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20 - New mix of alien and native species coexists in Puerto Rico's landscapes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2009

By
Ariel E. Lugo  and
Thomas J. Brandeis
Edited by
David Burslem ,
Michelle Pinard  and
Sue Hartley
Ariel E. Lugo
Affiliation:
USDA Forest Service
Thomas J. Brandeis
Affiliation:
USDA Forest Service
David Burslem
Affiliation:
University of Aberdeen
Michelle Pinard
Affiliation:
University of Aberdeen
Sue Hartley
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
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Summary

‘There is no controversy among scientists that nonindigenous species cause extinctions of native species.’ … ‘The increase in nonindigenous species-induced rates of extinction of native species on both local and global scales is a fact.’

D. M. Lodge and K. Shrader-Frechette 2003, p. 34 and 36

‘The evidence so far points to the conclusion that invaders often cause extinction on oceanic islands and in lakes but rarely in the sea or in large land masses.’

G. J. Vermeij 1996, p. 6

Introduction

The advent of the Homogeocene (Putz 1997), Homogecene (McKinney & Lockwood 1999; Lockwood & McKinney 2001) or Homogocene (Lodge & Shrader-Frechette 2003) – the era of human domination of the world – is both a challenge and an opportunity to test the ingenuity of humans. Will we be able to establish a new and sustainable balance with the rest of the world's biota? To do so requires active management of biodiversity based on understanding the function and dynamics of ecosystems. Appropriately, the approach to the study of the biota is undergoing a shift from a taxonomic, distributional and evolutionary focus, to a paradigm that considers biodiversity and ecosystem function (Naeem 2002). This new approach is holistic and quantitative, and helpful in understanding the role of biodiversity in the Homogeocene (Lugo 1995, 2002a).

Much of the current literature on tropical biodiversity focuses on the negative effects of non-indigenous or alien species, particularly invasive ones.

Type
Chapter
Information
Biotic Interactions in the Tropics
Their Role in the Maintenance of Species Diversity
 , pp. 484 - 509
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

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