Introduced species, as a biological process, refers to the human-mediated translocation and establishment of organisms outside their native geographic ranges, thereby altering biotic community composition and ecosystem dynamics. This process involves transport (intentional or accidental), release or escape, survival, and reproduction in the recipient environment, often bypassing natural dispersal barriers. Once established, introduced species may undergo rapid ecological and evolutionary responses, including niche shifts, adaptation to novel conditions, and altered interaction networks (e.g., predation, competition, mutualism). The process of species introduction can drive changes in community structure, energy flow, and biogeochemical cycles, and in some cases leads to biological invasions with significant impacts on native biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
North America's bee populations are in trouble, but don't blame the honey bees. While some people argue that an overabundance of managed honey bees—those raised to help pollinate crops and produce honey—is causing native ...
Ecology
Apr 9, 2026
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The Mediterranean Sea is undergoing rapid ecological transformations driven by climate change and human-mediated species introductions. Among the most striking processes is the increasing arrival and establishment of non-indigenous ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 1, 2026
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424
An international research team led by the University of Vienna has produced, for the first time, high-resolution global maps of invasion risk for thousands of alien plant species under current conditions and future climate ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2026
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20
Rising temperatures in a Southcentral Alaska river have led to a hungrier population of invasive northern pike, a trend that could imperil native salmon and other fish species. A University of Alaska Fairbanks-led research ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 22, 2026
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1468
More than 40% of extant large freshwater animals (megafauna), including carp, salmonids, crocodilians, turtles, beavers, and hippopotamuses, have been deliberately introduced outside their natural range, often for economic ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 9, 2026
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In the canals, marshes, and swamps of the Florida Everglades, invasive fish are silently slipping into new waterways. Among them are the Asian swamp eel and the bullseye snakehead, two air-breathing predators that live in ...
Ecology
Feb 25, 2026
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125
A key characteristic of modern human society is rapid urbanization, a process that can reshape natural environments and disrupt the habitats of many organisms. One widespread byproduct of urbanization is artificial light ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 24, 2026
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31
New research on avian malaria, which has decimated Hawaii's beloved birds, explains how non-native birds play a key role in transmission and contribute to the widespread distribution of the disease. This disease threatens ...
Ecology
Feb 10, 2026
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20
In early January, authorities from South Australia's Department of Primary Industries took to the streets of Adelaide on the hunt for a suspicious individual.
Plants & Animals
Feb 6, 2026
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Josh Courville has harvested crawfish his whole life, but these days, he's finding a less welcome catch in some of the fields he manages in southern Louisiana.
Agriculture
Feb 6, 2026
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