The Ecology Book

270

THE INTRODUCTION

OF A FEW RABBITS

COULD DO

LITTLE HARM

INVASIVE SPECIES

S

ome of the greatest damage

to ecosystems is caused by

invasive species. These are

plants, animals, or other organisms

that are not native to an ecosystem

but introduced largely through

human action, either deliberately

or by accident. They can become

competitors, predators, parasites,

and hybridizers of native plants and

animals, ultimately threatening the

survival of those species.

The rise of the rabbit

One of the most notable species

invasions has been that of the

European rabbit in Australia.

It began in 1788, when 11 ships

IN CONTEXT

KEY FIGURE

Ryan M. Keane, Michael J.

Crawley (1949 –)

BEFORE

1951 The International Plant

Protection Convention is set up

to prevent the introduction and

spread of pests of plants and

plant products as a result of

international trade. It is

adopted in many countries.

1958 The Ecology of Invasions

by Plants and Animals by

British ecologist Charles

Elton is the first book to be

published on invasion biology.

AFTER

2014 Studies of some of

the “world’s worst” invasive

species by ecologists at

Queen’s University, Belfast,

and Stellenbosch University,

South Africa, reveal that the

ecological impacts of these

species could be predicted

from their behavior.

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