Invasive Species: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Invasive species have become a major environmental issue in ecosystems across the world. Julie Lockwood considers how plant and animal species are introduced to new environments; the ecological, social, and economic impacts they can have; and approaches to managing them, against the broader backdrop of environmental change.

• Considers the ways invasive plant and animal species are introduced to new environments
• Explores the ecological, social, and economic impacts invasive species often impose
• Discusses policy and management approaches to combating the ill-effects of invasive species
• Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over ten million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

Julie Lockwood, Rutgers University, and Dustin J. Welbourne, Writer and Analyst, Environmental Niche Services

Dr Julie Lockwood explores the fate of Earth's biodiversity in the wake of global change. Humans dominate current ecological and evolutionary processes to a great extent. As a consequence, a growing list of species are lost to extinction, while another set of species ride the wave of globalization as invasive species. Dr Lockwood and her research group document and explore the societal implications of this transformation of global biodiversity. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Dr Lockwood was trained as a conservation biologist at the University of Tennessee and now is Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources at Rutgers University.

Dr. Dustin Welbourne spent 10 years in academia where his work focused on the development and evaluation of sampling techniques used to detect cryptic fauna. He received his Ph.D from the University of New South Wales in Australia where he developed camera trapping methods to effectively survey terrestrial reptiles. He now works in the private sector as a consultant and educator on several data analytic topics for various clients including the Australian Government. Dr Welbourne also has a passion for science communication and has won several national awards and received a MSc for his work in science communication from the Australian National University. By keeping a hand in research and translating science for the general public, Dr Welbourne hopes to empower non-specialists with a better understanding about global socio-environmental challenges.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations
1:What is an invasive species?
2:Invasion pathways
3:Establishment
4:Spread
5:Ecological impact
6:Socio-economic impact
7:Policy and management
8:Future of invasion science
Future reading
Index