Browsing by Author "Verbrugge, Laura"

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  • Aliens in caves: the global dimension of biological invasions in subterranean ecosystems
    (2023-06) Nicolosi, Giuseppe; Mammola, Stefano; Verbrugge, Laura; Isaia, Marco
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    Alien species are a significant threat to natural ecosystems and human economies. Despite global efforts to address this challenge, the documented number of alien species is rapidly increasing worldwide. However, the magnitude of the impact of alien species may vary significantly across habitats. For example, some habitats are naturally less prone to biological invasions due to stringent abiotic and biotic characteristics, selecting for a limited number of introduced species possessing traits closely related to the native organisms. Subterranean ecosystems are quintessential examples of habitats with strong environmental filters (e.g. lack of light and scarcity of food), driving convergent adaptations in species that have successfully adapted to life in darkness. Despite these stringent environmental constraints, the number of records of alien species in subterranean ecosystems has increased in recent decades, but the relevant literature remains largely fragmented and mostly anecdotal. Therefore, even though caves are generally considered very fragile ecosystems, their susceptibility to impacts by alien species remains untested other than for some very specific cases. We provide the first systematic literature survey to synthesise available knowledge on alien species in subterranean ecosystems globally. This review is supported by a database summarising the available literature, aiming to identify gaps in the distribution and spread of alien invertebrate species in subterranean habitats, and laying the foundations for future management practices and interventions. First, we quantitatively assessed the current knowledge of alien species in subterranean ecosystems to shed light on broader questions about taxonomic biases, geographical patterns, modes of dispersal, pathways for introductions and potential impacts. Secondly, we collected species-specific traits for each recorded alien species and tested whether subterranean habitats act as ecological filters for their establishment, favouring organisms with pre-adaptive traits suitable for subterranean life. We found information on the presence of 246 subterranean alien species belonging to 18 different classes. The dominant alien species were invertebrates, especially insects and arachnids. Most species were reported in terrestrial subterranean habitats from all continents except Antarctica. Palaearctic and Nearctic biogeographic regions represented the main source of alien species. The main routes of introductions into the recipient country are linked to commercial activities (84.3% of cases for which there was information available). Negative impacts have been documented for a small number of case studies (22.7%), mostly related to increased competition with native species. For a limited number of case studies (6.1%), management strategies were reported but the effectiveness of these interventions has rarely been quantified. Accordingly, information on costs is very limited. Approximately half of the species in our database can be considered established in subterranean habitats. According to our results, the presence of suitable traits grants access to the stringent environmental filter posed by subterranean environments, facilitating establishment in the new habitat. We recommend that future studies deepen the understanding of invasiveness into subterranean habitats, raising public and scientific community awareness of preserving these fragile ecosystems.
  • Economic costs of invasive alien species across Europe
    (2021-07-29) Haubrock, Phillip J.; Turbelin, Anna J.; Cuthbert, Ross N.; Novoa, Ana; Taylor, Nigel G.; Angulo, Elena; Ballesteros-Mejia, Liliana; Bodey, Thomas W.; Capinha, César; Diagne, Christophe; Essl, Franz; Golivets, Marina; Kirichenko, Natalia; Kourantidou, Melina; Leroy, Boris; Renault, David; Verbrugge, Laura; Courchamp, Franck
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    Biological invasions continue to threaten the stability of ecosystems and societies that are dependent on their services. Whilst the ecological impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) have been widely reported in recent decades, there remains a paucity of information concerning their economic impacts. Europe has strong trade and transport links with the rest of the world, facilitating hundreds of IAS incursions, and largely centralised decision-making frameworks. The present study is the first comprehensive and detailed effort that quantifies the costs of IAS collectively across European countries and examines temporal trends in these data. In addition, the distributions of costs across countries, socioeconomic sectors and taxonomic groups are examined, as are socio-economic correlates of management and damage costs. Total costs of IAS in Europe summed to US$140.20 billion (or €116.61 billion) between 1960 and 2020, with the majority (60%) being damage-related and impacting multiple sectors. Costs were also geographically widespread but dominated by impacts in large western and central European countries, i.e. the UK, Spain, France, and Germany. Human population size, land area, GDP, and tourism were significant predictors of invasion costs, with management costs additionally predicted by numbers of introduced species, research effort and trade. Temporally, invasion costs have increased exponentially through time, with up to US$23.58 billion (€19.64 billion) in 2013, and US$139.56 billion (€116.24 billion) in impacts extrapolated in 2020. Importantly, although these costs are substantial, there remain knowledge gaps on several geographic and taxonomic scales, indicating that these costs are severely underestimated. We, thus, urge increased and improved cost reporting for economic impacts of IAS and coordinated international action to prevent further spread and mitigate impacts of IAS populations.
