Moussab/ORKG-training-evaluation-set huggingface dataset:
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Invasion success of vertebrates in Europe and North America
Abstract: Species become invasive if they (i) are introduced to a new range, (ii) establish themselves, and (iii) spread. To address the global problems caused by invasive species, several studies investigated steps ii and iii of this invasion process. However, only one previous study looked at step i and examined the proportion of species that have been introduced beyond their native range. We extend this research by investigating all three steps for all freshwater fish, mammals, and birds native to Europe or North America. A higher proportion of European species entered North America than vice versa. However, the introduction rate from Europe to North America peaked in the late 19th century, whereas it is still rising in the other direction. There is no clear difference in invasion success between the two directions, so neither the imperialism dogma (that Eurasian species are exceptionally successful invaders) is supported, nor is the contradictory hypothesis that North America offers more biotic resistance to invaders than Europe because of its less disturbed and richer biota. Our results do not support the tens rule either: that approximately 10% of all introduced species establish themselves and that approximately 10% of established species spread. We find a success of approximately 50% at each step. In comparison, only approximately 5% of native vertebrates were introduced in either direction. These figures show that, once a vertebrate is introduced, it has a high potential to become invasive. Thus, it is crucial to minimize the number of species introductions to effectively control invasive vertebrates.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Ecological predictions and risk assessment for alien fishes in North America
Abstract: Methods of risk assessment for alien species, especially for nonagricultural systems, are largely qualitative. Using a generalizable risk assessment approach and statistical models of fish introductions into the Great Lakes, North America, we developed a quantitative approach to target prevention efforts on species most likely to cause damage. Models correctly categorized established, quickly spreading, and nuisance fishes with 87 to 94% accuracy. We then identified fishes that pose a high risk to the Great Lakes if introduced from unintentional (ballast water) or intentional pathways (sport, pet, bait, and aquaculture industries).
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Differentiating successful and failed molluscan invaders in estuarine ecosystems
Abstract: ABSTRACT: Despite mounting evidence of invasive species’ impacts on the environment and society,our ability to predict invasion establishment, spread, and impact are inadequate. Efforts to explainand predict invasion outcomes have been limited primarily to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.Invasions are also common in coastal marine ecosystems, yet to date predictive marine invasion mod-els are absent. Here we present a model based on biological attributes associated with invasion suc-cess (establishment) of marine molluscs that compares successful and failed invasions from a groupof 93 species introduced to San Francisco Bay (SFB) in association with commercial oyster transfersfrom eastern North America (ca. 1869 to 1940). A multiple logistic regression model correctly classi-fied 83% of successful and 80% of failed invaders according to their source region abundance at thetime of oyster transfers, tolerance of low salinity, and developmental mode. We tested the generalityof the SFB invasion model by applying it to 3 coastal locations (2 in North America and 1 in Europe)that received oyster transfers from the same source and during the same time as SFB. The model cor-rectly predicted 100, 75, and 86% of successful invaders in these locations, indicating that abun-dance, environmental tolerance (ability to withstand low salinity), and developmental mode not onlyexplain patterns of invasion success in SFB, but more importantly, predict invasion success in geo-graphically disparate marine ecosystems. Finally, we demonstrate that the proportion of marine mol-luscs that succeeded in the latter stages of invasion (i.e. that establish self-sustaining populations,spread and become pests) is much greater than has been previously predicted or shown for otheranimals and plants.KEY WORDS: Invasion · Bivalve · Gastropod · Mollusc · Marine · Oyster · Vector · Risk assessment
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Environmental and biotic correlates to lionfish invasion success in Bahamian coral reefs
Abstract: Lionfish (Pterois volitans), venomous predators from the Indo-Pacific, are recent invaders of the Caribbean Basin and southeastern coast of North America. Quantification of invasive lionfish abundances, along with potentially important physical and biological environmental characteristics, permitted inferences about the invasion process of reefs on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. Environmental wave-exposure had a large influence on lionfish abundance, which was more than 20 and 120 times greater for density and biomass respectively at sheltered sites as compared with wave-exposed environments. Our measurements of topographic complexity of the reefs revealed that lionfish abundance was not driven by habitat rugosity. Lionfish abundance was not negatively affected by the abundance of large native predators (or large native groupers) and was also unrelated to the abundance of medium prey fishes (total length of 5–10 cm). These relationships suggest that (1) higher-energy environments may impose intrinsic resistance against lionfish invasion, (2) habitat complexity may not facilitate the lionfish invasion process, (3) predation or competition by native fishes may not provide biotic resistance against lionfish invasion, and (4) abundant prey fish might not facilitate lionfish invasion success. The relatively low biomass of large grouper on this island could explain our failure to detect suppression of lionfish abundance and we encourage continuing the preservation and restoration of potential lionfish predators in the Caribbean. In addition, energetic environments might exert direct or indirect resistance to the lionfish proliferation, providing native fish populations with essential refuges.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Invasion of exotic plant species in tallgrass prairie fragments
