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Invasive species are widely recognised as drivers of ecological change. As such, understanding the processes that facilitate invasion success, and the potential mechanisms and magnitude of impact, are critical for effective biosecurity management. Predicting risk associated with exotic species, so that management actions can be justified, is a major challenge faced by pest managers. In this thesis, I present a conceptual framework for assessing ecological risk in natural ecosystems developed from natural hazard (earthquake) risk assessment frameworks, and apply this using exotic ants as a model. To assess the vulnerability of different ecosystems to exotic ant invasion, I replicated a sampling study conducted across the Auckland region in 2004, allowing a temporal aspect to be included in the analyses. I found open-canopy ecosystems, consisting of short stature vegetation, to be most vulnerable to exotic ant invasion with several exotic ant species found to be ubiquitous throughout. In comparison, the same species were generally limited to the edges of closed-canopy forest ecosystems, even after a 10-year period. I then focused on dietary impact-related research within open-canopy ecosystems. I assessed competition between native and invasive ants using isotopic niche overlap and co-occurrence patterns, as well as employing DNA metabarcoding, to understand what invertebrate taxa are most at risk via predation. Furthermore, I investigated the potential disruption of floral visitor networks by exotic ants through conducting surveys across the flowering plant community and using focal observations to determine whether ants may be competitively excluding important pollinators. I found trophic position varied between native and invasive ant species; although two invasive species represented the two lowest trophic positions, most other species reflected trophic positions similar to predators. There was evidence of competitive exclusion between a native and invasive ant species, as revealed through high isotope niche overlap and negative co-occurrence patterns. Exotic ants were found to be common floral visitors, although this varied spatially. The presence of exotic ants on flowers was associated with a significant, negative response by important insect pollinators. Overall, my research greatly contributes to the ecological risk assessment posed by exotic species in native ecosystems and contributes to the impact-based research of invasive ants.
Research on gene drive systems is rapidly advancing. Many proposed applications of gene drive research aim to solve environmental and public health challenges, including the reduction of poverty and the burden of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue, which disproportionately impact low and middle income countries. However, due to their intrinsic qualities of rapid spread and irreversibility, gene drive systems raise many questions with respect to their safety relative to public and environmental health. Because gene drive systems are designed to alter the environments we share in ways that will be hard to anticipate and impossible to completely roll back, questions about the ethics surrounding use of this research are complex and will require very careful exploration. Gene Drives on the Horizon outlines the state of knowledge relative to the science, ethics, public engagement, and risk assessment as they pertain to research directions of gene drive systems and governance of the research process. This report offers principles for responsible practices of gene drive research and related applications for use by investigators, their institutions, the research funders, and regulators.
The definitive reference in its field, Ecological Risk Assessment, Second Edition details the latest advances in science and practice. In the fourteen years since the publication of the best-selling first edition, ecological risk assessment (ERA) has moved from the margins into the spotlight. It is now commonly applied to the regulation of c
This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.
Recently, environmental scientists have been required to perform a new type of assessment-ecological risk assessment. This is the first book that explains how to perform ecological risk assessments and gives assessors access to the full range of useful data, models, and conceptual approaches they need to perform an accurate assessment. It explains how ecological risk assessment relates to more familiar types of assessments. It also shows how to organize and conduct an ecological risk assessment, including defining the source, selecting endpoints, describing the relevant features of the receiving environment, estimating exposure, estimating effects, characterizing the risks, and interacting with the risk manager. Specific technical topics include finding and selecting toxicity data; statistical and mathematical models of effects on organisms, populations, and ecosystems; estimation of chemical fate parameters; modeling of chemical transport and fate; estimation of chemical uptake by organisms; and estimation, propagation, and presentation of uncertainty. Ecological Risk Assessment also covers conventional risk assessments, risk assessments for existing contamination, large scale problems, exotic organisms, and risk assessments based on environmental monitoring. Environmental assessors at regulatory agencies, consulting firms, industry, and government labs need this book for its approaches and methods for ecological risk assessment. Professors in ecology and other environmental sciences will find the book's practical preparation useful for classroom instruction. Environmental toxicologists and chemists will appreciate the discussion of the utility for risk assessment of particular toxicity tests and chemical determinations.
