Anthony Ricciardi
@ecoinvasions.bsky.social
Ecologist (invasive species, freshwater biodiversity, bioinvasions, aquatic ecosystems) | Professor of Biology, McGill University | Director of the Bieler School of Environment | My lab account: @ricciardilab.bsky.social
2/2] The study supports the view (Ricciardi et al. 2011) that invasions should be managed as natural disasters, with similar investments in infrastructure & emergency response plans to protect against extreme events (like a major earthquake or wildfire) whose occurrence is unlikely but unacceptable.
November 21, 2025 at 2:51 AM
2/2] The study supports the view (Ricciardi et al. 2011) that invasions should be managed as natural disasters, with similar investments in infrastructure & emergency response plans to protect against extreme events (like a major earthquake or wildfire) whose occurrence is unlikely but unacceptable.
Rob Colautti also wrote a thoughtful review in NeoBiota:
neobiota.pensoft.net/article/77920/
neobiota.pensoft.net/article/77920/
November 16, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Rob Colautti also wrote a thoughtful review in NeoBiota:
neobiota.pensoft.net/article/77920/
neobiota.pensoft.net/article/77920/
In the British Ecological Society magazine 'The Niche' (Winter 2020), Phil Hulme wrote a nice review of our new edition.
November 16, 2025 at 2:27 AM
In the British Ecological Society magazine 'The Niche' (Winter 2020), Phil Hulme wrote a nice review of our new edition.
It has been 5 yrs since Dan Simberloff & I developed an annotated 2nd edition of Charles Elton's famous 1958 monograph "The Ecology of invasions by Animals and Plants". We added 9 new chapter forewords, an introduction & a conclusion - all of which aimed to place Elton's ideas into a modern context.
November 16, 2025 at 2:15 AM
It has been 5 yrs since Dan Simberloff & I developed an annotated 2nd edition of Charles Elton's famous 1958 monograph "The Ecology of invasions by Animals and Plants". We added 9 new chapter forewords, an introduction & a conclusion - all of which aimed to place Elton's ideas into a modern context.
There are no remote regions in a globalized world. The Antarctic region (ice-free peninsula, coastal waters, & surrounding islands) has been invaded by ~200 species of plants, animals, & microbes. Antarctica is connected to the world by global ship traffic. #bioinvasions
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
November 16, 2025 at 2:03 AM
There are no remote regions in a globalized world. The Antarctic region (ice-free peninsula, coastal waters, & surrounding islands) has been invaded by ~200 species of plants, animals, & microbes. Antarctica is connected to the world by global ship traffic. #bioinvasions
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
A mentor's passion is inspiring.
Months before he died, my former MSc supervisor Henry Reiswig said in a 2019 interview:
"Every day [involves] a discovery of a small piece of the Earth's biodiversity puzzle that I strive to solve before I leave the endeavour to the next generation." bit.ly/2PgO0KM
Months before he died, my former MSc supervisor Henry Reiswig said in a 2019 interview:
"Every day [involves] a discovery of a small piece of the Earth's biodiversity puzzle that I strive to solve before I leave the endeavour to the next generation." bit.ly/2PgO0KM
November 16, 2025 at 1:48 AM
A mentor's passion is inspiring.
Months before he died, my former MSc supervisor Henry Reiswig said in a 2019 interview:
"Every day [involves] a discovery of a small piece of the Earth's biodiversity puzzle that I strive to solve before I leave the endeavour to the next generation." bit.ly/2PgO0KM
Months before he died, my former MSc supervisor Henry Reiswig said in a 2019 interview:
"Every day [involves] a discovery of a small piece of the Earth's biodiversity puzzle that I strive to solve before I leave the endeavour to the next generation." bit.ly/2PgO0KM
The Taxonomic Distinctiveness Hypothesis (Ricciardi & Atkinson 2004) predicts that invaders with no relatives in an area will have the largest ecological impacts.
We found evidence of this for various aquatic systems. It is also supported by terrestrial studies. Eco-evolutionary context matters!
We found evidence of this for various aquatic systems. It is also supported by terrestrial studies. Eco-evolutionary context matters!
November 16, 2025 at 12:10 AM
The Taxonomic Distinctiveness Hypothesis (Ricciardi & Atkinson 2004) predicts that invaders with no relatives in an area will have the largest ecological impacts.
We found evidence of this for various aquatic systems. It is also supported by terrestrial studies. Eco-evolutionary context matters!
We found evidence of this for various aquatic systems. It is also supported by terrestrial studies. Eco-evolutionary context matters!
