Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of contributors
- Section I Forest health and mortality
- Section II Forest health and its ecological components
- 4 Regulators and terminators: the importance of biotic factors to a healthy forest
- 5 Alien invasions: the effects of introduced species on forest structure and function
- 6 Out of sight, underground: forest health, edaphic factors, and mycorrhizae
- 7 Earth, wind, and fire: abiotic factors and the impacts of global environmental change on forest health
- Section III Forest health and the human dimension
- Appendix A Microsoft® Excel® instructions for Chapter 2
- Appendix B Microsoft® Excel® instructions for Chapter 3
- Glossary of terms
- Index
- References
5 - Alien invasions: the effects of introduced species on forest structure and function
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of contributors
- Section I Forest health and mortality
- Section II Forest health and its ecological components
- 4 Regulators and terminators: the importance of biotic factors to a healthy forest
- 5 Alien invasions: the effects of introduced species on forest structure and function
- 6 Out of sight, underground: forest health, edaphic factors, and mycorrhizae
- 7 Earth, wind, and fire: abiotic factors and the impacts of global environmental change on forest health
- Section III Forest health and the human dimension
- Appendix A Microsoft® Excel® instructions for Chapter 2
- Appendix B Microsoft® Excel® instructions for Chapter 3
- Glossary of terms
- Index
- References
Summary
Invasive species are among the greatest threats to forested ecosystems globally (Liebhold et al.1995; Vitousek et al. 1996; Pimental et al. 2000), ranking behind only deforestation and land use conversion (Walker and Steffen 1997; Wilcove et al. 1998). Shifting patterns of trade, globalization of economies (e.g., Hulme et al. 2009; Meyerson et al. 2007), and climate change have ensured that even the most remote and pristine forests are not immune to this threat.
Recognition of the threat to forests posed by invasive species is universal among biologists and forestry professionals, yet despite the frequency with which the term invasive species is used, operational definitions vary widely among disciplines. Indeed, use of this term is so imprecise that some have advocated for its elimination from ecological literature (Colautti and MacIssac 2004). Here, the term is retained for continuity and defined as a non-indigenous species whose introduction was directly or indirectly facilitated by anthropogenic forces and causes or is likely to cause significant ecological or economic harm in natural and managed ecosystems. This definition separates a select group of species from a much larger pool of introduced and naturalized species that are relatively benign ecologically and economically, and also from those whose geographic distribution has changed in response to natural phenomena.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Forest HealthAn Integrated Perspective, pp. 115 - 162Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011
References
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