  • Global economic costs of aquatic invasive alien species
    (2021-06-25) Cuthbert, Ross N.; Pattison, Zarah; Taylor, Nigel G.; Verbrugge, Laura; Diagne, Christophe; Ahmed, Danish A.; Leroy, Boris; Angulo, Elena; Briski, Elizabeta; Capinha, César; Catford, Jane A.; Dalu, Tatenda; Essl, Franz; Gozlan, Rodolphe E.; Haubrock, Phillip J.; Kourantidou, Melina; Kramer, Andrew M.; Renault, David; Wasserman, Ryan J.; Courchamp, Frank
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    Much research effort has been invested in understanding ecological impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) across ecosystems and taxonomic groups, but empirical studies about economic effects lack synthesis. Using a comprehensive global database, we determine patterns and trends in economic costs of aquatic IAS by examining: (i) the distribution of these costs across taxa, geographic regions and cost types; (ii) the temporal dynamics of global costs; and (iii) knowledge gaps, especially compared to terrestrial IAS. Based on the costs recorded from the existing literature, the global cost of aquatic IAS conservatively summed to US$345 billion, with the majority attributed to invertebrates (62%), followed by vertebrates (28%), then plants (6%). The largest costs were reported in North America (48%) and Asia (13%), and were principally a result of resource damages (74%); only 6% of recorded costs were from management. The magnitude and number of reported costs were highest in the United States of America and for semi-aquatic taxa. Many countries and known aquatic alien species had no reported costs, especially in Africa and Asia. Accordingly, a network analysis revealed limited connectivity among countries, indicating disparate cost reporting. Aquatic IAS costs have increased in recent decades by several orders of magnitude, reaching at least US$23 billion in 2020. Costs are likely considerably underrepresented compared to terrestrial IAS; only 5% of reported costs were from aquatic species, despite 26% of known invaders being aquatic. Additionally, only 1% of aquatic invasion costs were from marine species. Costs of aquatic IAS are thus substantial, but likely underreported. Costs have increased over time and are expected to continue rising with future invasions. We urge increased and improved cost reporting by managers, practitioners and researchers to reduce knowledge gaps. Few costs are proactive investments; increased management spending is urgently needed to prevent and limit current and future aquatic IAS damages.
  • Knowledge and perceptions of invasive plant biocontrol in Europe versus the rest of the world
    (2023-02-01) Marchante, Hélia; Marchante, Elizabete; Verbrugge, Laura; Lommen, Suzanne; Shaw, Richard
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    Biological control (BC) of invasive alien plants (IAP) can be an effective environmental management approach. It has only very recently been adopted in Europe and is underutilized compared to other continents where this method has been successfully implemented for over a century. This is in sharp contrast to the BC of invertebrate pests, which has been taken up widely within Europe. It has been suggested that this is related to the risk-adverse attitude of Europeans towards weed BC. Scientific and public perception have a major influence on environmental policy actions. Public perception and knowledge regarding BC is an understudied subject despite its relevance for the application of this management alternative. We aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of BC of IAP among European professionals compared with their peers from other continents. To this end we conducted an online survey including multiple choice and open questions among over 700 people professionally engaged with managing the natural environment, of which approximately half were from Europe (EU) and the others from outside (non-EU). We assessed relationships between the geographical location of the respondents and their knowledge, and perceptions of BC of weeds versus BC of invertebrate pests. We found that respondents’ location influenced both perceptions and knowledge of BC for weeds. Compared to non-EU respondents, EU professionals showed less appreciation for BC (e.g., regarding safety, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness), and perceived it as a riskier method, particularly in the case of practitioners and researchers. More profoundly insect pest BC tended to be considered less safe than weed BC for non-EU respondents. Confidence in weed BC as a method, as well as in the validity of the associated pre-release risk assessments, strongly increased with the level of expertise in weed BC. While a much higher proportion of non-EU respondents were correctly aware of the presence/absence of BC in their own countries and identified successful examples of BC accurately, both groups of respondents were similarly aware of unsuccessful BC examples, including BC agents against animals, stressing the bias of EU respondents towards examples of BC failure. The appreciation of weed BC in Europe could be elevated by a combination of increasing knowledge of the technique and pre-release risk assessment and promoting successful examples of weed BC, which may bring major benefits for the management of IAP across the region.
  • Knowledge co-production and researcher roles in transdisciplinary environmental management projects
    (2022-04) Kruijf, Joanne Vinke de; Verbrugge, Laura; Schröter, Barbara; den Haan, Robert Jan; Cortes Arevalo, Juliette; Fliervoet, Jan; Henze, Jennifer; Albert, Christian
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    Calls for transformative change and participatory modes of knowledge production demand researchers to assume new roles. This paper synthesizes the literature on knowledge co-production and researcher roles to explore challenges for researchers involved in transdisciplinary environmental management projects. Our research methods combine a scoping review and reflections on personal experiences with three transdisciplinary projects. To conceptualize researcher roles in transdisciplinary knowledge co-production, we distinguish between three spaces: knowledge, formal policy, and stakeholder. Knowledge co-production requires collaboration between actors from different spaces and integration of diverse knowledge sources and types. Depending on whether researchers adopt knowledge-oriented, change-oriented or intermediating roles, they will experience different challenges. When researchers combine knowledge development with change-oriented and/or intermediating roles, they encounter new challenges, such as, maintaining independence or objectivity. To assist researchers in transdisciplinary projects, we conclude with a checklist of four elements to reflect upon: orientation, norms and values, expectations and resources.
