Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Center for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK.
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK.
Nat Ecol Evol. 2017 Dec;1(12):1862-1869. doi: 10.1038/s41559-017-0365-6. Epub 2017 Nov 6.
Biological invasions are among the main drivers of biodiversity losses. As threats from biological invasions increase, one of the most urgent tasks is to identify areas of high vulnerability. However, the lack of comprehensive information on the impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) is a problem especially on islands, where most of the recorded extinctions associated with IAS have occurred. Here we provide a global, network-oriented analysis of IAS on islands. Using network analysis, we structured 27,081 islands and 437 threatened vertebrates into 21 clusters, based on their profiles in term of invasiveness and shared vulnerabilities. These islands are mainly located in the Southern Hemisphere and many are in biodiversity hotspots. Some of the islands share similar characteristics regarding their connectivity that could be useful for understanding their response to invasive species. The major invaders found in these clusters of islands are feral cats, feral dogs, pigs and rats. Our analyses reveal those IAS that systematically act alone or in combination, and the pattern of shared IAS among threatened species, providing new information to implement effective eradication strategies. Combined with further local, contextual information this can contribute to global strategies to deal with IAS.
生物入侵是生物多样性丧失的主要驱动因素之一。随着生物入侵威胁的增加，当务之急是确定高脆弱性地区。然而，由于缺乏有关入侵外来物种（IAS）影响的综合信息，这是一个问题，特别是在岛屿上，大多数与 IAS 相关的灭绝事件都发生在那里。在这里，我们对岛屿上的 IAS 进行了全球网络导向分析。使用网络分析，我们根据入侵性和共同脆弱性的特征，将 27081 个岛屿和 437 种受威胁的脊椎动物分为 21 个聚类。这些岛屿主要位于南半球，许多位于生物多样性热点地区。其中一些岛屿在连通性方面具有相似的特征，这对于理解它们对入侵物种的反应可能很有用。在这些岛屿聚类中发现的主要入侵物种是野猫、野狗、猪和老鼠。我们的分析揭示了那些单独或组合作用的 IAS，以及受威胁物种之间共享 IAS 的模式，为实施有效的根除策略提供了新的信息。结合进一步的地方、背景信息，这可以为应对 IAS 的全球战略做出贡献。
