ABSTRACT

Biological invasions constitute a major environmental change driver, affecting conservation, agriculture and human health. Invasive alien species (IAS) impacts include, alterations of ecosystem features such as hydrology, fire regimes, food webs, soil nutrients and nutrient cycling (Hänel and Chown 1998; Asner and Vitousek 2005; Van Wilgen 2009; Veldtman et al. 2011); negative effects on populations (Blackburn et al. 2004; Butchart et al. 2010; Ziska et al. 2011); facilitation of further invasion and its associated impacts (O’Dowd et al. 2003); changes to evolutionary trajectories, such as by hybridization (McDonald et al. 2008); and evolutionary shifts in species responding to the new introductions (Strauss et al. 2006). Much

attention has therefore been given to understanding the invasion process. A broadly accepted perspective on biological invasions now exists that distinguishes the stages of invasion and the mechanisms that are involved in each stage (Blackburn et al. 2011).