  • Making Waves : Joining forces for better doctoral education in water research
    (2021-10-01) Taka, Maija; Verbrugge, Laura; Varis, Olli
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    We argue that doctoral education in water needs an elevated focus towards educating game changers who can drive innovation and change towards more sustainable futures across academic and non-academic settings. Today's doctoral graduates in water are increasingly employed outside academia, and challenged to understand complex and interconnected systems, to integrate and synthesize information from different disciplines and to lead the way toward increasingly creative, resilient, robust, and socially sustainable solutions. Supervisors are challenged by interdisciplinary research topics and by growing diversity of objectives, too often at the cost of their wellbeing. The need to keep up with the rapid scientific and technological development and floods of big data is pressing. We synthesize key insights from higher education literature and doctoral programs in water research to identify priority actions targeted at four key actor groups: supervisors and supervisees, research group, university, and industry. The actions contribute to appropriate resourcing, enabling an environment for enhanced teamwork practices, and systematic structures for progress. Establishing supporting structures will leverage the much-needed communities of practice involved in co-creating and transforming supervision and education of doctoral students in interdisciplinary water research.
  • Rethinking tourism conflict potential within and between groups using participatory mapping
    (2020-11) Lechner, Alex; Verbrugge, Laura; Chelliah, Alvin; Ang, Michelle Li Ern; Raymond, Christopher
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    Tourism on small tropical islands in the Global South is a balancing act between development to improve local livelihoods and the conservation of fragile coastal and coral ecosystems. The objective of our study is to develop a series of new spatial metrics to support sustainable development through assessing the direction and magnitude of tourism development support and conflict between groups. We surveyed 317 individuals out of an estimated total population of 3300 using public participation GIS (PPGIS) on Tioman Island, Malaysia. Here we present a first example of how nuances in conflict can be articulated spatially across different levels of attitude toward tourism development within and between different segments of the population. Our results suggest that treating a population as homogeneous risks missing place specific development conflicts between segments of the population and locations of agreement where development can be managed sustainably with the support of the community.
  • Stakeholders' views on the global guidelines for the sustainable use of non-native trees
    (2024-08) Novoa, Ana; Vimercati, Giovanni; Brundu, Giuseppe; Richardson, David M.; Schaffner, Urs; Brunori, Antonio; Campagnaro, Thomas; Canavan, Susan; Celesti-Grapow, Laura; Dechoum, Michele; Dehnen-Schmutz, Katharina; Dufour-Dror, Jean Marc; Essl, Franz; Flory, S. Luke; Jäger, Heinke; Joshi, Jasmin; Karmann, Marion; Langdon, Barbara; Lapin, Katharina; Le Roux, Johannes; Lozano, Vanessa; Masiero, Mauro; Meyerson, Laura A.; Nuñez, Martin A.; Pauchard, Aníbal; Pergl, Jan; Porté, Annabel J.; Pyšek, Petr; Pyšková, Jana; Rodriguez, Jonatan; Shackleton, Ross T.; Silva, Joaquim S.; Sitzia, Tommaso; Verbrugge, Laura; Vítková, Michaela; Weldesemaet, Yitbarek Tibebe; Westergren, Marjana; Wilson, John R.U.
     A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
    A large number of non-native trees (NNTs) have been introduced globally and widely planted, contributing significantly to the world's economy. Although some of these species present a limited risk of spreading beyond their planting sites, a growing number of NNTs are spreading and becoming invasive leading to diverse negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem functions and human well-being. To help minimize the negative impacts and maximize the economic benefits of NNTs, Brundu et al. developed eight guidelines for the sustainable use of NNTs globally—the Global Guidelines for the Use of NNTs (GG-NNTs). Here, we used an online survey to assess perceptions of key stakeholders towards NNTs, and explore their knowledge of and compliance with the GG-NNTs. Our results show that stakeholders are generally aware that NNTs can provide benefits and cause negative impacts, often simultaneously and they consider that their organization complies with existing regulations and voluntary agreements concerning NNTs. However, they are not aware of or do not apply most of the eight recommendations included in the GG-NNTs. We conclude that effectively managing invasions linked to NNTs requires both more communication efforts using an array of channels for improving stakeholder awareness and implementation of simple measures to reduce NNT impacts (e.g. via GG-NNTs), and a deeper understanding of the barriers and reluctance of stakeholders to manage NNT invasions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
  • Storytelling
    (2023-08-07) Arevalo, Juliette Cortes; Adamson, Kathryn; Fantini, Emanuele; Verbrugge, Laura; Postma, Roland
     A3 Kirjan tai muun kokoomateoksen osa