Invasion Science: A Horizon Scan of Emerging Challenges and Opportunities

We identified emerging scientific, technological, and sociopolitical issues likely to affect how biological invasions are studied and managed over the next two decades. Issues were ranked according to their probability of emergence, pervasiveness, potential impact, and novelty. Top-ranked issues inc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in ecology & evolution (Amsterdam) 2017-06, Vol.32 (6), p.464-474
Main Authors: Ricciardi, Anthony, Blackburn, Tim M., Carlton, James T., Dick, Jaimie T.A., Hulme, Philip E., Iacarella, Josephine C., Jeschke, Jonathan M., Liebhold, Andrew M., Lockwood, Julie L., MacIsaac, Hugh J., Pyšek, Petr, Richardson, David M., Ruiz, Gregory M., Simberloff, Daniel, Sutherland, William J., Wardle, David A., Aldridge, David C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arctic globalization
Ecology
Ecosystem
Ekologi
gene drives
global change
Introduced Species
invasive species
microbial ecology
rapid evolution
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Summary:We identified emerging scientific, technological, and sociopolitical issues likely to affect how biological invasions are studied and managed over the next two decades. Issues were ranked according to their probability of emergence, pervasiveness, potential impact, and novelty. Top-ranked issues include the application of genomic modification tools to control invasions, effects of Arctic globalization on invasion risk in the Northern Hemisphere, commercial use of microbes to facilitate crop production, the emergence of invasive microbial pathogens, and the fate of intercontinental trade agreements. These diverse issues suggest an expanding interdisciplinary role for invasion science in biosecurity and ecosystem management, burgeoning applications of biotechnology in alien species detection and control, and new frontiers in the microbial ecology of invasions. Expanding transportation networks, technological advances, global environmental change, and geopolitical forces are transforming risks of invasion worldwide. Genomic modification tools offer novel risks and potential solutions to managing invasions. Rapid warming and intensified human activities in the Arctic will alter invasion patterns and risks across the Northern Hemisphere. Anthropogenic stressors promote rapid evolutionary shifts that cause native and alien populations to become invasive. Microbial ecology is becoming increasingly relevant to understanding and managing invasions.
ISSN:0169-5347
1872-8383
1872-8383
DOI:10.1016/j.tree.2017.03.007