An important guide to assessing and managing the environment from a landscape perspective Ecological relationships are nested within the landscape. Identifying the relevant spatial and temporal scales is critical for an effective understanding of ecological functions that human societies depend upon. Moreover, human encroachment into natural areas, or changes in climate, can alter spatial relationships, which in turn can negatively affect vital plant and wildlife patterns—and weaken economic structures needed to sustain human societies. This book is the first to combine multiple disciplines into one cohesive strategy to study these crucial connections, and looks toward building a social paradigm that embraces the dynamics of ecological systems. This book: Integrates landscape ecology, environmental risk assessment, valuation of ecological goods and services, and environmental management decision processes into one single source Includes chapters on quantitative measures, Bayesian modeling,¿economic analysis, and sustainable landscapes Covers marine, forest, agricultural, and pharmaceutical risk assessment Has a chapter on predicting climate change risk to ecosystems Has a companion ftp site with color graphics, animations, and risk assessment tools With material that is accessible across all knowledge levels, Environmental Risk Assessment and Management from a Landscape Perspective moves beyond looking solely at chemical contaminants to diagnose environmental threats, and aims to accomplish practical risk assessment in a manner that supports long-term sustainable management.
Biological invasions are a global problem responsible for native species declines worldwide. Understanding the invasion risk from non-native species is important in establishing management goals and making decisions for managing native ecosystems. Useful modeling methods for quantifying or predicting invasion risk should consider research needs, data availability, and operate at an appropriate scale. I evaluated risk assessment methods towards answering a specific research question; which plant species pose the greatest risk of becoming invasive or having the greatest negative impact in Nebraska? I selected the I-Rank assessment method, which consists of 20 questions grouped into four risk categories or Subranks: impact on native species/ecosystems, current distribution/abundance, trend in distribution/abundance, and management difficulty. I used information from herbaria collections, agency reports, literature review, online databases, and expert opinion surveys to evaluate 56 non-native plant species. I modified the I-Rank method to operate at the state-level scale by adapting I-Rank questions for Nebraska. I also compared results from this state-level I-Rank assessment to results from an analysis conducted at the national scale. A distinct feature of the I-Rank assessment is that a range of possible answers is acceptable for each question. This feature allows for the incorporation of uncertainty and reduces the amount of inherent subjectivity, but also presents a challenge in accounting for uncertainty. I present new methods for quantifying and visualizing sources of uncertainty in the I-Rank scores and provide conceptual risk assessment and management contexts for these methods. Results indicate that the predicted invasion risk often depends on the scale at which the I-Rank questions are evaluated. Ten of the species evaluated are noxious in neighboring states, but not likely to become invasive in Nebraska. The study identified numerous species likely to be invasive in Nebraska, including seven plants not recognized as noxious weeds or “watch list” species in Nebraska. I-Rank results for many species indicated high levels of uncertainty and require additional interpretation or research to make conclusions. I make suggestions for interpreting I-Rank results using available information to prioritize species for management decisions in Nebraska. I discuss relative strengths/weaknesses of the I-Rank method, offer conclusions/recommendations based on my results for Nebraska, and identify opportunities for future research. A similar approach could be used to adapt this method for other states or geographic areas of interest. I conclude that the I-Rank assessment provides a straightforward method for synthesizing information from numerous sources to evaluate invasive species threats at an appropriate scale to meet research needs and inform management decisions.
As debates over how relative risk can be used to shape landscape-scale environmental management intensify, Regional-Scale Risk Assessment demonstrates the capabilities of RRM using nine case studies in the Pacific Northwest, Pennsylvania, Brazil, and Tasmania. The authors use a process of ranking and filters to interrelate different kinds of risks
Ecosystems and Human Well-Being is the first product of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a four-year international work program designed to meet the needs of decisionmakers for scientific information on the links between ecosystem change and human well-being. The book offers an overview of the project, describing the conceptual framework that is being used, defining its scope, and providing a baseline of understanding that all participants need to move forward. The Millennium Assessment focuses on how humans have altered ecosystems, and how changes in ecosystem services have affected human well-being, how ecosystem changes may affect people in future decades, and what types of responses can be adopted at local, national, or global scales to improve ecosystem management and thereby contribute to human well-being and poverty alleviation. The program was launched by United National Secretary-General Kofi Annan in June 2001, and the primary assessment reports will be released by Island Press in 2005. Leading scientists from more than 100 nations are conducting the assessment, which can aid countries, regions, or companies by: providing a clear, scientific picture of the current sta