A Unified Classification of Alien Species Based on the Magnitude of their Environmental Impacts

Species moved by human activities beyond the limits of their native geographic ranges into areas in which they do not naturally occur (termed aliens) can cause a broad range of significant changes to recipient ecosystems; however, their impacts vary greatly across species and the ecosystems into which they are introduced. There is therefore a critical need for a standardised method to evaluate, compare, and eventually predict the magnitudes of these different impacts. Here, we propose a straightforward system for classifying alien species according to the magnitude of their environmental impacts, based on the mechanisms of impact used to code species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• B
  Biodiversa+
• NR
  National Research Foundation

  Awards: 85417, 86894
• DO
  Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
• DA
  Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Awards: FZT 118, JE 288/7-1
• SN
  Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
• MŠ
  Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy

  Award: RVO 67985939
• GA
  Grantová Agentura České Republiky

  Awards: P504/11/1028, 14-36079G, 67985939, RVO 67985939
• AV
  Akademie Věd České Republiky

  Awards: RVO 67985939, 67985939, 14-36079G, P504/11/1028
• DZ
  Deutsches Zentrum für integrative Biodiversitätsforschung Halle-Jena-Leipzig

  Award: FZT 118
• DC
  DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology

  Awards: 85417, P504/11/1028
• DO
  Division of Materials Research