Ecological and Socio-Economic Stress of Invasive Alien Species Synergic with Climate Change. A Worldwide Review

Abstract

Invasive alien species are non-indigenous species that adversely affect, economically, environmentally or ecologically habitats. Invasive alien species (IAS) and climate change are identified as the top drivers of global biodiversity loss. Synergistically, climate change and IAS will greatly threatening biodiversity, ecology, economy, food security and other human welfare. Furthermore, both climate change and IAS can affect production landscapes, reducing crop yields and the provision of ecosystem services. Climate change can facilitate IAS as: new species, that may become invasive, will be entering regions due to climate change; species hierarchies in ecosystems will change leading to new dominants that may have invasive tendencies; and climate induced stress in an ecosystem will facilitate invasive pathways. Alternatively, IAS can facilitate climatic stress by increasing ecosystem susceptibility to climatic perturbation, through reducing the number of species and their functional types within the ecosystem. IAS should be recognized as a component of climate change and as such appropriate research strategies, funding mechanisms, policy development and implementation need to be developed in the world. Keywords: Climate Change, Ecology, Impact, Invasive DOI : 10.7176/JRDM/54-03 Publication date : April 30 th 2019