Biological invasions and natural colonisations are different – the need for invasion science

By

Wilson, John
Garcia Diaz, Pablo
Phill, Cassey
Richardson, David
Pyšek, Petr
Blackburn, Tim

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2016

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

31

Pages

87-98

Subjects

definitions , Invasion biology , invasion science

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.31.9185

 

Abstract

In a recent Discussion Paper, Hoffmann and Courchamp (2016) posed the question: are biological invasions and natural colonisations that different? This apparently simple question resonates at the core of the biological study of human-induced global change, and we strongly believe that the answer is yes: biological invasions and natural colonisations differ in processes and mechanisms in ways that are crucial for science, management, and policy. Invasion biology has, over time, developed into the broader transdisciplinary field of invasion science. At the heart of invasion science is the realisation that biological invasions are not just a biological phenomenon: the human dimension of invasions is a fundamental component in the social-ecological systems in which invasions need to be understood and managed.