Biological invasions pose a major threat to forest ecosystems. Despite the considerable knowledge that has accumulated from many small-scale studies, our mechanistic understanding of the factors contributing to the emergence of macroscale invasion patterns and processes and the subsequent impacts are still limited. Using invasive plants, insects, and pathogen data across the United States, we show the macroscale patterns of invasive species in the U.S., the key traits and drivers in the invasion processes, and major impacts caused by exotic invasions.
Results/Conclusions
Our results show that invasion patterns are regionally aggregated and taxonomic species specific. Eastern U.S. are more heavily invaded by both invasive plants and pests compared with Western U.S. Both invader traits and various socioeconomic drivers are responsible for the invasion processes, many of which are context dependent. Invasive species can cause significant impacts on ecosystem services, especially in biomass losses.