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Are non‐native species more likely to become pests? Influence of biogeographic origin on the impacts of freshwater organisms 3
Author(s) -
Hassan Ahdia,
Ricciardi Anthony
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
frontiers in ecology and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.918
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1540-9309
pISSN - 1540-9295
DOI - 10.1890/130188
Subject(s) - introduced species , invasive species , ecology , biology , range (aeronautics) , pest analysis , botany , materials science , composite material
Some ecologists have claimed that non‐native species are no more likely to cause ecological or economic harm than native species. We evaluated this claim by testing whether the pest status of a species is independent of its origin, using data on freshwater plants and animals established in North America and Europe. Pests were defined as those whose presence resulted in socioeconomic damage. All species were classified on the basis of whether they were native to the continent, transplanted beyond their native range within the continent (transplant invaders), or non‐native to the continent (foreign invaders). Non‐native species comprised the majority (60%) of aquatic pests in North America and Europe and were six times as likely to be pests as compared with native species. The incidence of pest species was greatest among foreign invaders. These results counter the assertion that the potential for a species to cause socioeconomic damage is independent of its biogeographic origin.