Relative roles of climatic suitability and anthropogenic influence in determining the pattern of spread in a global invader

TY - JOUR

T1 - Relative roles of climatic suitability and anthropogenic influence in determining the pattern of spread in a global invader

AU - Roura-Pascual, Núria

AU - Hui, Cang

AU - Ikeda, Takayoshi

AU - Leday, Gwénaël

AU - Richardson, David M

AU - Carpintero, Soledad

AU - Espadaler, Xavier

AU - Gómez, Crisanto

AU - Guénard, Benoit

AU - Hartley, Stephen

AU - Krushelnycky, Paul

AU - Lester, Philip J

AU - McGeoch, Melodie A

AU - Menke, Sean B

AU - Pedersen, Jes Søe

AU - Pitt, Joel P W

AU - Reyes, Joaquin

AU - Sanders, Nate

AU - Suarez, Andrew V

AU - Touyama, Yoshifumi

AU - Ward, Darren

AU - Ward, Philip S

AU - Worner, Sue P

PY - 2011/1/4

Y1 - 2011/1/4

N2 - Because invasive species threaten the integrity of natural ecosystems, a major goal in ecology is to develop predictive models to determine which species may become widespread and where they may invade. Indeed, considerable progress has been made in understanding the factors that influence the local pattern of spread for specific invaders and the factors that are correlated with the number of introduced species that have become established in a given region. However, few studies have examined the relative importance of multiple drivers of invasion success for widespread species at global scales. Here, we use a dataset of >5,000 presence/absence records to examine the interplay between climatic suitability, biotic resistance by native taxa, human-aided dispersal, and human modification of habitats, in shaping the distribution of one of the world's most notorious invasive species, the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). Climatic suitability and the extent of human modification of habitats are primarily responsible for the distribution of this global invader. However, we also found some evidence for biotic resistance by native communities. Somewhat surprisingly, and despite the often cited importance of propagule pressure as a crucial driver of invasions, metrics of the magnitude of international traded commodities among countries were not related to global distribution patterns. Together, our analyses on the global-scale distribution of this invasive species provide strong evidence for the interplay of biotic and abiotic determinants of spread and also highlight the challenges of limiting the spread and subsequent impact of highly invasive species.

AB - Because invasive species threaten the integrity of natural ecosystems, a major goal in ecology is to develop predictive models to determine which species may become widespread and where they may invade. Indeed, considerable progress has been made in understanding the factors that influence the local pattern of spread for specific invaders and the factors that are correlated with the number of introduced species that have become established in a given region. However, few studies have examined the relative importance of multiple drivers of invasion success for widespread species at global scales. Here, we use a dataset of >5,000 presence/absence records to examine the interplay between climatic suitability, biotic resistance by native taxa, human-aided dispersal, and human modification of habitats, in shaping the distribution of one of the world's most notorious invasive species, the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). Climatic suitability and the extent of human modification of habitats are primarily responsible for the distribution of this global invader. However, we also found some evidence for biotic resistance by native communities. Somewhat surprisingly, and despite the often cited importance of propagule pressure as a crucial driver of invasions, metrics of the magnitude of international traded commodities among countries were not related to global distribution patterns. Together, our analyses on the global-scale distribution of this invasive species provide strong evidence for the interplay of biotic and abiotic determinants of spread and also highlight the challenges of limiting the spread and subsequent impact of highly invasive species.

KW - Animals

KW - Ants

KW - Climate

KW - Commerce

KW - Computer Simulation

KW - Databases, Factual

KW - Ecology

KW - Ecosystem

KW - Geography

KW - Human Activities

KW - Humans

KW - Introduced Species

KW - Models, Biological

KW - Regression Analysis

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1011723108

DO - 10.1073/pnas.1011723108

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 21173219

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 108

SP - 220

EP - 225

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

IS - 1

ER -