Resource Search

Provides a collation of best available research literature, research gaps, and a summary of published researchfor wildland fire and invasive species issues. NISC staff searched Google Scholar, USGS publications warehouse, USDA, FS TreeSearch, and AGRICOLA using keywords “invasive species”, “invasive species and fire”, “invasive species and wildfire” from 2000 to 2024. Most of the existing research explores the relationship between invasive plants, particularly grass species, and wildfire risk, fire regimes, impacts to native plant communities, and loss of wildlife habitats. These are living documents and will be updated on a regular basis.

Invasive grass species can alter fire regimes, converting native terrestrial ecosystems into non-native, grass-dominated landscapes, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of increasing fire activity and flammable grass expansion. Analyses of this phenomenon tend to focus on the ecology and geography of the grass–fire cycle independent of human activities. Yet people introduce non-native grasses to new landscapes (eg via agriculture), facilitate their spread (eg via road networks), and are a primary source of ignition (eg via debris burning). We propose a new framework for this phenomenon that explicitly recognizes the important role of anthropogenic activities in the human–grass–fire cycle. We review links between land use and invasive species as well as ignitions, with a particular focus on the spatial and temporal co-occurrences of these activities to show that these two drivers of wildfires are inextricable. Finally, management strategies that could mitigate impacts are discussed.

Citation: Fusco EJ, et al. 2021. The human–grass–fire cycle: how people and invasives co-occur to drive fire regimes. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 20(2): 117-126.

Invasive species surveillance programs can utilize environmental DNA sampling and analysis to provide information on the presence of invasive species. Wider utilization of eDNA techniques for invasive species surveillance may be warranted. This paper covers topics directed towards invasive species managers and eDNA practitioners working at the intersection of eDNA techniques and invasive species surveillance. It provides background information on the utility of eDNA for invasive species management and points to various examples of its use across federal and international programs.

Citation: Morisette, J., S. Burgiel, K. Brantley, et al. 2021. Strategic considerations for invasive species managers in the utilization of environmental DNA (eDNA): Steps for incorporating this powerful surveillance tool. Management of Biological Invasions. 12(3): 747-775.

The widely cited “tens rule” in invasion ecology suggests that approximately 10% of established, non-native species will become invasive–or display negative impacts—when introduced to new environments. This study demonstrates that the tens rule is a poor estimate of invasion rates on a global scale. Instead, a ‘twenties rule’ is a better rule of thumb, meaning that roughly 20% of all established, non-native species eventually become invasive

Note: Collection of all Zika-related research published in PLOS journals; freely accessible

Environmental DNA methods are highly sensitive and accurate, making them ideal for detecting animals at low densities. However, this tool also comes with its own unique set of challenges when applied to efforts to eradicate invasive species. This research explores the use of eDNA for evaluating invasive species eradication efforts in streams and offers best practices for incorporating eDNA methods into invasive species removal projects.
Related Publication:
K. J. Carim, N. J. Bean, J. M. Connor, W. P. Baker, M. Jaeger, M. P. Ruggles, K. S. McKelvey, T. W. Franklin, M. K. Young, M. K. Schwartz. 2020. Environmental DNA sampling informs fish eradication efforts: Case studies and lessons learned

The topic of invasive alien species accounts for nearly 14 per cent of published peer-reviewed uses of data from the GBIF network, with almost 1,300 papers relating to invasives recorded in the archive of GBIF-enabled research compiled through its literature tracking programme.

Doherty, T.S., A.S. Glen, D.G. Nimmo, E.G. Ritchie, and C.R. Dickman. 2016. Invasive predators and global biodiversity loss. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(40):11261-11265.

Native freshwater mussels grew more slowly when invasive Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) were abundant. The study was led by Wendell Haag, a USDA Forest Service research fisheries biologist. The study, "Abundance of an invasive bivalve, Corbicula fluminea, is negatively related to growth of freshwater mussels in the wild" was published in the journal Freshwater Biology. Mussels live out of sight – buried in the river bottom, eating algae and other small particles of organic material. Mussels are filter feeders and key members of aquatic ecosystems. Unfortunately, mussels are disappearing worldwide, and about 70 percent of the 300 mussel species native to the U.S. are in danger of extinction. Addressing mussel declines is difficult because their causes are mostly unknown.

With climate change, many invasive plants are projected to shift their ranges, creating hotspots of future invasions across the U.S. Knowing the identities of new invasive plants headed to a nearby state creates an opportunity for proactive prevention and management. Unfortunately, monitoring for and managing all range-shifting invasive plants is untenable. To help prioritize range-shifting species, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center researchers performed impact assessments on 104 plants projected to expand into one or more mid-Atlantic states by 2040 with climate change. Their study was recently published (Oct 6, 2023) in Invasive Plant Science and Management "High-impact invasive plants expanding into mid-Atlantic states: identifying priority range-shifting species for monitoring in light of climate change."

Treesearch is an online system for sharing free, full text publications by Research and Development scientists in the USDA Forest Service. Included in Treesearch are scholarly works authored by the agency’s scientists and published by journals, in conference proceedings, or in books. Treesearch also offers scholarly works published by the agency which may or may not have been authored by agency researchers.

Fire-friendly grasses have invaded new habitats around the world. Five species (cheatgrass, cogon grass, gamba grass, molasses grass, and buffelgrass) are considered among the most problematic grasses, threatening to transform entire ecosystems.

Building on information provided by federal agencies and an inspection of the US Code and the Code of Federal Regulations, this article reviews and identifies relevant authorities to determine federal legal capacities, gaps, and inconsistencies to address (Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR). Although the Plant Protection Act and the Animal Health Protection Act are comprehensive authorities that address the detection of and response to organisms that threaten plant and livestock health, there is no single authority that encompasses EDRR for all invasive species. Rather, there is a patchwork of authorities that unevenly addresses various aspects of EDRR. View Early Detection and Rapid Response for more information.
See related resource: Biological Invasions - Special Issue: Early Detection and Rapid Response for special issue on EDRR.

Invasive species can have severe impacts on ecosystems, economies, and human health. Though the economic impacts of invasions provide important foundations for management and policy, up-to-date syntheses of these impacts are lacking. To produce the most comprehensive estimate of invasive species costs within North America (including the Greater Antilles) to date, we synthesized economic impact data from the recently published InvaCost database (see related research article: InvaCost, a public database of the economic costs of biological invasions worldwide (Sep 8, 2020).
See also: This article is part of NeoBiota 67: The economic costs of biological invasions around the world.

New geographic strategies provide the landscape context needed for effective management of invasive annual grasses in sagebrush country. Identifying and proactively defending intact rangeland cores from annual grass invasion is a top priority for management. Minimizing vulnerability of rangeland cores to annual grass conversion includes reducing exposure to annual grass seed sources, improving resilience and resistance by promoting perennial plants, and building capacity of communities and partnerships to adapt to changing conditions and respond to the problem with appropriate actions in a timely manner.

Citation: Maestas JD, et al. 2022. Defend the core: maintaining intact rangelands by reducing vulnerability to invasive annual grasses. Rangelands. 000: 1-6.

Climate change is “a key driver behind the recent rise in global hunger, one of the leading causes of severe food crises, and a contributing factor to the alarming levels of malnutrition seen in recent years. Increasing climate variability and extremes, linked to climate change, are negatively affecting all dimensions of food security and nutrition.” Moreover, global warming is a significant threat to human health, nature, and global crop production.

Citation: Margaret Rosso Grossman, Climate Change Impact on Agrarian Law: Legal Aspects of Food Security in the United States, The American Journal of Comparative Law, 2022.