Abstract: Abstract: The tallgrass prairie is one of the most severely affected ecosystems in North America. As a result of extensive conversion to agriculture during the last century, as little as 1% of the original tallgrass prairie remains. The remaining fragments of tallgrass prairie communities have conservation significance, but questions remain about their viability and importance to conservation. We investigated the effects of fragment size, native plant species diversity, and location on invasion by exotic plant species at 25 tallgrass prairie sites in central North America at various geographic scales. We used exotic species richness and relative cover as measures of invasion. Exotic species richness and cover were not related to area for all sites considered together. There were no significant relationships between native species richness and exotic species richness at the cluster and regional scale or for all sites considered together. At the local scale, exotic species richness was positively related to native species richness at four sites and negatively related at one. The 10 most frequently occurring and abundant exotic plant species in the prairie fragments were cool‐season, or C3, species, in contrast to the native plant community, which was dominated by warm‐season, or C4, species. This suggests that timing is important to the success of exotic species in the tallgrass prairie. Our study indicates that some small fragments of tallgrass prairie are relatively intact and should not be overlooked as long‐term refuges for prairie species, sources of genetic variability, and material for restoration.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Plant community diversity and composition provide little resistance to Juniperus encroachment
Abstract: Widespread encroachment of the fire-intolerant species Juniperus virginiana L. into North American grasslands and savannahs where fire has largely been removed has prompted the need to identify mechanisms driving J. virginiana encroachment. We tested whether encroachment success of J. virginiana is related to plant species diversity and composi- tion across three plant communities. We predicted J. virginiana encroachment success would (i) decrease with increasing diversity, and (ii)J.virginiana encroachment success would be unrelated to species composition. We simulated encroachment by planting J. virginiana seedlings in tallgrass prairie, old-field grassland, and upland oak forest. We used J. virginiana survival and growth as an index of encroachment success and evaluated success as a function of plant community traits (i.e., species richness, species diversity, and species composition). Our results indicated that J. virginiana encroachment suc- cess increased with increasing plant richness and diversity. Moreover, growth and survival of J. virginiana seedlings was associated with plant species composition only in the old-field grassland and upland oak forest. These results suggest that greater plant species richness and diversity provide little resistance to J. virginiana encroachment, and the results suggest resource availability and other biotic or abiotic factors are determinants of J. virginiana encroachment success.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Distributions of exotic plants in eastern Asia and North America
Abstract: Although some plant traits have been linked to invasion success, the possible effects of regional factors, such as diversity, habitat suitability, and human activity are not well understood. Each of these mechanisms predicts a different pattern of distribution at the regional scale. Thus, where climate and soils are similar, predictions based on regional hypotheses for invasion success can be tested by comparisons of distributions in the source and receiving regions. Here, we analyse the native and alien geographic ranges of all 1567 plant species that have been introduced between eastern Asia and North America or have been introduced to both regions from elsewhere. The results reveal correlations between the spread of exotics and both the native species richness and transportation networks of recipient regions. This suggests that both species interactions and human-aided dispersal influence exotic distributions, although further work on the relative importance of these processes is needed.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Phalaris arundinacea seedling establishment: effects of canopy complexity in fen, mesocosm, and restoration experiments
Abstract: Phalaris arundinacea L. (reed canary grass) is a major invader of wetlands in temperate North America; it creates monotypic stands and displaces native vegetation. In this study, the effect of plant canopies on the establishment of P. arundinacea from seed in a fen, fen-like mesocosms, and a fen restoration site was assessed. In Wingra Fen, canopies that were more resistant to P. arundinacea establishment had more species (eight or nine versus four to six species) and higher cover of Aster firmus. In mesocosms planted with Glyceria striata plus 1, 6, or 15 native species, all canopies closed rapidly and prevented P. arundinacea establishment from seed, regardless of the density of the matrix species or the number of added species. Only after gaps were created in the canopy was P. arundinacea able to establish seedlings; then, the 15-species treatment reduced establishment to 48% of that for single-species canopies. A similar experiment in the restoration site produced less cover of native plants, and P. a...
