Distinctiveness magnifies the impact of biological invaders in aquatic ecosystems
- 2 August 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Ecology Letters
- Vol. 7 (9) , 781-784
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00642.x
Abstract
There exist few empirical rules for the effects of introduced species, reflecting the context‐dependent nature of biological invasions. A promising approach toward developing generalizations is to explore hypotheses that incorporate characteristics of both the invader and the recipient system. We present the first general test of the hypothesis that an invader's impact is determined by the system's evolutionary experience with similar species. Through a meta‐analysis, we compared the taxonomic distinctiveness of high‐ and low‐impact invaders in several aquatic systems. We find that high‐impact invaders (i.e. those that displace native species) are more likely to belong to genera not already present in the system.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- Herbivores and the success of exotic plants: a phylogenetically controlled experimentEcology Letters, 2003
- Alien predators and amphibian declines: review of two decades of science and the transition to conservationDiversity and Distributions, 2003
- Facilitative interactions among aquatic invaders: is an "invasional meltdown" occurring in the Great Lakes?Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2001
- Exotic species in large lakes of the worldAquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 2000
- Non‐indigenous species as stressors in estuarine and marine communities: Assessing invasion impacts and interactionsLimnology and Oceanography, 1999
- Impending extinctions of North American freshwater mussels (Unionoida) following the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) invasionJournal of Animal Ecology, 1998
- EXTINCTION BY HYBRIDIZATION AND INTROGRESSIONAnnual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 1996
- NEW ASSOCIATIONS IN BIOLOGICAL CONTROL: THEORY AND PRACTICEThe Canadian Entomologist, 1989
- Crayfish extinctions and crayfish plague in central IrelandBiological Conservation, 1988
- The Molecular Clock Hypothesis: Biochemical Evolution, Genetic Differentiation and SystematicsAnnual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 1982