Invasive species are foreign or non-native organisms that infiltrate an ecosystem. I mostly here of these species causing more harm than help. I was wondering if there some cases that these invasive species would help the ecosystem that they are in.
It is the definition of an "Invasive Species", that it harms the invaded environment.
So, if an invasive species does not harm but brings benefit to an invaded environment, it is no longer defined as invasive. Migration of species is very common and not stringently linked up with damaging the new captured territory.
http://www.ecoservices.asu.edu/pdf/Pejcha_&_Daily.pdf
http://www.brown.edu/Research/Sax_Research_Lab/Documents/PDFs/Schlaepfer%20et%20al.%202011%20-%20conservation%20value%20of%20non-natives.pdf
Thanks, a really nice attachments. However, I would support rather traditional view on invasive species for 95% of cases at least for Central/Eastern Europe. It is definitely exists number of cases, when invasives help and even save lives.
I also thought that by definition, an invasive species has negative impacts on the invaded environment!
But thank you for the pdfs, Arvind Sigh. I will read and share with my group..
I have been working with a well known invasive species and, for its many uses, we are proposing that where it is already naturalized it should be putted to use for its qualities. We believe that it is a matter of environmental perspective and need. However, care should be taken in orther to prevent any alien species to spread over its unnatural habitat.
Hi.
I fully agree with the view that invasive species have, in general, negative effects on the natural ecosystems, but in some cases invasive plants can have positive effects in several native insect species, like in the case of Calotropis procera (Asclepiadaceae) in the Canary Islands. The introduction and expansion of this plant in some islands (Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria) has facilitated reproduction of the African Monarch butterfly (Danaus chrysippus). In any case, this is not a justification for the introduction of alien plants in any territory of the world...
Best regards.
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