Jornal de Ecossistema e Ecografia

Abstrato

Shifting Paradigms in the Field of Invasion Ecology

Charles W. Martin

Historically, introductions of species outside their native geographic ranges have been considered to be among the greatest of all threats to native ecosystems [1-4]. Prior to human advancement across the globe, unique assemblages of organisms evolved on geographically separated continents, and came to be easily distinguishable (i.e., "Wallace's Realms"). As humans and technology advance, however, there is a growing homogenization of these assemblages throughout the world, often with detrimental consequences to the evolved community structure and function [3,5]. Although recognized earlier [6], the pioneering and most influential work on the topic was Charles Elton's book, The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants [1]. Based on a series of radio interviews and short literary publications, this comprehensive work (at the time) provided a description of many species invasions (termed "ecological explosions"), as well as an attempt to generalize characteristics of species and ecosystems prone to successful invasion. Aimed at the public sector, this work raised concern about the future of native biota worldwide. As such, Elton was instrumental in promoting the development of theory, management principles, and inspiring research in the field. With Elton's work, the field of invasion ecology was established.