en...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2006-01, Vol.103 (2), p.374-378
Main Authors: Arim, M, Abades, S.R, Neill, P.E, Lima, M, Marquet, P.A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
animals
Biodiversity
Biological invasions
Biological Sciences
Conservation biology
Ecological invasion
Ecology
geographical distribution
Invasive species
mathematical models
Nonnative species
phytogeography
Plants
Population dynamics
Population ecology
Random walk
Viruses
zoogeography
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Summary:Species invasions are a principal component of global change, causing large losses in biodiversity as well as economic damage. Invasion theory attempts to understand and predict invasion success and patterns of spread. However, there is no consensus regarding which species or community attributes enhance invader success or explain spread dynamics. Experimental and theoretical studies suggest that regulation of spread dynamics is possible; however, the conditions for its existence have not yet been empirically demonstrated. If invasion spread is a regulated process, the structure that accounts for this regulation will be a main determinant of invasion dynamics. Here we explore the existence of regulation underlying changes in the rate of new site colonization. We employ concepts and analytical tools from the study of abundance dynamics and show that spread dynamics are, in fact, regulated processes and that the regulation structure is notably consistent among invasions occurring in widely different contexts. We base our conclusions on the analysis of the spread dynamics of 30 species invasions, including birds, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, plants, and a virus, all of which exhibited similar regulation structures. In contrast to current beliefs that species invasions are idiosyncratic phenomena, here we provide evidence that general patterns do indeed exist.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0504272102