The International Pest Risk Mapping Workgroup acknowledges that advanced training and a 'tool kit' of software packages are needed to produce pest risk maps that are fully fit for purpose. This book is an initial attempt to address those needs. Invited chapters emphasize specific steps and data requirements to guide users through the development of pest risk models and maps, or components thereof. Each chapter describes assumptions behind each model, briefly addresses pertinent theory and illustrates key concepts through worked examples. Chapters 1 and 2 offer introductory comments about general goals and challenges of producing pest risk models and maps for invasive alien species. Chapters 3 and 4 address the arrival of new invasive alien species, either through international trade or aerial dispersal. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 describe techniques to determine where invasive alien species might establish. Chapters 8 and 9 convey methods to characterize or measure the spread of invasive alien species. Chapters 10, 11 and 12 explain specific methods to assess the potential economic or environmental impacts of biological invasions and the benefits of management. Chapters 13 and 14 describe methods to measure a common form of uncertainty in pest risk models (i.e. parametric uncertainty) and how to formally incorporate uncertainty measures into products for decision makers. The text concludes with a general discussion of measures of model validity and reliability. The text emphasizes the application of models to terrestrial ecosystems, in particular to invasive alien species that might affect plants, such as pathogens, insect pests and weeds. Many of these approaches could be adapted to invasive alien species that affect livestock, wildlife or aquatic ecosystems.

Over the past century, the number of species that have been transported to areas outside their native range has increased steadily. New pests and pathogens place biological pressure on valuable resident species, but strict bans may conflict with trading and travel needs. An overview of how the conflict can be managed using pest risk mapping and modelling, this book uses worked examples to explain modelling and help development of tool kits for assessment.

Over the past century, the number of species that have been transported to areas outside their native range has increased steadily. New pests and pathogens place biological pressure on valuable resident species, but strict bans may conflict with trading and travel needs. An overview of how the conflict can be managed using pest risk mapping and modelling, this book uses worked examples to explain modelling and help development of tool kits for assessment.

This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.

This book reviews the latest risk-based techniques to protect national interests from invasive pests and pathogens before, at and within national borders.

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. 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.

There are many books on aspects of plant invasions, but none that focus on the key role of species interactions in mediating invasions. This book reviews exciting new findings and explores how new methods and tools are shedding new light on crucial processes in plant invasions. This book will be of interest to academics and students of ecology, researchers engaged in developing management solutions, scientific managers of natural ecosystems, and policy-makers.