3.2. RESEARCH NEEDS ON AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES AND CLIMATE 
CHANGE 
In Section 3.1 above, we discussed the immediate information and data needs of 
conservation managers to begin addressing climate-change conditions. Below we address 
broader scientific research needed to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the 
interactions between climate and invasive species under changing conditions. These research 
needs are derived from the literature review conducted to develop this report and also a synthesis 
of the June 2006 workshop, “Assessing Gaps and Needs for Invasive Species Management in a 
Changing Climate.” The workshop informed both this section on research needs, which are 
directed towards the scientific community and represent more basic science needs, and the 
previous section (3.1) on information needs for managers, which are more immediate needs 
representing more applied scientific questions. The research needs in this section (3.2) are 
necessarily broad in scope, demonstrating the paucity of information on climate-change and 
invasive-species interactions. For all research needs, however, climate-change data will be most 
useful when it is tied to specific regions, and thus, to AIS that occur in those areas. For example, 
research on the impacts of climate change in western North America projects that earlier 
snowmelt due to increasing temperatures will impact stream flow (Stewart et al., 2004), an 
impact that will be important when identifying how AIS may respond to climate change in that 
region. However, regional climate-change modeling and smaller-scale projections of effects on 
specific watersheds are at the current edge of scientific research; therefore, more detailed 
assessments of effects on specific AIS in specific places is not yet possible. 
3.2.1. Climate-Change Effects on Invasive Species 
Research is needed on the effects of climate change on invasive species in all aspects of 
the invasion pathway as discussed below. 
Pathways and Vectors 
• Effects of climate change (e.g., water and air temperature changes, precipitation patterns, 
and sea level rise) on AIS pathways and vectors, including new pathways and changes in 
existing pathways. 
Establishment and Spread 
• Ecosystem feedbacks between climate change and conditions favorable to AIS 
establishment and spread. 
• Effects of climate change on current high priority invasive species, both positive and 
negative, in terms of changing distributions and impacts. 
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