Invasive Species: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #737

by Julie Lockwood

Today there is no place on Earth that does not harbour invasive exotic species. Invasive plants and animals can be found on every continent, including Antarctica, and within all waterbodies, including all oceans. In our increasingly connected world, with speedy commercial and recreational travel and the global movement of biological matter for food, invasive species are showing up at such a fast rate that there is no way to accurately count how many currently exist or how many are likely to emerge in the coming decades. Monitoring these species and controlling their spread is essential, as we increasingly understand the negative impacts they their threat to our health; the toll they take on our commercial production; and the threat they pose to native ecosystems.

This Very Short Introduction provides a clear definition of an invasive species, and considers the myriad ways they are moved around the globe, and the ecological, social, and economic impacts they often impose. Exploring the way Earth's biodiversity is being affected by global change, Julie Lockwood also discusses policy and management approaches to combating the ill-effects of invasive species, and how invasive species fit within the broader context of environmental change.

ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Science, Biology, Nonfiction, Nature, Audiobook, Evolution

144 pages, Paperback

Published September 22, 2023

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Invasive species have wrought enormous economic and human health impacts and are one of the greatest threats to other species and ecosystems, damage that affects us too in both the short and long run. Surely, then, have we not learned our lesson?” (p. 101).

3.5 out of 5. Lockwood and Welbourne provide a useful introduction to this very important topic. The writing is a little dry, but this is a scientific text. The authors delve into the global nature of invasive species, the ambivalent definitions of what qualifies as “invasive,” how the problem spreads, and the real and potential harms associated with invasive species. Most interesting is the final chapter, where the authors discuss the future of invasive species.

Some quotes:

If humans suddenly vanished from Earth and aliens arrived thousands or even a million years into the future, they would still know we once existed. Our existence would be betrayed by several indelible signatures, perhaps most notably would be the distributions of plants and animals around the globe. (p. xvii).

The concept of an ‘invasive species’ is only about 60 years old and began with British zoologist Charles Elton’s publication The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants. Elton’s work grew out of concerns being raised in the late 19th century that the widespread introduction of all manner of species to novel habitats may be environmentally disastrous. In innumerable cases, those concerns were warranted. (p. 11).

“The movement of dry ballast was the cause of hundreds, even thousands, of plant and invertebrate species being introduced to terrestrial environments around the world” (p. 17).

Around the 1900s, vessels began to use wet in place of dry ballast by pumping the surrounding water into tanks within the ship. This method is much more efficient than loading dry ballast by hand as tanks can be filled and emptied without needing to be docked. Filters stop large organisms from being ingurgitated into the tanks, but do not filter out the small larvae of large organisms, nor zoo- and phytoplankton, bacteria, or viruses. (p. 17).

“To become an invasive species the established population needs to cause undesirable impacts and, while this could occur at the site of establishment, such impacts are often a result of the population growing and expanding into other areas” (p. 33).

Perhaps the most serious human health impact that invasive species can cause is through the introduction of infectious diseases and parasites. The World Health Organization lists infectious disease as one of the leading global causes of human mortality, and invasive species both increase the number of human diseases in a location and increase the probability of people becoming infected. (p. 68).

“Even without impacts to native species, human health impacts are particularly concerning given that many invasive species can be vectors for a variety of diseases” (p. 104).

“Since 1750, humans have released 555 billion metric tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere and thereby increased carbon dioxide to levels not seen for 800,000 years, and possibly much longer” (p. 109).

Title: Invasive Species
Authors: Julie Lockwood & Dustin J. Welbourne
Series: Oxford Very Short Introductions
Year: 2023
Genre: Nonfiction - Ecology
Page count: 144 pages (ebook)
Date(s) read: 7/17/23 - 7/18/23
Reading journal entry #137 in 2023