Perceptions of stakeholders can influence who is included and excluded from environmental policy-making processes. Repertory grid technique is a qualitative method that captures how a person differentiates objects according to dimensions of similarity. Used in a qualitative way, repertory grids...

To reduce the number of seeds released by Hakea sericea after fires, two seed-feeding insects were introduced into South Africa from Australia in 1970: a seed-moth, C. autologa, the larvae of which destroy the seeds in mature fruits, and a seed-feeding weevil Erytenna consputa, the larvae of which...

The invasive and predatory harlequin lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, has been introduced as a biological control agent to many agricultural areas worldwide and has now spread from agricultural to natural habitats where it threatens native arthropod biodiversity. The aim of this study was to...

By the late 20th century, a series of events or 'natural experiments', for example the depletion of apex predators, extreme eutrophication and blooms of invasive species, had suggested that the Black Sea could be considered as a large ecosystem 'laboratory'. The events resulted in regime shifts...

Invasive natural enemies are known to either strengthen or weaken the suppression of herbivorous arthropods. However, the impact of invasive species on the predation service provided by natural enemy diversity remains largely unexplored. Here, we tease apart the roles of invasive ants as providers...

Seedling recruitment shapes tree communities, including those found in altered landscapes such as urban forests. However, little data exists on local- and broad-scale tree seed immigration and recruitment in these communities. Interspecific competition and seed predation are two major causes of...

We construct a hybrid, stage-structured mathematical model to study whether trapping of the invasive predatory crayfish Procambarus clarkii can prevent local extinctions of the California newt (Taricha torosa), a species of special concern native to Santa Monica Mountain streams. Specifically, we...

Despite the breadth of research on impacts of dense ungulate populations and invasive plants on native vegetation, work involving indirect effects on spider communities is explicitly lacking. Forest spiders depend on palatable insect prey and habitat structure, both of which are affected by...

Animals play an important role in the seed dispersal of many plants. It is increasingly recognized, however, that the actions of a single disperser rarely determine a seed's fate and final location; rather, multiple abiotic or animal dispersal vectors are involved. Some carnivores act as secondary...

The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta; hereafter RIFA) is an invasive predator found on four continents, namely South America, North America, Australia, and Asia. Red imported fire ants are implicated in the decline of native invertebrates and vertebrates throughout their invaded range. We...