Book review: Encyclopedia of biological invasions
Abstract
Species introductions and consequent biotic invasions and homogenization are major components of global change that are drawing increasing concern and various levels of actions and reactions around the world. Invasion ecology has advanced rapidly during the last few decades, and the discipline is now increasingly integrated with the social and economic sciences. A better understanding of the invasion process and its effects is thus clearly needed. For basic research, invasion biology offers fascinating and sometimes unique opportunities for testing certain ecological or evolutionary theories and principles because species invasions are so dynamic and because the expansion of invasive species (and thus contraction of native species) and their impacts can be observed over a relatively short time period. On the applied side, invasion biology is strongly tied to human social-economic activities and management policies that affect everyone’s daily life. Following a series of new books on the general topic of invasion biology (or ecology), this timely and important volume edited by Simberloff and Rejmánek represents the most comprehensive and updated information.