Plant invasion ecology — dispatches from the front line

This issue of Diversity and Distributions carries papers on a wide range of topics dealing with invasions of introduced plant species. The collection of articles did not arise from a conference or workshop, but grew from a founder population of contributed manuscripts. Some additional papers were solicited to ensure coverage of other established or emerging fields of research in plant invasion ecology. The compilation represents a reasonable cross section of issues that currently occupy plant invasion ecologists. The editorial places the contributions in context and summarizes some key findings. It also suggests some profitable avenues for future research in plant invasion ecology.