The EICAT+ framework enables classification of positive impacts of alien taxa on native biodiversity

PLoS Biol. 2022 Aug 16;20(8):e3001729. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001729. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Species introduced through human-related activities beyond their native range, termed alien species, have various impacts worldwide. The IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) is a global standard to assess negative impacts of alien species on native biodiversity. Alien species can also positively affect biodiversity (for instance, through food and habitat provisioning or dispersal facilitation) but there is currently no standardized and evidence-based system to classify positive impacts. We fill this gap by proposing EICAT+, which uses 5 semiquantitative scenarios to categorize the magnitude of positive impacts, and describes underlying mechanisms. EICAT+ can be applied to all alien taxa at different spatial and organizational scales. The application of EICAT+ expands our understanding of the consequences of biological invasions and can inform conservation decisions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biodiversity*
  • Ecosystem
  • Human Activities
  • Humans
  • Introduced Species*

Grants and funding

This research was funded through the 2017–2018 Belmont Forum and BIODIVERSA joint call for research proposals, under the BiodivScen ERANet COFUND program, through the InvasiBES (http://elabs.ebd.csic.es/web/invasibes) and AlienScenarios (https://alien-scenarios.org/) projects, with the funding organisations: Spanish State Research Agency (MCI/AEI/FEDER, UE, PCI2018-092939 and PCI2018-092986 to RBM, VC, BG and MV), Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF grant numbers 31003A_179491 and 31BD30_184114 to GV, AFP, LV, and SBa), Austrian Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF project no I 4011-B32 to FE), German Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF, 16LC1803A to JMJ and W-CS, and 01LC1807C to IK), French National Research Agency (ANR, ANR-18-EBI4-0001-06 to LG and MCG) and the US National Science Foundation (ICER-1852060 to CS). RBM was also supported by MICINN through the European Regional Development Fund (SUMHAL, LIFEWATCH-2019-09-CSIC-13, POPE 2014-2020). JRUW and SKu thank the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for funding noting that this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of DFFE or its employees. SKu also thanks the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology for funding. TE acknowledges funding from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. CH was supported by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF grant 89967), the Australian Research Council Discovery Project (DP200101680) and the Natural Environment Research Council (through the UK CEH project “GLiTRS”, NE/V007548/1). SKa was supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) - Project Number: HFRI-FM17-1597 (“ALAS”; ‘ALiens in the Aegean—a Sea under siege’). PP and JP were supported by EXPRO grant no. 19-28807X (Czech Science Foundation), project “DivLand” (SS02030018; Technology Agency of the Czech Republic) and long-term research development project RVO 67985939 (Czech Academy of Sciences). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.