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Invasive species drive cross-ecosystem effects worldwide

Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Invasive species are pervasive around the world and have profound impacts on the ecosystem they invade. Invasive species, however, can also have impacts beyond the ecosystem they invade by altering the flow of non-living materials (for example, nutrients or chemicals) or movement of organisms across the boundaries of the invaded ecosystem. Cross-ecosystem interactions via spatial flows are ubiquitous in nature, for example, connecting forests and lakes, grasslands and rivers, and coral reefs and the deep ocean. Yet, we have a limited understanding of the cross-ecosystem impacts invasive species have relative to their local effects. By synthesizing emerging evidence, here we demonstrate the cross-ecosystem impacts of invasive species as a ubiquitous phenomenon that influences biodiversity and ecosystem functioning around the world. We identify three primary ways by which invasive species have cross-ecosystem effects: first, by altering the magnitude of spatial flows across ecosystem boundaries; second, by altering the quality of spatial flows; and third, by introducing novel spatial flows. Ultimately, the strong impacts invasive species can drive across ecosystem boundaries suggests the need for a paradigm shift in how we study and manage invasive species around the world, expanding from a local to a cross-ecosystem perspective.

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Fig. 1: Invasive species drive cross-ecosystem effects by altering flows of non-living materials and the movement of organisms across ecosystem boundaries.
Fig. 2: Invasive species modify the magnitude of spatial flows across major ecosystem boundaries.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank M. Brosse for preparing Fig. 1 and the figure in Box 1. Funding is from the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no. 10030_197410) and the University of Zurich Research Priority Programme on Global Change and Biodiversity (URPP GCB) to F.A.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Tianna Peller & Florian Altermatt

  2. Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland

    Tianna Peller & Florian Altermatt

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  1. Tianna Peller
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  2. Florian Altermatt
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T.P. conceptualized the study, carried out the synthesis and led the writing of the manuscript, with substantial contributions from F.A. on all elements.

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Correspondence to Tianna Peller or Florian Altermatt.

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Nature Ecology & Evolution thanks Montserrat Vilà and Stefano Larsen for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary Information

Supplementary information describing search strategy.

Supplementary Table

Supplementary Table 1. List of studies included in the qualitative and quantitative data synthesis. All studies in this list were included in the qualitative synthesis. Studies included in the quantitative synthesis are indicated in the quantitative synthesis column.

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Peller, T., Altermatt, F. Invasive species drive cross-ecosystem effects worldwide. Nat Ecol Evol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02380-1

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