Invasive Species: The Hidden Threat to Biodiversity

The Scale of the Crisis

Why invasive alien species are recorded as a driver or co-driver in 56.7% of all known extinctions—more than any other threat category, including agriculture and biological resource use.

Mechanisms of Extinction

A study into the "top-down effects" of predation and disease². The guide explores how fungal pathogens like White-Nose Syndrome (Geomyces destructansGeomyces\ destructans Geomyces destructans) devastate bat populations by disrupting winter torpor.

Vulnerability Factors

Learn why islands and freshwater ecosystems act as "killing fields" for biodiversity. The text explains why continental species often escape complete extinction due to the availability of "escape space," unlike island endemics.

The Extinction Vortex

An examination of the self-reinforcing cycle where small populations face the Allee effect⁶. Understand how isolation prevents immigration, leading to unavoidable spirals toward extinction once numbers drop too low⁷.

Critical Analysis

Scientific critique of the claim that invasive species are the "second-greatest threat". This section analyzes the 1998 Wilcove study, revealing how data biased toward Hawaiian islands shaped global perceptions⁹.

The "Big Killers"

Detailed profiles of the most destructive predators. Includes Rats (linked to 95 extinctions), Cats (responsible for 26% of modern extinctions), and the Rosy Wolfsnail, a failed biological control agent linked to 43 extinctions.