Principles of the Atmospheric Pathway for Invasive Species Applied to Soybean Rust

Abstract

S ome organisms can move among terrestrial habi- tats by floating, soaring, or flying in the air. Others float or swim in water. Floating, soaring, flying, or swimming takes much less energy per unit of body mass than crawling, walking, or running on land (Isard and Gage 2001). The atmospheric pathway is a concept whereby organisms utilize dynamic but definable routes created by airflows across landforms on the earth's surface to move among geographic positions. Because many organisms can significantly increase the efficiency of their movement by taking advantage of air currents, it is not surprising that a greater proportion of those organisms that spread rapidly across landscapes use air rather than land surface or water