Species invasions can have profound ecological impacts, including changes in patterns of distribution, abundance and diversity of native species, altering food-web dynamics and ecosystem functioning. In the marine benthic environment temperature, predation, competition for space and wave action...

Invasive species currently account for a major threat to global biodiversity, and island ecosystems are among the most vulnerable, because of the frequency and success of species introductions on islands. Within Mediterranean islands, reptiles not only are frequently introduced species but are also ...

Growing trade among nations is globalizing economies and driving environmental change. As a consequence, trade affects ecosystems, but trade is not currently a major topic in ecosystem research based on a survey of ecological journals. This survey reveals trade is rarely a title word or topic...

Poor environmental conditions experienced during early development can have negative long-term consequences on fitness. Animals can compensate for negative developmental effects through phenotypic plasticity by diverting resources from non-vital to vital traits such as spatial memory to enhance...

Despite located far from point sources of Hg pollution, high concentrations were recorded in plankton from the deep oligotrophic Lake Nahuel Huapi, located in North Patagonia. Native and introduced top predator fish with differing feeding habits are a valuable economic resource to the region....

Floodplain river systems are extremely dynamic environments, where alternating dry and flooded periods affect the availability of food resources for fish. For piscivores, during drought years, a decreased availability of prey is expected, resulting in diets dominated by fewer items, narrower...

Invasive species must respond appropriately to novel habitats as they expand their ranges. The degree of habitat novelty is likely to be the highest immediately following human-mediated range-expansion, which can move an individual very large distances beyond its home range within a short space of...

Mediterranean seagrass ecosystems are endangered by increased colonization of Caulerpa species, which may replace them, affecting key ecosystem processes. The fish Sarpa salpa (L.) is one of the main macroherbivores in the western Mediterranean seagrass meadows which is known to feed on a wide...

Marisme∼na is a feral Spanish cattle breed reared in the Do∼nana National Park, whose meat quality is traditionally appreciated in the area of influence. We assessed male (n=32) and female (n=22) Marisme∼na calves raised in their natural habitat (n=30) vs. feedlot conditions (n=24) to test...

Acacia farnesiana L. is a species known for its uses in recovery of degraded pastures, animal feeding, medical and fungicide properties. However, it is one of the most problematic invasive species in agriculture, due to the little known dormancy aspects of its seeds that results in the propagation...