Syllabus
History of the field (from Darwin and Elton to SCOPE project and GISP), terminology (native vs. alien, invasion vs. natural range expansion)
Invasion process and its dynamics: naturalization, invasion, overcoming of barriers; quantitative rules (tens rule), dispersal vectors, rate of spread, time lags
Major invasive species of the World and Czech flora; their biology, ecology, mechanisms underlying paricular invasions (singular events or general principles)
Features of invasive plants: theories explaining invasive potential, comparison of alien floras, taxonomic pattern, life forms and strategies, relation to other trophic levels
Evolution of invasive species: population genetics, hybridization potential role of GMO
Invasibility of communities: determinants of resistence or invasibility, effect on diversity, competition
Geography of invasions: history of plant invasions, comparison of biomes and continents, global pattern: invasive hot spots; invasion to nature reserves; invasions of islands
Practical aspects, control: economics of biological invasions; mechanical, chemical and biological control; history of biological control, examples of successful and non successful attempts
Prediction possibilities and strategy of attitude to global invasions; public awareness, society involvement; legislation
Future research venues: comparison of congeners and taxonomically or functionally related groups, manipulative experiments, natural experiments, databases, relation to other fields of ecology
Literature:
Cox, G.W. (1999). Alien species in North America and Hawaii. Impacts on natural ecosystems. Island Press, Washington, D.C.
Cronk, Q.C.B. & J.L. Fuller (1995). Plant Invaders. The threat to natural systems. Chapman & Hall, London.
Crosby, A.W. (1986). Ecological imperialism. The biological expansion of Europe, 900-1900. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge di Castri, F., Hansen, A.J. & DeBussche, M. (eds) (1990). Biological invasions in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, Kluwer, Dordrecht.
Drake, J., Mooney, H.A., Di Castri, F., Groves, R., Kruger, F.J., Rejmanek, M. & Williamson, M. (1989). Biological Invasions: A global perspective. Wiley, Chichester.
Elton, C.S. (1958). The ecology of invasions by animals and plants. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Groves, R.H. & Burden, J.J. (eds) (1986). Ecology of biological invasions: An Australian perspective. Australian Academy of Science, Canberra.
Groves, R.H. & Di Castri, F. (eds) (1991). Biogeography of Mediterranean Invasions, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. [Dave Richardson has a copy]
Kolar C. S. & Lodge D. M. (2001): Progress in invasion biology: predicting invaders. - Trends Ecol. Evolut. 16: 199-204.
Lonsdale M. (1999): Global patterns of plant invasions and the concept of invasibility. Ecology 80: 1522-1536.
Macdonald, I.A.W., Kruger, F.J. & Ferrar, A.A. (eds)(1986). The ecology and management of biological invasions in southern Africa. Oxford University Press, Cape Town. [Dave Richardson has a copy]
Mooney, H.A. & Drake, J.A. (eds) (1986). Ecology of biological invasions in North America and Hawaii. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Perrings, C., Williamson, M. & Dalmazzone, S. (2000). The economics of biological invasions. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, U.K.
Pysek, P., Prach, K., Rejmanek, M. & Wade, M. (eds)(1995). Plant invasions. General aspects and special problems. SPB Academic Publishing, Amsterdam.
Rejmánek M. (1996): A theory of seed plant invasiveness: the first sketch. Biol. Conserv. 78: 171-181.
Richardson D. M., Pyšek P., Rejmánek M., Barbour M. G., Panetta F. D. & West C. J. (2000): Naturalization and invasion of alien plants: concepts and definitions. Diversity & Distributions 6: 93-107.
Starfinger, U., Edwards, K., Kowarik, I. & Williamson, M. (eds) (1998). Plant invasions. Ecological mechanisms and human responses. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden. [Dave Richardson has a copy]
Williamson, M. (1996). Biological Invasions. Chapman & Hall, London.
Annotation
The course is aimed at outlining the principles of plant invasions and their spatial and temporal variation in global terms. It will focus on mechanisms underlying the process of plant invasions, possibilities of prediction and control.
Various levels of organization will be considered, from population and species to impact on communities and ecosystems, including pattern of invasion as reflect in alien floras of various geographical areas.