A review was carried out to identify the exotic mosquito species intercepted in New Zealand to 2004, together with their origins, pathways and ports of entry into the country. A total of 171 interceptions have been recorded since 1929. There was little or no taxonomic information available for many, but at least 27 exotic species not yet established in New Zealand have been intercepted, includi...

This study examined whether the diversity and relative abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrates changed in relation to type of vegetation cover. Invertebrate taxon diversity and relative abundance were assessed with pitfall traps placed under the native shrubs Olearia bullata and Coprosma propinqua, and in surrounding patches of exotic pasture. A total of 1935 invertebrates and at least 152 i...

Introduction of exotic animals provides some degree of both benefit and risk. The risks of exotic shrimp introduction include the possible establishment of a disease in domestic or wild shrimp stocks. Suitable management approaches must be considered. If a disease is suspected but not clearly established because of the lack of research, it is best to consider some precautions. For intercontinen...

Positive interactions between exotic species may increase ecosystem-level impacts and potentially facilitate the entry and spread of other exotic species. Invader-facilitated invasion success-"secondary invasion"-is a key conceptual aspect of the well-known invasional meltdown hypothesis, but remains poorly defined and empirically underexplored. Drawing from heuristic models and published empir...

Consumer-plant interactions can alter the outcome of biological invasions when native and exotic plants differ systematically in their resistance to and/or tolerance of consumer impacts. Given evidence for indirect interactions and shifts in plant communities from the few existing long-term studies, it is clear that long-term studies are a critical component for understanding the role of consum...

The dynamics of invasive species may depend on their abilities to compete for resources and exploit disturbances relative to the abilities of native species. We test this hypothesis and explore its implications for the restoration of native ecosystems in one of the most dramatic ecological invasions worldwide, the replacement of native perennial grasses by exotic annual grasses and forbs in 9.2...

With an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events, plants are likely to reach their thermal limits and show slower growth or increased mortality. We investigated differences amongst coastal native and invasive shrubs and grasses to investigate if particular species might be more at risk in the future. Using an ecologically relevant experimental set of heat waves over a mont...

We report the prevalence and diversity of helminth parasites found in native turtles Mauremys leprosa and Emys orbicularis from three localities in southwestern Spain and we describe the helminth communities of exotic turtles Trachemys scripta elegans coexisting in the wild with both native turtle species. Five nematodes species were identified, of which Serpinema microcephalus was the only spe...

In the present study, we reported infection with eighteen species of the genus Dactylogyrus, belong to thefamily Dactylogyridae from five breeder fish species, including common carp (Cyprinus carpio), grass carp(Ctenopharyngodon idella), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), big head carp (Hypophthalmichthysnobilis) and black carp (Myelopharyngodon piceus) which introduced and imported to ...

The probability that exotic species will successfully establish viable populations varies between regions, for reasons that are currently unknown. Here, we use data for exotic bird introductions to 41 oceanic islands and archipelagos around the globe to test five hypotheses for this variation: the effects of introduction effort, competition, predation, human disturbance and habitat diversity (i...