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Biotic acceptance in introduced amphibians and reptiles in Europe and North America
Abstract: Aim The biotic resistance hypothesis argues that complex plant and animal communities are more resistant to invasion than simpler communities. Conversely, the biotic acceptance hypothesis states that non-native and native species richness are positively related. Most tests of these hypotheses at continental scales, typically conducted on plants, have found support for biotic acceptance. We tested these hypotheses on both amphibians and reptiles across Europe and North America. Location Continental countries in Europe and states/provinces in North America. Methods We used multiple linear regression models to determine which factors predicted successful establishment of amphibians and reptiles in Europe and North America, and additional models to determine which factors predicted native species richness. Results Successful establishment of amphibians and reptiles in Europe and reptiles in North America was positively related to native species richness. We found higher numbers of successful amphibian species in Europe than in North America. Potential evapotranspiration (PET) was positively related to non-native species richness for amphibians and reptiles in Europe and reptiles in North America. PET was also the primary factor determining native species richness for both amphibians and reptiles in Europe and North America. Main conclusions We found support for the biotic acceptance hypothesis for amphibians and reptiles in Europe and reptiles in North America, suggesting that the presence of native amphibian and reptile species generally indicates good habitat for non-native species. Our data suggest that the greater number of established amphibians per native amphibians in Europe than in North America might be explained by more introductions in Europe or climate-matching of the invaders. Areas with high native species richness should be the focus of control and management efforts, especially considering that non-native species located in areas with a high number of natives can have a large impact on biological diversity.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: A null model of exotic plant diversity tested with exotic and native species-area relationships
Abstract: At large spatial scales, exotic and native plant diversity exhibit a strong positive relationship. This may occur because exotic and native species respond similarly to processes that influence diversity over large geographical areas. To test this hypothesis, we compared exotic and native species-area relationships within six North American ecoregions. We predicted and found that within ecoregions the ratio of exotic to native species richness remains constant with increasing area. Furthermore, we predicted that areas with more native species than predicted by the species-area relationship would have proportionally more exotics as well. We did find that these exotic and native deviations were highly correlated, but areas that were good (or bad) for native plants were even better (or worse) for exotics. Similar processes appear to influence exotic and native plant diversity but the degree of this influence may differ with site quality.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Herbivorous arthropod community of an alien weed Solanum carolinense L.
Abstract: Herbivorous arthropod fauna of the horse nettle Solanum carolinense L., an alien solanaceous herb of North American origin, was characterized by surveying arthropod communities in the fields and comparing them with the original community compiled from published data to infer the impact of herbivores on the weed in the introduced region. Field surveys were carried out in the central part of mainland Japan for five years including an intensive regular survey in 1992. Thirty-nine arthropod species were found feeding on the weed. The leaf, stem, flower and fruit of the weed were infested by the herbivores. The comparison of characteristics of the arthropod community with those of the community in the USA indicated that more sapsuckers and less chewers were on the weed in Japan than in the USA. The community in Japan was composed of high proportions of polyphages and exophages compared to that in the USA. Eighty-seven percent of the species are known to be pests of agricultural crops. Low species diversity of the community was also suggested. The depauperated herbivore community, in terms of feeding habit and niche on S. carolinense, suggested that the weed partly escaped from herbivory in its reproductive parts. The regular population census, however, indicated that a dominant coccinellid beetle, Epilachna vigintioctopunctata, caused a noticeable damage on the leaves of the weed.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Invasive exotic plants suffer less herbivory than non-invasive exotic plants
Abstract: We surveyed naturally occurring leaf herbivory in nine invasive and nine non-invasive exotic plant species sampled in natural areas in Ontario, New York and Massachusetts, and found that invasive plants experienced, on average, 96% less leaf damage than non-invasive species. Invasive plants were also more taxonomically isolated than non-invasive plants, belonging to families with 75% fewer native North American genera. However, the relationship between taxonomic isolation at the family level and herbivory was weak. We suggest that invasive plants may possess novel phytochemicals with anti-herbivore properties in addition to allelopathic and anti-microbial characteristics. Herbivory could be employed as an easily measured predictor of the likelihood that recently introduced exotic plants may become invasive.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Herbivory, time since introduction and the invasiveness of exotic plants
