Introduced species Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Centaurea solstitialis L. (yellow starthistle, Asteraceae) is a Eurasian native plant introduced as an exotic into North and South America, and Australia, where it is regarded as a noxious invasive. Changes in ploidy level have been found... more

Centaurea solstitialis L. (yellow starthistle, Asteraceae) is a Eurasian native plant introduced as an exotic into North and South America, and Australia, where it is regarded as a noxious invasive. Changes in ploidy level have been found to be responsible for numerous plant biological invasions, as they are involved in trait shifts critical to invasive success, like increased growth rate and biomass, longer life-span, or polycarpy. C. solstitialis had been reported to be diploid (2n = 2x = 16 chromosomes), however, actual data are scarce and sometimes contradictory. We determined for the first time the absolute nuclear DNA content by flow cytometry and estimated ploidy level in 52 natural populations of C. solstitialis across its native and non-native ranges, around the world. All the C. solstitialis populations screened were found to be homogeneously diploid (average 2C value of 1.72 pg, SD = ±0.06 pg), with no significant variation in DNA content between invasive and non-invasive...

Biological invasions caused by the introductions of non-native species (NNS) into their non- native ecosystems have long been a global environmental concern. In the Philippines large-scale importation of non-native freshwater fish species... more

Biological invasions caused by the introductions of non-native species (NNS) into their non- native ecosystems have long been a global environmental concern. In the Philippines large-scale importation of non-native freshwater fish species for the aquarium and aquaculture industry have been documented as early as 1940s. However, little invasiveness assessment has been done in the past, which resulted to the invasion of some of these exotic species. Thus, in this paper, 25 NNS (Order: Siluriformes) were assessed using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK) to determine their potential for becoming invasive in the chosen risk assessment (RA) area, as well as their ecological and socioeconomic potential impacts on the Philippines. Based on the comprehensive ROC Curve, with the use of the Youden-J index, overall threshold values of ≥ 35 for basic risk assessment (BRA) and ≥ 47 for BRA + climate change assessment (CCA) were established to categorize the potential invasive...

Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity in the Neotropical region. However, few studies have evaluated the mechanisms underlying the long-term establishment of fish propagules in aquatic environments. Here, we associated... more

Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity in the Neotropical region. However, few studies have evaluated the mechanisms underlying the long-term establishment of fish propagules in aquatic environments. Here, we associated fish biomass, species richness, and proportion of non-native species (contamination index) to quantify propagule and colonisation pressures, and fish biodiversity (measured by the Kempton’s index) in lakes and rivers of the Parana River floodplain. We organised species into native and non-native assemblages sampled by gillnetting and beach seining in spatio-temporal gradients, seasonally, from 2000 to 2017. Native and non-native Kempton’s indices were inversely correlated, native extinctions occurred locally with non-native biotic differentiation in lakes, rivers, and ecosystem contamination. A constant propagule pressure resulted in an overwhelming biodiversity of non-natives at the end of the evaluated time series. Biotic resistance to introduction...

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced... more

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal‐central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and t...

The disruption of plant–animal interactions such as seed dispersal is one of the most critical effects of biological invasions. To understand the role of introduced species in current seed‐dispersal systems, we conducted fecal analyses of... more

The disruption of plant–animal interactions such as seed dispersal is one of the most critical effects of biological invasions. To understand the role of introduced species in current seed‐dispersal systems, we conducted fecal analyses of the most common resident land birds on the Bonin Islands, Japan, and estimated their relative importance as seed‐dispersal agents. Two native birds, the brown‐eared bulbul and the Bonin Islands white‐eye, and the introduced Japanese white‐eye were the primary seed dispersers in secondary forest sites. Because the seed species composition in the feces of native and introduced white‐eyes was similar, the latter may be replacing the former as a seed‐dispersal agent. Introduced plants did not decrease the number of seed‐dispersal opportunities for native species through competition for seed dispersers. Because some bird species have already become extinct on the Bonin Islands, their ecological functions may also have been permanently lost; however, the...

Green roofs are considered key elements of the urban green infrastructure since they offer several environmental benefits, including habitat provision for arthropods. To achieve these benefits and ensure green roof success, an appropriate... more

Green roofs are considered key elements of the urban green infrastructure since they offer several environmental benefits, including habitat provision for arthropods. To achieve these benefits and ensure green roof success, an appropriate plant selection is an important step in the design of these infrastructures, especially where green roof technology is emerging like in South American cities. So far, decisions of using native or exotic plant species in green roofs had never been evaluated taking into account the plant potential to foster beneficial arthropods. By applying an integrative multicriteria decision framework that combined the habitat template hypothesis with the potential of plants to attract floral visitors and natural enemies, we obtained a ranked set of candidate native and exotic plant species. Among the best-ranked candidate species, we further compared the performance of six native and six exotic species in 30 experimental green roofs installed in Córdoba city, Ar...

Helicoverpa armigera has recently invaded South and Central America, and appears to be spreading rapidly. We update a previously developed potential distribution model to highlight the global invasion threat, with emphasis on the risks to... more

Helicoverpa armigera has recently invaded South and Central America, and appears to be spreading rapidly. We update a previously developed potential distribution model to highlight the global invasion threat, with emphasis on the risks to the United States. The continued range expansion of H. armigera in Central America is likely to change the invasion threat it poses to North America qualitatively, making natural dispersal from either the Caribbean islands or Mexico feasible. To characterise the threat posed by H. armigera, we collated the value of the major host crops in the United States growing within its modelled potential range, including that area where it could expand its range during favourable seasons. We found that the annual value of crops that would be exposed to H. armigera totalled approximately US$78 billion p.a., with US$843 million p.a. worth growing in climates that are optimal for the pest. Elsewhere, H. armigera has developed broad-spectrum pesticide resistance;...

