Characterizing ecosystem‐level consequences of biological invasions: the role of ecosystem engineers

Invasions by exotic species represent both threats to ecosystems as well as opportunities to learn more about them. Among the invaders that will have the largest impacts are those that directly modify ecosystems and thus have cascading effects for resident biota. Exotics can affect ecosystems by altering system‐level flows, availability, or quality of nutrients, food, and physical resources (e.g. living space, water, heat or light). The invader‐mediated control of physical resources, typically achieved through the modification of habitats, has received limited attention in invasion biology. This reflects a general trend in ecology, and only recently has the concept of ecosystem engineering been developed to…

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  Smithsonian Environmental Research Center