Restoration of Ecological Function in Terrestrial Systems Impacted by Invasive Species

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Invasive species are responsible for the decline or extirpation of many species around the world. When those lost species provide essential ecological functions, the system may further degrade over time. Restoration ecology aims to restore these systems and associated ecological functions. It is important to first understand the invaders and their direct and indirect impacts to the native ecosystems. This requires a thorough understanding of the system and functions pre-invasion. Once these links and mechanisms are understood, managers must decide on a course of action to control or halt the spread of the invasive species and prevent further ecological degradation. Managers must determine what types of control are most appropriate for their systems as well as to what levels an invader must be controlled before restoration actions lead to improved ecological function. Deciding on specific restoration actions will vary considerably from system to system, but must involve considerations such as topography, landcover, feasibility, scale, social impacts, and timing. Specific details about habitats and species natural history are important to incorporate into planning models. Finally, monitoring and adaptive management throughout the course of the restoration and beyond are crucial to long-term success.

Related Article(s):


Contributors: Dr. Hugo Thierry, McKayla M. Spencer, Ann Marie Gawel, and Dr. Haldre Rogers


Key Resources:

Contents

References

  1. ^ Hobbs, R.J., Hallett, L.M., Ehrlich, P.R., and Mooney, H.A., 2011. Intervention Ecology: Applying Ecological Science in The Twenty-first Century. BioScience, 61(6), pp. 442–450. doi: 10.1525/bio.2011.61.6.6 [[Media:Hobbs2011.pdf | Article pdf]
  2. ^
    Rogers, H.S., Buhle, E.R., HilleRisLambers, J., Fricke, E.C., Miller, R.H., and Tewksbury, J.J., 2017. Effects of an invasive predator cascade to plants via mutualism disruption. Nature Communications, 8:14557. [https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14557 doi: 10.1038/ncomms14557] [[Media:Rogers2017.pdf | Article pdf]]