Invasive species are non-native organisms that establish self-sustaining populations and spread beyond their initial introduction sites, causing or likely to cause significant ecological, economic, or health impacts. Research on invasive species examines pathways of introduction, propagule pressure, life-history traits that facilitate invasion (e.g., high reproductive rate, broad ecological tolerance), and interactions with native communities, including competition, predation, hybridization, and pathogen transmission. The topic also encompasses invasion stages (transport, introduction, establishment, spread), invasion ecology theory (e.g., enemy release, biotic resistance), risk assessment, and management strategies such as prevention, early detection, rapid response, and long-term control or eradication.
When the Trump administration began freezing federal funding for climate and ecosystem research, one of the programs hit hard was ours: the U.S. Geological Survey's Climate Adaptation Science Centers.
Environment
Nov 24, 2025
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13
An invasive grass found on almost every continent and considered a pest in 73 countries isn't just weeding out native plants, it is creating a haven for disease-carrying ticks and raising public health risk concerns.
Ecology
Nov 13, 2025
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17
Once hailed as a solution to Ethiopia's creeping desertification, a foreign tree is now spreading uncontrollably across the East African nation, threatening fragile ecosystems and the very survival of local communities.
Ecology
Nov 12, 2025
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232
Invasive tawny crazy ants have been wreaking havoc across the U.S. Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, disrupting ecosystems and causing headaches for homeowners. Now scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have devised ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 11, 2025
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51
Over time, non-native plant species increasingly integrate into native food webs. Their region of origin or relatedness to native plants plays only a minor role. Far more decisive is how widely they have spread and how long ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 11, 2025
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17
A new study of nearly 800 barred owls on the West Coast shows the invasive predator feeds on 29 species given special conservation status by federal and state governments.
Plants & Animals
Nov 11, 2025
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70
New Curtin University research has found invasive cane toads are on track to reach Western Australia's Pilbara region within the next 10 to 20 years, threatening to cause widespread losses among native species and significant ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 10, 2025
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31
The presence of reeds, an exotic and invasive plant capable of altering the ecological balance in the natural environment, could have positive effects on fish populations in rivers. This is according to a study published ...
Ecology
Nov 7, 2025
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21
A new study led by Prof. Shao Hua at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed that aridity and grazing jointly reduce the resistance of plant communities, thereby ...
Ecology
Oct 28, 2025
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17
Researchers from the University of South Florida have used artificial intelligence and citizen science to identify what may be the first specimen of Anopheles stephensi—an invasive and deadly malaria-carrying mosquito—ever ...
Ecology
Oct 28, 2025
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32
