2024/08/01 by M. Jake Vander Zanden, Adrianna Gorsky, Gretchen J A Hansen +6 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Environmental Science · #Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior #Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies #Fish Ecology and Management Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/biosci/biae062
openalex publication_date 2024/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Freshwater ecosystems can serve as model systems that reveal insights into biological invasions. In this article, we summarize nine lessons about aquatic invasive species from the North Temperate Lakes Long-Term Ecological Research program and affiliated projects. The lessons about aquatic invasive species are as follows: Invasive species are more widespread than has been documented; they are usually at low abundance; they can irrupt from low-density populations in response to environmental triggers; they can occasionally have enormous and far-reaching impacts; they can affect microbial communities; reservoirs act as invasive species hotspots; ecosystem vulnerability to invasion can be estimated; invasive species removal can produce long-term benefits; and the impacts of invasive species control may be greater than the impacts of the invasive species. This synthesis highlights how long-term research on a freshwater landscape can advance our understanding of invasions.