Crossing Frontiers in Tackling Pathways of Biological Invasions

Abstract

Substantial progress has been made in understanding how pathways underlie and mediate biological invasions. However, key features of\ntheir role in invasions remain poorly understood, available knowledge is widely scattered, and major frontiers in research and management\nare insufficiently characterized. We review the state of the art, highlight recent advances, identify pitfalls and constraints, and discuss major\nchallenges in four broad fields of pathway research and management: pathway classification, application of pathway information, management\nresponse, and management impact. We present approaches to describe and quantify pathway attributes (e.g., spatiotemporal changes, proxies of\nintroduction effort, environmental and socioeconomic contexts) and how they interact with species traits and regional characteristics. We also\nprovide recommendations for a research agenda with particular focus on emerging (or neglected) research questions and present new analytical\ntools in the context of pathway research and management.