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Sometimes by accident and sometimes on purpose, humans have transported plants and animals to new habitats around the world. Arriving in ever-increasing numbers to American soil, recent invaders have competed with, preyed on, hybridized with, and carried diseases to native species, transforming our ecosystems and creating anxiety among environmentalists and the general public. But is American anxiety over this crisis of ecological identity a recent phenomenon? Charting shifting attitudes to alien species since the 1850s, Peter Coates brings to light the rich cultural and historical aspects of this story by situating the history of immigrant flora and fauna within the wider context of human immigration. Through an illuminating series of particular invasions, including the English sparrow and the eucalyptus tree, what he finds is that we have always perceived plants and animals in relation to ourselves and the polities to which we belong. Setting the saga of human relations with the environment in the broad context of scientific, social, and cultural history, this thought-provoking book demonstrates how profoundly notions of nationality and debates over race and immigration have shaped American understandings of the natural world.

Earth has never experienced anything like us: a single species dominating and transforming the planet. Biologist Shane Campbell-Staton travels the globe to explore our impact. Because while we may tell ourselves what it means to be human, the clearest vision of who we are emerges from what we do. In that way, Human Footprint tackles the biggest story of all – the story of who we really are. Episode 1: Invasive species are reshaping the world’s ecosystems, but who’s to blame? Shane wrestles a python, hunts a wild pig, and gets sucker-punched by a carp to answer the question: in the Age of Humans, how does our species decide what belongs? In this episode of Human Footprint, Shane investigates how these Strangers in Paradise become “invasive” in the first place … and what we can do about it.

The role of non-native species in their new environments is one of the central issues in conservation biology and ecology today. This book presents a comprehensive evolutionary exploration of the complex and dynamic interactions between introduced species and native ones, and shows that non-native species can bring useful and important contributions to novel ecosystems. Based on a wide variety of examples and case studies, a strong case is made for a more positive and objective approach to non-native species and a greater appreciation of the valuable ecosystem services they provide.

The invasion of ecosystems by alien species is a key driver of global environmental change and many invasive plant species attain sufficiently high abundance to alter the structure and function of an ecosystem. This book is the first publication to explain the reasons as to why some alien species undergo a profound shift in their ecological fortune from being minor components of their native ecosystems to becoming devastating dominants of non-native habitats.The book assesses the ecological, morphological, functional and genetic factors that contribute to invasion success. Cutting-edge tools in molecular genetics in the past two decades have opened up additional avenues for ecologists to address such questions and obtain novel insights in the ecology of invasive species. This text also highlights which molecular approaches are especially useful in discriminating between native and non-native populations of invaders that cannot otherwise be differentiated based on morphological traits. Such molecular approaches can yield useful insights with potential implications for biodiversity managers to identify alien invasive species that are likely to become invaders in the near future, thereby prioritizing them accordingly for different management strategies.

Using 16mm film altered in part by algae and zebra mussels, Dam'd illuminates parallel behaviours between human and invasive species and their impact on waterways. The mutation of film footage acts as a metaphor for the erosion and evolution of the aquatic ecosystems it records.

The Ethics and Rhetoric of Invasion Ecology provides an introduction to the controversial treatment and ongoing violence routinely utilized against non-native species.Drawing from the tradition of critical animal scholars, Stanescu and Cummings have assembled a group of advocates who argue for a different kind of relationship with foreign species.

Lionfish, long prized in home aquariums, have invaded the Atlantic, and are now one of the ocean's most successful invasive species, wreaking havoc in waters across the globe. Join ocean explorer Danni Washington on a journey to find out how they took over, why they're doing so much damage, and what can be done about it. And look into the impacts of invasive species in a globalized world.

Invasive alien plants and animals are known for their disruption of ecosystems and threat to biodiversity. This book highlights their major impact on human health. This includes not only direct effects through contact with the species via bites, wounds and disease, but also indirect effects caused by changes induced in ecosystems by invasive species, such as more water hyacinth increasing mosquito levels and thereby the potential for malaria. Covering a wide range of case studies from different taxa (animals and plants), and giving an overview of the diverse impacts of invasive species on health in developed and developing countries, the book is a significant contribution that will help in prioritizing approaches to controlling invasive species and mitigating their health effects. It covers invasive plants, marine species, spiders and other arachnids, ticks and dust mites, insects, mosquitos and other diptera, freshwater species (invertebrates and fishes), amphibians and reptiles, birds and mammals. Key Features Collects together the major health impacts for the first timeCovers animal and plant invasive speciesExamines issues in developed and developing countries The broad spectrum of the analyzed case studies will ensure the appeal of the book to a wide public, including researchers of biological invasions, doctors, policy-makers and managers, and students of invasive species in ecology, animal and plant biology and public health medicine.

The fire ant strikes fear in all those who cross its path, and with good reason: this ant is taking over the world. A colony can contain up to 40 million individuals. It exterminates all other species, confiscates food for its own use, and ferociously defends its territory.

It all began in Florida in the 80's when exotic fish aficionados decided to release their lionfish into the nearby ocean waters. In just over a decade, those fish conquered a massive territory at a horrifying speed. Scientists are calling it the worst invasion on the planet.