How common are invasion-induced ecosystem impacts?

TL;DR: The results suggest that alien species management and control methods should be species-specific and considered case-by-case, and that the most common neophytes were positively rather than negatively associated with native and alien species diversity.

TL;DR: The findings indicate that spatio-temporal niche partitioning permitted invasion by H. anomala and coexistence with M. salemaai, in spite of their high trophic similarity.

Abstract: Introductions and invasions of non-native species alter nutrient cycling and trophic dynamics resulting in significant ecological disturbance. Stable isotope data were used to test for evidence of invader-induced trophic niche differences in a north Norwegian lake system differentially dominated by native European whitefish ( Coregonus lavaretus ) morphotypes and invasive vendace ( Coregonus albula ). Aspects of both realized trophic niche position and trophic niche width were affected by the invader, with the effects varying by whitefish morphotype. Densely rakered pelagic whitefish demonstrated a relatively lower reliance on pelagic resources in the presence of the invader and the isotopic niche size was relatively larger in conjunction with the broadening of the prey base. Within the benthic-dwelling sparsely rakered whitefish morphotype, the trophic impacts of invading vendace were size-dependent, with larger individuals experiencing niche compression. Smaller sparsely-rakered whitefish increased, contrary to our hypothesis, reliance on pelagic-based energy in the face of invasion. Our findings demonstrate that the trophic ecology of invaded systems can differ in multiple and subtle ways that have consequences for community-and ecosystem-level energy flows, which if persisting over time are likely to have implications for the recruitment, growth and reproductive rate of the native fishes.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used DNA metabarcoding-based methods to investigate plankton biodiversity under varying anthropogenic pressures (shipping and bivalve aquaculture) along the eastern Adriatic coast (the northernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea).

TL;DR: It is proposed that the term ‘invasive’ should be used without any inference to environmental or economic impact, and terms like ‘pests’ and ‘weeds’ are suitable labels for the 50–80% of invaders that have harmful effects.

TL;DR: Biological invasions into wholly new regions are a consequence of a far reaching but underappreciated component of global environmental change, the human-caused breakdown of biogeographic barriers to species dispersal.

TL;DR: Elton's "The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants" as mentioned in this paper is one of the most cited books on invasion biology, and it provides an accessible, engaging introduction to the most important environmental crises of our time.