To create this research digest, we scan over two dozen ecology journals for papers on 1) invasive species present in New York State, or the Northeast region, 2) theoretical concepts or models which may have implications for management in New York State, or 3) economic, social, or ecological impacts of invasive species on a regional or global scale. The goal is to help managers and partners across the state of New York to more easily keep up to date on current research.
Several papers listed each month are open access, and anyone can view entire manuscripts. If an article you would like to read is not available through your institution, you can often contact lead or corresponding authors to receive a copy. If you are unable to obtain a paper this way, please contact us and we are happy to work with you to get you access.
In this month’s research digest: 24 papers from 17 journals
Molecular confirmation of hybridization with invasive curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California
Aquatic Plant Management Society • Weed managers recognize that hybridization can influence invasiveness in target weeds. As such, the identification of hybridization in target weeds has become of fundamental interest. Curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) is a heavily managed...
Managing ecosystems in a sea of uncertainty: invasive species management and assisted colonizations
Ecological Applications • Managing ecosystems in the face of complex species interactions, and the associated uncertainty, presents a considerable ecological challenge. Altering those interactions via actions such as invasive...
Monitoring field establishment of the emerald ash borer biocontrol agent Oobius agrili Zhang and Huang (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): Sampling methods, sample size, and phenology
Biological Control • Monitoring Oobius agrili Zhang and Huang (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), an egg parasitoid being released for biological control of emerald ash borer (EAB)…
North American channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus: a neglected but potentially invasive freshwater fish species?
Biological Invasions • The North American channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus has been introduced to several locations in Europe but has received little or no scientific study despite its invasive attributes, including prolific reproduction, tolerance to a wide range of conditions, opportunistic feeding, at least partial …
Modelling species distributions and environmental suitability highlights risk of plant invasions in western United States
Diversity & Distributions • Non‐native invasive plants impact ecosystems globally, and the distributions of many species are expanding. The current and potential distributions of many invaders have not been characterized a...
Density dependence influences competition and hybridization at an invasion front
Diversity & Distributions • Landscape and climatic change are promoting range shifts, potentially leading to competition and hybridization between formerly isolated species. However, density‐dependent interactions can impe...
Eutrophication management in a Great Lakes wetland: examination of the existence of alternative ecological states
Ecosphere • The degradation and loss of ecologically important wetlands has been a topical issue in the Great Lakes region, where 60–80% of the coastal wetlands have been lost since the 1800s. The present modeli...
Effects of turf, leaf litter, and soil compaction on emergence and establishment of invasive glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus)
Forest Ecology & Management • Perennial invasive plants can be controlled by damaging established vegetative individuals or by preventing establishment of new plants from seed...
Hull fouling marine invasive species pose a very low, but plausible, risk of introduction to East Antarctica in climate change scenarios
Diversity & Distributions • To identify potential hull fouling marine invasive species that could survive in East Antarctica presently and in the future. Location: Australia’s Antarctic continental stations: Davis, Mawso...
Using associational effects of European beech on Norway spruce to mitigate damage by a forest regeneration pest, the pine weevil Hylobius abietis
Forest Ecology & Management • Forest regeneration can be compromised by insect damage to newly-planted conifer seedlings, with the pine weevil, Hylobius abietis, being the most eco…
Plasticity and selection drive hump‐shaped latitudinal patterns of flowering phenology in an invasive intertidal plant
Ecology • Patterns of flowering phenology can affect the success of plant invasions, especially when introduced species spread across a wide range of latitude into different climatic conditions. We combined a ...
Fast invasives fastly become faster: invasive plants align largely with the fast side of the plant economics spectrum
Journal of Ecology • Invasive plants generally align with the fast side of the plant’s trait economics spectrum, characterised by fast nutrient acquisition, growth, and reproduction. However, there are numerous and no...
Biomass responses of widely and less‐widely naturalized alien plants to artificial light at night
Journal of Ecology • Our study shows that although widely naturalized plants produce more biomass than less‐widely naturalized plants across different light conditions, they took less advantage of artificial light at nig...
Invasive plant benefits a native plant through plant-soil feedback but remains the superior competitor
Neobiota • Plant soil feedback (PSF) occurs when a plant modifies soil biotic properties and those changes in turn influence plant growth, survival or reproduction. These feedback effects are not well understood as mechanisms for invasive plant species. Eragrostis lehmanniana is an invasive species that has ex…
Similarity in fine-to-total root mass ratio leads to comparative plant–soil feedbacks between co-occurring native and invasive plants
Journal of Plant Ecology • Soil biota can affect plant–plant interactions and non-native plant invasions via plant–soil feedback (PSF). Understanding the drivers underlying interspecific variations in PSF is important for predicting the role of soil biota in non-native plant invasions. Recent studies found that PSF could be predicted by plant traits.
A multiregional assessment of transnational pathways of introduction
Neobiota • Information on the pathways by which alien taxa are introduced to new regions is vital for prioritising policy and management responses to invasions. However, available datasets are often compiled using disparate methods, making comparison and collation of pathway data difficult. Using a standardise…
Effects of prescribed grazing by goats on non‐native invasive shrubs and native plant species in a mixed‐hardwood forest
Restoration Ecology • Invasion of non‐native shrubs comprises a serious economic and ecological problem in North American forests. Prescribed grazing by goats may offer an effective alternative to traditional methods of c...
Domestication does not alter invasion risk of a non-native legume
Oecologia • Most non-native domesticated plants provide benefits without escaping cultivation, but others have become prominent invaders. A better understanding of how domestication might alter plant traits that influence the ability of species to overcome barriers to invasion could improve invasion risk predic…
Selective herbicide control: using furrows and carbon seed coatings to establish a native bunchgrass while reducing cheatgrass cover
Restoration Ecology • Invasion by exotic grasses is degrading dryland ecosystems worldwide and efforts to restore native vegetation in invaded areas have been largely unsuccessful. Control of invasive grasses with herbici...
A trait‐based approach predicting community assembly and dominance of microbial invasive species
Oikos • Understanding the mechanisms underlying community assembly helps to define success and susceptibility to biological invasions. Here, we explored phytoplankton community assembly following niche and n...