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: 26 articles from 18 journals
Extirpated prairie species demonstrate more variable phenological responses to warming than extant congeners
American Journal of Botany • Shifting phenology in response to climate is one mechanism that can promote population persistence and geographic spread; therefore, species with limited ability to phenologically track chan...
The introduction of the European Caucasotachea vindobonensis (Gastropoda: Helicidae) in North America, its origin and its potential range
Biological Invasions • We report the introduction of the central and eastern European helicid land snail Caucasotachea vindobonensis in North America. It was first recorded from Rensselaer County in the state of New York in 2015 by a community scientist. From 2016 to 2020, 14 additional occurrences in Rensselaer County, n…
Patterns of population genomic diversity in the invasive Japanese knotweed species complex
American Journal of Botany • Invasive species are expected to undergo a reduction in genetic diversity due to founder effects, which should limit their ability to adapt to new habitats. Still, many invasive species ac...
Context dependence in community composition of functional traits mediates freshwater fish invasion success in the Laurentian Great Lakes over time
Biological Invasions • As the number of non-native species introductions continues to increase, the need for tools to predict potential invaders is a central focus in invasion ecology. Trait-based models are a popular method used to predict non-native species success; however, they have many challenges to overcome and oft…
Matching a snail’s pace: successful use of environmental DNA techniques to detect early stages of invasion by the destructive New Zealand mud snail
Biological Invasions • Early detection of invasive species allows for a more rapid and effective response. Restoration of the native ecosystem after an invasive population has established is expensive and difficult but more likely to succeed when invasions are detected early in the invasion process. Containment efforts to…
Non-native plants rarely provide suitable habitat for native gall-inducing species
Biodiversity and Conservation • For insect herbivores, a critical niche requirement—possibly the critical niche requirement—is the presence of suitable host plants. Current research suggests that non-native plants are not as suitable as native plants for native herbivores, resulting in decreases in insect abundance and richness on…
A new method for broad‐scale modeling and projection of plant assemblages under climatic, biotic, and environmental cofiltering
Conservation Biology • There is increasing interest in broad-scale analysis, modeling, and prediction of the distribution and composition of plant species assemblages under climatic, environmental, and biotic filtering, pa...
Anthropogenic habitat loss accelerates the range expansion of a global invader
Diversity & Distributions •
Understanding the patterns and correlates of the range expansion of established alien species is crucial for predicting invasion impacts and developing effective control strategies. With acceler...
Understanding the patterns and correlates of the range expansion of established alien species is crucial for predicting invasion impacts and developing effective control strategies. With acceler...
Multiple co‐occurrent alien invaders constrain aquatic biodiversity in rivers
Ecological Applications • A greater understanding and effective management of biological invasions is a priority for biodiversity conservation globally. Many freshwater ecosystems are experiencing the colonisation and spread ...
Consistent pattern of higher lability of leaves from high latitudes for both native Phragmites australis and exotic Spartina alterniflora
Functional Ecology • Global variation in litter decomposition rates is driven by climate, decomposer taxa and litter quality. Most large-scale studies of litter quality have made comparisons across species, rather than within a species sourced from different latitudes...
Positive interactions between an exotic invader and moss biocrusts vary across life stage and correspond with the effect of water pulses on soil nitrogen
Functional Ecology • The size and frequency of resource pulses can affect plant interactions and increase the abundance of invasive species relative to native species. We examined resource pulses generated during the desiccation and rehydration of communities of native biological soil crust (biocrust)-forming mosses, in the context of positive associations between biocrusts and the invasive forb, Centaurea stoebe.
Applying the stress‐gradient hypothesis to curb the spread of invasive bamboo
Journal of Applied Ecology • The stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH) provides a conceptual framework for explaining how environmental context determines the nature of biotic interactions. It may be also useful for predicting geogra...
Differences in diet compositions and feeding strategies of invasive round goby Neogobius melanostomus and native black goby Gobius niger in the Western Baltic Sea
Aquatic Invasions • The round goby Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814) is a global invader that
has become established in the Baltic Sea and expands its geographic range further
west. Native in the Baltic Sea, the black goby Gobius niger...
has become established in the Baltic Sea and expands its geographic range further
west. Native in the Baltic Sea, the black goby Gobius niger...
Development of a surveillance species list to inform aquatic invasive species management in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Management of Biological Invasions • In an effort to harmonize multi-jurisdictional surveillance and detection of aquatic
invasive species, regional stakeholders have called for the development of a Great
Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Surveillance Framework to identify species that
pose a risk to the basin...
invasive species, regional stakeholders have called for the development of a Great
Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Surveillance Framework to identify species that
pose a risk to the basin...
Dispersal potential rather than risk assessment scores predict the spread rate of non‐native pines across New Zealand
Journal of Applied Ecology • Pine (genus Pinus) species are planted extensively for forestry purposes in areas where they are non-native, with the result that biological invasions by many of these species are of considerable ...
Trait‐based vulnerability reveals hotspots of potential impact for a global marine invader
Global Change Biology • Predation from the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish is likely to amplify declines in marine fishes observed in multiple ocean basins. As the invasion intensifies and expands, there is an urgent need to...
Weak non-linear influences of biotic and abiotic factors on invasive macrophyte occurrence
Aquatic Invasions • Aquatic plants (macrophytes) are important components of freshwater ecosystems
and serve numerous functions, both physical and biological, that help to structure
aquatic communities. However, invasive macrophytes may negatively alter ecosystem
properties...
and serve numerous functions, both physical and biological, that help to structure
aquatic communities. However, invasive macrophytes may negatively alter ecosystem
properties...
Eradication economics for invasive alien aquatic plants
Management of Biological Invasions • Although there is a sizeable budget for biosecurity management in New Zealand, there will never be sufficient resources to intervene in all incursions of harmful
species, including invasive freshwater plants...
species, including invasive freshwater plants...
Current plant diversity but not its soil legacy influences exotic plant invasion
Journal of Plant Ecology • Current plant diversity can influence exotic plant invasion, but it is unclear whether there is a legacy effect of plant diversity on exotic plant invasion. As plant diversity can affect soil microbial communities and physio-chemical properties...
Evaluation of a qualitative survey for early detection monitoring of New Zealand mudsnail
Management of Biological Invasions • Early detection of an invasive species is the first critical step to managing their invasion. New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum; hereafter NZMS) are a small gastropod native to New Zealand and a documented worldwide invader...
Between approval and disapproval: Citizens’ views on the invasive tree Ailanthus altissima and its management
Neobiota • While cities are invasion hotspots, the view of urban residents on non-native species is critically understudied – an important knowledge gap since strategies on biological invasions could gain power by integrating human values, attitudes and perceptions. How citizens perceive the non-native tree Ailanthus altissima…
Latitudinal variation in the diversity and composition of various organisms associated with an exotic plant: the role of climate and plant invasion
New Phytologist • Climate and plant invasion can shape biotic communities at large spatial scales. Yet, how diverse groups of organisms associated with an invasive plant change simultaneously with latitude and the ...
Are arthropod communities in grassland ecosystems affected by the abundance of an invasive plant?
Oecologia • Invasive plants cause changes to native plant communities and nutrient cycling, and by doing so, may alter the amount and quality of habitat available for animals at multiple trophic levels, including arthropods. Arthropods are generally abundant, diverse, and contribute to energy flow and nutrient …