Evol Ecol Res 3: 361-367 (2001)     Full PDF if your library subscribes.

The four questions: What does the introduction of exotic species do to diversity?

Michael L. Rosenzweig

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, USA


e-mail: scarab@u.arizona.edu

ABSTRACT

The breakdown of isolating barriers between biogeographical provinces will not have much effect on species diversity. In the short term, it will reduce global diversity, but increase local diversity. At steady state, the effects on global diversity disappear, but local increases remain. The real damage to diversity will come from shrinking the areas of the Earth that harbour wild species. The considerable damage exotic species have been known to do comes primarily from direct effects of particular introductions.

Keywords: alien species, extinction, Homogocene, New Pangaea.

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        © 2001 Michael L. Rosenzweig. All EER articles are copyrighted by their authors. All authors endorse, permit and license Evolutionary Ecology Ltd. to grant its subscribing institutions/libraries the copying privileges specified below without additional consideration or payment to them or to Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. These endorsements, in writing, are on file in the office of Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. Consult authors for permission to use any portion of their work in derivative works, compilations or to distribute their work in any commercial manner.

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