EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Global change stressors, including climate change and variability and land-use change, 
are major drivers of changes in ecosystems. Invasive species, or non-native species that cause 
environmental or economic damages or impacts to human health, also cause significant changes 
in ecosystems and to the services they provide. The effects of climate change on invasive 
species and their combined effects on ecosystems are not well understood, and these changes 
vary regionally with climate and species traits. In some instances climate change may create 
additional opportunities for invasion or create conditions unsuitable for certain invasive species. 
Consequently, the magnitude of ecological, economic, and human-health impacts of invasive 
species may increase, decrease, or remain the same. The level of uncertainty about specific 
effects of climate change is high, yet a necessary first step to address these effects is the 
development of management strategies that incorporate existing climate-change information and 
facilitate the addition of new information. In developing this report, we strove to identify the 
research and management intersections that can jointly address climate change and aquatic 
invasive species (AIS), thereby enabling effective prevention, control, and eradication under 
changing conditions that states could apply to ecological problems specific to their regions. 
The literature review conducted for this report and summarized in the Introduction shows 
that important progress has been made in identifying climate-change effects on invasive species, 
but in order to modify resource management activities we need a more detailed understanding of 
effects on specific species and interactions of other stressors. An analysis of existing AIS 
management plans follows the Introduction. This analysis assesses the capacity of states to 
modify or adapt their management activities to account for climate-change effects. The 
assessment shows that most states currently do not explicitly consider climate change in their 
AIS management plans; states are not currently mandated to do so. But the assessment did show 
that existing mechanisms in many state plans may be used to incorporate information about how 
to adapt AIS management activities to potential climate-change effects. If states can adapt their 
management activities, they will be more likely to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of 
their financial resources as environmental conditions change, while still meeting their AIS 
management goals. In this respect, prevention activities may be the best way to improve 
effectiveness and efficiency. 
Finally, this report compares information needs of AIS managers with current research to 
determine where gaps exist. Overall, more information and research are needed on ways climate 
change affects: 
x 
