Biological invasions and natural colonisations are different – the need for invasion science

John R. U. Wilson, Pablo García-Díaz, Phillip Cassey, David M. Richardson, Petr Pyšek, Tim M. Blackburn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Citations (Scopus)
15 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In a recent Discussion Paper, Hoffmann and Courchamp (2016) posed the question: are biological invasions and natural colonisations that different? This apparently simple question resonates at the core of the biological study of human-induced global change, and we strongly believe that the answer is yes: biological invasions and natural colonisations differ in processes and mechanisms in ways that are crucial for science, management, and policy. Invasion biology has, over time, developed into the broader transdisciplinary field of invasion science. At the heart of invasion science is the realisation that biological invasions are not just a biological phenomenon: the human dimension of invasions is a fundamental component in the social-ecological systems in which invasions need to be understood and managed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)87-98
Number of pages12
JournalNeoBiota
Volume31
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Sept 2016

Bibliographical note

The DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology provided support to JRUW and DMR. We also thank Ingolf Kuehn and Anthony Ricciardi for constructive comments. PP was supported by long-term research development project RVO 67985939 (The Czech Academy of Sciences), project no. 14-36079G, Centre of Excellence PLADIAS (Czech Science Foundation) and acknowledges support by Praemium Academiae award from The Czech Academy of Sciences.

Keywords

  • invasion science
  • invasion biology
  • definitions

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