A neglected aspect of alien invasive plant species is their influence on mosquito vector ecology and malaria transmission. Invasive plants that are highly attractive to Anopheles mosquitoes provide them with sugar that is critical to... more

A neglected aspect of alien invasive plant species is their influence on mosquito vector ecology and malaria transmission. Invasive plants that are highly attractive to Anopheles mosquitoes provide them with sugar that is critical to their survival. The effect on Anopheles mosquito populations was examined through a habitat manipulation experiment that removed the flowering branches of highly attractive Prosopis juliflora from selected villages in Mali, West Africa. Nine villages in the Bandiagara district of Mali were selected, six with flowering Prosopis juliflora, and three without. CDC-UV light traps were used to monitor their Anopheles spp. vector populations, and recorded their species composition, population size, age structure, and sugar feeding status. After 8 days, all of the flowering branches were removed from three villages and trap catches were analysed again. Villages where flowering branches of the invasive shrub Prosopis juliflora were removed experienced a threefol...

AimHumans influence species distributions by modifying the environment and by dispersing species beyond their natural ranges. Populations of species that have established in disjunct regions of the world may exhibit trait differentiation... more

AimHumans influence species distributions by modifying the environment and by dispersing species beyond their natural ranges. Populations of species that have established in disjunct regions of the world may exhibit trait differentiation from native populations due to founder effects and adaptations to selection pressures in each distributional region. We compared multiple native, expansive and introduced populations of a single species across the world, considering the influence of environmental stressors and transgenerational effects.LocationUnited States Gulf and Atlantic coasts, United States interior, European Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, east coast of Australia.TaxonBaccharis halimifolia L. (eastern baccharis).MethodsWe monitored seed germination, seedling emergence, survival and early growth in a common garden experiment, conducted with over 18,200 seeds from 80 populations. We also evaluated the influence of environmental stress and maternal traits on progeny performan...

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) involves the nonsexual transmission of genetic material across species boundaries. Although often detected in prokaryotes, examples of HGT involving animals are relatively rare, and any evolutionary... more

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) involves the nonsexual transmission of genetic material across species boundaries. Although often detected in prokaryotes, examples of HGT involving animals are relatively rare, and any evolutionary advantage conferred to the recipient is typically obscure. We identified a gene ( HhMAN1 ) from the coffee berry borer beetle, Hypothenemus hampei , a devastating pest of coffee, which shows clear evidence of HGT from bacteria. HhMAN1 encodes a mannanase, representing a class of glycosyl hydrolases that has not previously been reported in insects. Recombinant HhMAN1 protein hydrolyzes coffee berry galactomannan, the major storage polysaccharide in this species and the presumed food of H. hampei . HhMAN1 was found to be widespread in a broad biogeographic survey of H. hampei accessions, indicating that the HGT event occurred before radiation of the insect from West Africa to Asia and South America. However, the gene was not detected in the closely related sp...

Coccinellidae (ladybird beetles) fauna of Malakand division was explored during 2013-15. There are 28 species under 19 genera belonging to subfamilies Coccinellinae, Chilocorinae, Scymninae and Epilachninae. The statistical analysis (DCA... more

Coccinellidae (ladybird beetles) fauna of Malakand division was explored during 2013-15. There are 28 species under 19 genera belonging to subfamilies Coccinellinae, Chilocorinae, Scymninae and Epilachninae. The statistical analysis (DCA ordination) of coccinellids fauna showed that different species clustered along different ordination axis having similar habitat types. The maximum eigenvalue were recorded for axis 1 (0.28) with gradient length of 1.32 indicating that the whole data set was dominated by single gradient length. The species which having maximum ordination score with axis 1 included Chilocorus circumdatus, Propylea dissecta, Hyperaspis leechi, Stethorus gilvifrons. The sample weighted mean species score were maximum for Dir lower with 132 value followed by Chitral with 85 score on axis 1. The DCA ordination showed that the minimum population size were recorded in November, December, January and February, maximum population size were recorded in September followed by O...

An assessement of the alien plants of Romania was conducted which considered the requirements of Regulation 1143/2014 of the European Union (EU). Thus, available data about the presence, invasiveness, distribution, pathways of... more

An assessement of the alien plants of Romania was conducted which considered the requirements of Regulation 1143/2014 of the European Union (EU). Thus, available data about the presence, invasiveness, distribution, pathways of introduction and their known impact in the territory of Romania were analysed. We found that of 36 plant species of EU concern, four are already established in Romania and widespread, at least locally or regionally: Ailanthus altissima, Asclepias syriaca, Elodea nuttallii and Impatiens glandulifera. For Humulus scandens there are some reports, but its presence and status require confirmation. Heracleum sosnowskyi and Ludwigia peploides are confirmed for only one location for each species. The presence of Cabomba caroliniana and Myriophyllum aquaticum in Romania is not confirmed. Most of the records are intentional introductions for ornamental purposes. Regarding their invasiveness, given the geographical origin and history of invasion in warmer climate regions...

Espécies têm sido introduzidas pelo ser humano, intencional ou acidentalmente por todos os continentes. O ritmo de introdução de espécies aumentou a partir do século XVI, com as grandes navegações e cresce atualmente em decorrência do... more

Espécies têm sido introduzidas pelo ser humano, intencional ou acidentalmente por todos os continentes. O ritmo de introdução de espécies aumentou a partir do século XVI, com as grandes navegações e cresce atualmente em decorrência do comércio mundial e dos ...