Abstract: 1 We tested the enemy release hypothesis for invasiveness using field surveys of herbivory on 39 exotic and 30 native plant species growing in natural areas near Ottawa, Canada, and found that exotics suffered less herbivory than natives. 2 For the 39 introduced species, we also tested relationships between herbivory, invasiveness and time since introduction to North America. Highly invasive plants had significantly less herbivory than plants ranked as less invasive. Recently arrived plants also tended to be more invasive; however, there was no relationship between time since introduction and herbivory. 3 Release from herbivory may be key to the success of highly aggressive invaders. Low herbivory may also indicate that a plant possesses potent defensive chemicals that are novel to North America, which may confer resistance to pathogens or enable allelopathy in addition to deterring herbivorous insects.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Experimental field comparison of native and non-native maple seedlings: natural enemies, ecophysiology, growth and survival
Abstract: 1 Acer platanoides (Norway maple) is an important non‐native invasive canopy tree in North American deciduous forests, where native species diversity and abundance are greatly reduced under its canopy. We conducted a field experiment in North American forests to compare planted seedlings of A. platanoides and Acer saccharum (sugar maple), a widespread, common native that, like A. platanoides, is shade tolerant. Over two growing seasons in three forests we compared multiple components of seedling success: damage from natural enemies, ecophysiology, growth and survival. We reasoned that equal or superior performance by A. platanoides relative to A. saccharum indicates seedling characteristics that support invasiveness, while inferior performance indicates potential barriers to invasion. 2 Acer platanoides seedlings produced more leaves and allocated more biomass to roots, A. saccharum had greater water use efficiency, and the two species exhibited similar photosynthesis and first‐season mortality rates. Acer platanoides had greater winter survival and earlier spring leaf emergence, but second‐season mortality rates were similar. 3 The success of A. platanoides seedlings was not due to escape from natural enemies, contrary to the enemy release hypothesis. Foliar insect herbivory and disease symptoms were similarly high for both native and non‐native, and seedling biomass did not differ. Rather, A. platanoides compared well with A. saccharum because of its equivalent ability to photosynthesize in the low light herb layer, its higher leaf production and greater allocation to roots, and its lower winter mortality coupled with earlier spring emergence. Its only potential barrier to seedling establishment, relative to A. saccharum, was lower water use efficiency, which possibly could hinder its invasion into drier forests. 4 The spread of non‐native canopy trees poses an especially serious problem for native forest communities, because canopy trees strongly influence species in all forest layers. Success at reaching the canopy depends on a tree's ecology in previous life‐history stages, particularly as a vulnerable seedling, but little is known about seedling characteristics that promote non‐native tree invasion. Experimental field comparison with ecologically successful native trees provides insight into why non‐native trees succeed as seedlings, which is a necessary stage on their journey into the forest canopy.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America
Research field: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Title: Using parasites to inform ecological history: Comparisons among three congeneric marine snails
Abstract: Species introduced to novel regions often leave behind many parasite species. Signatures of parasite release could thus be used to resolve cryptogenic (uncertain) origins such as that of Littorina littorea, a European marine snail whose history in North America has been debated for over 100 years. Through extensive field and literature surveys, we examined species richness of parasitic trematodes infecting this snail and two co-occurring congeners, L. saxatilis and L. obtusata, both considered native throughout the North Atlantic. Of the three snails, only L. littorea possessed significantly fewer trematode species in North America, and all North American trematodes infecting the three Littorina spp. were a nested subset of Europe. Surprisingly, several of L. littorea's missing trematodes in North America infected the other Littorina congeners. Most likely, long separation of these trematodes from their former host resulted in divergence of the parasites' recognition of L. littorea. Overall, these patterns of parasitism suggest a recent invasion from Europe to North America for L. littorea and an older, natural expansion from Europe to North America for L. saxatilis and L. obtusata.
Extracted statement — Continent: North America