Luke Potgieter: Prioritizing sites to manage invasive aliens in urban ecosystems

Shortlisted for the Georgina Mace Prize 2022 In their latest research article, Luke Potgieter and colleagues developed a strategic, spatial prioritization approach for identifying sites most vulnerable to new or expanding terrestrial non-native plant invasions in urban landscapes. Cities have historically been under-studied in ecology and have not seen sufficient development of conservation and biodiversity management policy. This dearth of urban-focused applied ecology and conservation … Continue reading Luke Potgieter: Prioritizing sites to manage invasive aliens in urban ecosystems

Editor’s Choice 57:10 – Testing the relative effects of biocontrol and herbicide: finding an evidence-based management decision to control invasive plants

Journal of Applied Ecology’s October Editor’s Choice compares biocontrol and herbicide as approaches to invasive species management. Associate Editor, Rafael D. Zenni introduces the selected article by Paul G. Peterson and colleagues, which explores ‘efficacy, non-target effects and secondary invasion’. This post is also available in Portuguese here. In most ecosystems, controlling invasive alien plants is necessary in order to reduce and mitigate the negative … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 57:10 – Testing the relative effects of biocontrol and herbicide: finding an evidence-based management decision to control invasive plants

Testagem dos efeitos relativos de controle biológico e herbicida no controle de plantas exóticas invasoras para tomada de decisão baseada em evidências

This Editor’s Choice summary by Rafael D. Zenni is also available in English here. O controle de plantas exóticas invasoras é uma necessidade na maioria dos ecossistemas do planeta para reduzir e mitigar os impactos negativos causados ​​por invasões biológicas a biodiversidade nativa e aos serviços ecossistêmicos. No entanto, existem vários métodos de controle e escolher a solução mais eficaz, menos prejudicial e mais permanente … Continue reading Testagem dos efeitos relativos de controle biológico e herbicida no controle de plantas exóticas invasoras para tomada de decisão baseada em evidências

Cover stories: escapes from aquaculture

Using the example of sturgeons in the Yangtze River and impacts on the critically endangered Chinese sturgeon, work by Rui-Ting Ju et al. looks into policies around escaping non-native species from aquaculture. The corresponding cover image for issue 57:01 was taken by Ping Zhuang. Sturgeon farming is expanding worldwide due to the overexploitation of wild stocks. In China, the main farmed species are non-native species … Continue reading Cover stories: escapes from aquaculture

Identifying lurking garden invaders promoted by climate change

In our changing climates, some introduced ornamental plant species could establish themselves and become invasive. Emily Haeuser and colleagues present a new model for helping assess naturalization risk in their article, European ornamental garden flora as an invasion debt under climate change. Invasive species can cause significant ecological and economic damage worldwide. They can disrupt ecosystem services, and put threatened and endangered species at risk … Continue reading Identifying lurking garden invaders promoted by climate change

Research, management and local knowledge: an innovative approach to invasive species control

Executive Editor, Marc Cadotte shares his thoughts on Jennifer Firn and colleagues’ new article, Integrating local knowledge and research to refine the management of an invasive non-native grass in critically endangered grassy woodlands and why utilising local knowledge is vital if we’re to provide successful solutions to environmental issues.  While many hurdles hamper the successful application of ecological concepts and theories to developing solutions to environmental … Continue reading Research, management and local knowledge: an innovative approach to invasive species control

Invasive wild pigs making themselves at home throughout the USA

In this post Nathan Snow discusses his recent paper ‘Interpreting and predicting the spread of invasive wild pigs‘ The eruption of invasive wild pigs Sus scrofa throughout the world exemplifies the need to understand the influences of exotic and non-native species expansions. In particular, the continental USA is precariously threatened by a rapid expansion of these wild pigs, and a better understanding of the rate … Continue reading Invasive wild pigs making themselves at home throughout the USA

The “bright side” of invasive species – with Portuguese and Spanish translations

In this post Karen Castillioni discusses a recent paper by Bianca Charbonneau and colleagues ‘A species effect on storm erosion: Invasive sedge stabilized dunes more than native grass during Hurricane Sandy‘. Karen has also provided Portuguese and Spanish translations of this post to reach out to Portuguese and Spanish readers interested in this topic. Journal of Applied Ecology is dedicated to making papers more accessible … Continue reading The “bright side” of invasive species – with Portuguese and Spanish translations

When a hurricane knocks, call on plants to protect

In this post Bianca R. Charbonneau discusses her recent paper ‘A species effect on storm erosion: Invasive sedge stabilized dunes more than native grass during Hurricane Sandy‘ You can also read another blog post about this paper here: ‘The “bright side” of invasive species – with Portuguese and Spanish translations‘ Coastal zones are arguably the most dynamic terrestrial habitats worldwide by nature of their location … Continue reading When a hurricane knocks, call on plants to protect

Managing invasive species in a warming Arctic

In this post Associate Editor Joseph Bennett discusses a paper he recently handled by Chris Ware and colleagues ‘Biological introduction risks from shipping in a warming Arctic’ It is well known that the Arctic is one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change (IPCC 2014). Climate change will not only have direct impacts, it will also magnify the effects of existing … Continue reading Managing invasive species in a warming Arctic