Salinity tolerance of diapausing eggs of freshwater zooplankton

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73091/1/j.1365-2427.2004.01185.x.pd

Subjectivity and flexibility in invasion terminology: too much of a good thing?

Invasions biologists have frequently debated whether the definition of invasive should include ecological and economic impacts. More recent criticisms posit that objective definitions are impossible in any absolute sense, while subjectivity is desirable for its flexibility and motivational qualities. We argue that such criticisms underestimate the extent of subjectivity already present in invasion biology. Ecological questions may be methodological if they relate directly to other ecological theories and models, or motivational if they focus on issues important to society as a whole. Motivational questions are important for engaging scientists, improving public understanding of science, and often have applied benefits. In contrast, methodological questions are constrained by established scientific theories, and are therefore more efficient for the development of scientific knowledge. Contrary to recent critiques, we suggest that greater objectivity is both achievable and desirable for the discipline of invasion biology and ecology generally.Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biolog

Subjectivity and flexibility in invasion terminology: Too much of a good thing?

Invasions biologists have frequently debated whether the definition of invasive should include ecological and economic impacts. More recent criticisms posit that objective definitions are impossible in any absolute sense, while subjectivity is desirable for its flexibility and motivational qualities. We argue that such criticisms underestimate the extent of subjectivity already present in invasion biology. Ecological questions may be methodological if they relate directly to other ecological theories and models, or motivational if they focus on issues important to society as a whole. Motivational questions are important for engaging scientists, improving public understanding of science, and often have applied benefits. In contrast, methodological questions are constrained by established scientific theories, and are therefore more efficient for the development of scientific knowledge. Contrary to recent critiques, we suggest that greater objectivity is both achievable and desirable for the discipline of invasion biology and ecology generally. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.Articl

Does saltwater flushing reduce viability of diapausing eggs in ship ballast sediment?

Flushing of ballast tanks with seawater has been proposed to reduce the risk of invasion associated with residual ballast in \u27no ballast on board\u27 ships. The efficacy of this procedure, however, has not been determined. Using diapausing eggs isolated from ballast sediments - as well as from Lake Erie sediment - this study investigated the impact of salinity (0, 8 and 35‰) and temperature (10, 20 and 30°C) on the cumulative abundance and species richness of hatched zooplankton taxa. The rate and amount of hatching varied dramatically between sediments and across salinity-temperature regimes. Although exposure to saline water inhibited emergence of freshwater taxa during the exposure phase of all trials, mixed results were evident after diapausing eggs were returned to freshwater. The efficacy of salinity as a ballast treatment method was temperature dependent, although the direction of the effect was case-specific. Exposure of eggs to saline water was less effective at 10 and 30°C than at 20°C. Although flushing ballast tanks with open ocean water is expected to significantly reduce the number of active invertebrates living in residual ballast water (a potentially larger source of invaders), our results indicate that the most effective treatment conditions for reduction of diapausing egg viability is 8‰ salinity at 20°C. © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Invasions Toolkit :Current Methods for Tracking the Spread and Impact of Invasive Species

International audienceBiological invasions exert multiple pervasive effects on ecosystems, potentially disrupting species interactions and global ecological processes. Our ability to successfully predict and manage the ecosystem-level impacts of biological invasions is strongly dependent on our capacity to empirically characterize complex biological interactions and their spatiotemporal dynamics. In this chapter, we argue that the comprehensive integration of multiple complementary tools within the explicit context of ecological networks is essential for providing mechanistic insight into invasion processes and their impact across organizational levels. We provide an overview of traditional (stable isotopes, populations genetics) and emerging (metabarcoding, citizen science) techniques and methods, and their practical implementation in the context of biological invasions. We also present several currently available models and machine-learning approaches that could be used for predicting novel or undocumented interactions, thus allowing a more robust and cost-effective forecast of network and ecosystem stability. Finally, we discuss the importance of methodological advancements on the emergence of scientific and societal challenges for investigating local and global species histories with several skill sets

Biological invasions concepts to understand and predict a global threat

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