Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 10
Invasive Species
Anthony Ricciardi
Glossary
Biological invasion
The process by which an organism is introduced to, and
establishes a sustainable population in, a region beyond its
native range.
Eradication
The managed extirpation of an entire nonnative population.
Impact
The effect of a nonnative species on its environment.
Invasibility
The vulnerability of a habitat, community, or ecosystem to
invasion.
Invasion ecology
A multidisciplinary field that examines the causes and
consequences of biological invasions.
Invasional meltdown
The phenomenon in which multiple nonnative species
facilitate one another's invasion success and impact.
Invasive species
Nonnative species with conspicuously high colonization
rates. Such species have the potential to spread over long
distances. The term
invasive
is also used (often by policy
makers) to describe colonizing species that cause undesir-
able ecological or economic impacts.
