Support for major hypotheses in invasion biology is uneven and declining

  • Several major hypotheses have been proposed to explain and predict biological invasions, but the general applicability of these hypotheses is largely unknown, as most of them have not been evaluated using a standard approach across taxonomic groups and habitats. We offer such an evaluation for six selected leading hypotheses. Our global literature review reveals that those hypotheses that consider interactions of exotic invaders with their new environment (invasional meltdown, novel weapons, enemy release) are better supported by empirical evidence than other hypotheses (biotic resistance, island susceptibility, tens rule). We also show that empirical support for the six hypotheses has declined over time, and that support differs among taxonomic groups and habitats. Our results have implications for basic and applied research, policy making, and invasive species management, as their effectiveness depends on sound hypotheses.

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Metadaten
Author:Jonathan M. JeschkeORCiDGND, Lorena Gómez Aparicio, Sylvia Haider, Tina Heger, Christopher J. Lortie, Petr Pyšek, David L. Strayer
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-322919
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.14.3435
Parent Title (English):NeoBiota
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2013/11/11
Date of first Publication:2012/08/22
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2013/11/11
Tag:Biological invasions; biotic resistance hypothesis; decline effect; enemy release hypothesis; invasional meltdown hypothesis; island susceptibility hypothesis; novel weapons hypothesis; tens rule
Issue:14
First Page:1
Last Page:20
HeBIS-PPN:450975061
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie
Sammlungen:Sammlung Biologie / Sondersammelgebiets-Volltexte
Zeitschriften / Jahresberichte:NeoBiota / NeoBiota 14
:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-321083
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 3.0