Current paradigm suggests that spatial and temporal competition for resources limit an exotic invader, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), which once established, alters fire regimes and can result in annual grass dominance in sagebrush steppe. Prescribed fire and fire surrogate treatments (mowing, tebuthiuron, and imazapic) are used to reduce woody fuels and increase resistance to exotic annuals,...

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) can improve the stability and health of native plant communities in arid ecosystems. However, it is unknown whether BSCs can also inhibit invasions of exotic vascular plants on stabilized reclaimed sand dunes. To answer this question, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to test the effects of cyanobacteria-dominated BSCs on 1) seed germination and biomass of an ex...

SPECIAL NEEDS FOR THE EXOTIC SMALL MAMMAL PATIENT In general, basic equipment used for dogs and cats can be used on many rabbits, rodents, and ferrets. Most exotic small mammals tend to be very little; therefore, pediatric equipment is a must. For example, the heart rate of many exotic small mammals can easily be over 350 beats per minute. In many species, this would be considered tachycardic, ...

Predation by exotic species has caused the extinction of many native animal species on islands, whereas competition from exotic plants has caused few native plant extinctions. Exotic plant addition to islands is highly nonrandom, with an almost perfect 1 to 1 match between the number of naturalized and native plant species on oceanic islands. Here, we evaluate several alternative implications o...

The potential differentiations in litter chemistry among native and non-native trees are poorly understood. We compared the chemical composition of leaf litterfall of 11 exotic tree species, e.g. coniferous: Abies cephalonica, A. grandis, A. procera, Chamaecyparis pisifera, Pinus peuce, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Thuja plicata, and deciduous: Acer rubrum, A. saccharum, Betula alleghaniensis and Que...

Pathogens are common and diverse in natural communities and have been implicated in the success of host invasions. Yet few studies have experimentally measured how pathogens impact native versus exotic hosts, particularly when individual hosts are simultaneously coinfected by diverse pathogens. To estimate effects of interactions among multiple pathogens within host individuals on both transmis...

Habitat fragmentation can facilitate species loss through a number of processes. The remaining habitat may only sample a subset of the existing fauna (Preston 1962).Alternatively, species may become locally extinct within the remaining habitat after fragmentation (Bolger et al 1991). Small populations associated with the reduction in total area may become sensitive to stochastic processes, both...

BACKGROUND Aside from the ecological impacts, invasive species fascinate ecologists because of the unique opportunities that invasives offer in the study of community ecology. Some hypotheses have been proposed to illustrate the mechanisms that allow exotics to become invasive. However, positive interactions between exotic and native insects are rarely utilized to explain invasiveness of pests....

With the transport of plants around the globe, exotic species can readily spread disease to their native relatives; however, they can also provide genetic resistance to those relatives through hybrid breeding programmes. American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was an abundant tree species in North America until its decimation by introduced chestnut blight. To restore chestnut in North America, eff...