Charles Elton: Neither Founder Nor Siren, but Prophet

Impacts of biological invasions: what's what and the way forward

“…However, as both intentional and unintentional introductions increased throughout the 20th century, biologists gathered mounting evidence of the threat that some introductions pose for native species and ecosystems and for human well-being. This led to the launching of modern invasion science during the mid-1980s [13], a development that paralleled the rise of modern conservation biology and increasing public concern about biodiversity. Invasion scientists became increasingly predisposed against non-natives not because they originated elsewhere, but because the probability of negative impact by non-natives is far greater than for natives [14] and because the frequency of invasions has increased exponentially [15].…”

Non-native invasive species and novel ecosystems

“…It is true that most introduced species are not known to cause significant harm. However, modern invasion biology is very new [3,44], and the great majority of introduced species have not been studied in their introduced ranges, and so it is not possible to say that they have no significant impact. Perhaps the most comprehensive study of this matter [45] found, for Europe, that for only ca.…”

“…By 1957, Charles Elton produced a series of BBC radio broadcasts about the general phenomenon of non-native invasions [3] and transformed the series into a book for a lay audience the next year [4]. Although particular invasions continued to attract great attention, Elton's book did not inspire a broad research thrust on invasions or a widespread public and policy response to their growing number.…”

“…Although particular invasions continued to attract great attention, Elton's book did not inspire a broad research thrust on invasions or a widespread public and policy response to their growing number. Rather, in the mid-1980s, an international project of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) engaged over 100 prominent scientists worldwide, produced several widely read edited volumes (for example, [5,6]), and triggered an explosion of research on invasions [3], which soon came to be recognized as one of the great ongoing global environmental changes, along with climate, nutrient cycle enhancement, and land-use changes [7]. …”

Earthworm, microbial biomass, and leaf litter decay responses after invasive honeysuckle shrub removal from urban woodlands.

“…Though research in the field of invasion ecology has grown rapidly since the 1980s, most studies have focused on aboveground, single-species invasions and their effects on native species and ecosystems (Simberloff 2011;Kuebbing et al 2013).…”