Description
Presently, virtually no areas on Earth remain sheltered from the arrival and establishment of non-native plants, insects, and animals, in large part due to human activities. Failure to address this issue may have dire consequences, including disruption of vital ecological processes, loss of agricultural, forestry, and fishery resources, and even serious disease epidemics within human populations. At the same time, most non-native species are not invasive, and attempts to eradicate them may themselves result in environmental, economic, and even social damage. Non-Native Species: Understanding the Impacts on Ecosystems and Societies provides a comprehensive introduction to the issues surrounding invasion biology, which is a prominent, but sometimes controversial, area of applied biology. It will cover the mechanisms of natural and human-mediated biological invasions, their consequences from ecological, economic, political, and ethical perspectives, and discuss management options available for prevention and/or mitigation of the negative impacts of invasive species.Written by an entomologist who studies invasive insects and plants and has spent over 20 years teaching a course on biological invasions, Non-Native Species: Understanding the Impacts on Ecosystems and Societies offers anecdotes, insights, and case studies from the author's own work and research. This book is an ideal reference for early career researchers with an interest in invasion ecology, or an ideal course companion for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels enrolled in courses on invasive species, non-native species, or biological invasions, particularly those who plan to major, minor, or concentrate in entomology.- Covers biologiocal invasions for undergraduate and graduate students as well as early career researchers- Offers ecological, economic, political, and ethical perspectives on non-native species- Includes unique and engaging case studies from the author's work in entomology, plant science, and IPM
Table of Contents
Part I: Understanding invasions1. Definitions2. The process in space and time3. Ecological aspects4. Evolutionary considerationsPart II: Putting things in perspective5. Natural invasions6. Unnatural invasions7. Human invasions8. Supervised invasionsPart III: Dealing with invasions9. Predicting10. Management tactics11. Management strategies12. AcceptingPart IV: Human dimensions13. Economics14. Ethics15. Public perceptions16. Scientific perspectives17. Moving forward18. Glossary