"Look again", said the crow. "Perspective is everything."
tinyurl.com/h9nrsta4
tinyurl.com/h9nrsta4
November 15, 2025 at 11:52 PM
"Look again", said the crow. "Perspective is everything."
tinyurl.com/h9nrsta4
tinyurl.com/h9nrsta4
A major sign of the globalization of the Arctic is an increasing frequency of ship traffic over the past 30 yrs (see Pizzolato et al 2018, below). A more active Arctic shipping route is predicted to raise invasion risks throughout the northern hemisphere (see redpath-staff.mcgill.ca/ricciardi/Ri...)
November 15, 2025 at 11:26 PM
A major sign of the globalization of the Arctic is an increasing frequency of ship traffic over the past 30 yrs (see Pizzolato et al 2018, below). A more active Arctic shipping route is predicted to raise invasion risks throughout the northern hemisphere (see redpath-staff.mcgill.ca/ricciardi/Ri...)
Climate change is a 'natural' process now occurring ~10 times faster than the average rate after an ice age. Extinction is 'natural' but is now occurring 1000X faster than in past eras (apart from mass extinctions). Biological invasion is now at rates 100000X prehistoric levels of spp colonisations.
November 12, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Climate change is a 'natural' process now occurring ~10 times faster than the average rate after an ice age. Extinction is 'natural' but is now occurring 1000X faster than in past eras (apart from mass extinctions). Biological invasion is now at rates 100000X prehistoric levels of spp colonisations.
As a grad student, I gave a talk at the 1994 International Zebra Mussel Conference (now called ICAIS) about a probable future N.Am. invasion by Limnoperna fortunei, the golden mussel. And in 1998 I wrote this warning:
redpath-staff.mcgill.ca/ricciardi/Ri...
The mussel was found in California in 2024
redpath-staff.mcgill.ca/ricciardi/Ri...
The mussel was found in California in 2024
November 6, 2025 at 1:47 AM
As a grad student, I gave a talk at the 1994 International Zebra Mussel Conference (now called ICAIS) about a probable future N.Am. invasion by Limnoperna fortunei, the golden mussel. And in 1998 I wrote this warning:
redpath-staff.mcgill.ca/ricciardi/Ri...
The mussel was found in California in 2024
redpath-staff.mcgill.ca/ricciardi/Ri...
The mussel was found in California in 2024
The 2023 IPBES report on invasive alien species highlighted a global threat requiring multidisciplinary attention. In this 2021 paper, our team outlined four priority areas to advance invasion science in an era of rapid environmental change:
cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10....
cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10....
November 6, 2025 at 12:42 AM
The 2023 IPBES report on invasive alien species highlighted a global threat requiring multidisciplinary attention. In this 2021 paper, our team outlined four priority areas to advance invasion science in an era of rapid environmental change:
cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10....
cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10....
A comprehensive global assessment of the status & trends of alien species for major taxonomic groups. This is an outstanding product of the 2023 IPBES assessment on invasive species.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 5, 2025 at 10:55 PM
A comprehensive global assessment of the status & trends of alien species for major taxonomic groups. This is an outstanding product of the 2023 IPBES assessment on invasive species.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
3/ We've learned much about the impacts of invasion over the past 50 yrs. But the context-dependency & complexity of impacts makes them inherently difficult to predict. In my judgement, we lack adequate risk assessment methods to depend heavily on species introductions to advance conservation goals.
November 1, 2025 at 5:38 AM
3/ We've learned much about the impacts of invasion over the past 50 yrs. But the context-dependency & complexity of impacts makes them inherently difficult to predict. In my judgement, we lack adequate risk assessment methods to depend heavily on species introductions to advance conservation goals.
A new global meta-analysis suggests that reductions in native plant diversity & increases in greenhouse gas emissions are common impacts of terrestrial invasions. Longer residence times intensified negative effects of invasive plants on native diversity. #bioinvasions
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
A new global meta-analysis suggests that reductions in native plant diversity & increases in greenhouse gas emissions are common impacts of terrestrial invasions. Longer residence times intensified negative effects of invasive plants on native diversity. #bioinvasions
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
I was in that area, only four days ago, on some academic business. Had time to rent a bike and ride along the edge of Stanley Park, on Friday. Somehow managed to avoid being splashed by waves that frequently breached the sea wall.
October 21, 2025 at 6:37 AM
I was in that area, only four days ago, on some academic business. Had time to rent a bike and ride along the edge of Stanley Park, on Friday. Somehow managed to avoid being splashed by waves that frequently breached the sea wall.
A new species of trout, Salmo epimolos, coexists with & is morphologically distinct from introduced brown trout S. trutta in a Pennsylania creek. It likely reflects reproductive isolation & divergence from a founder population of brown trout established since 1886 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
October 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
A new species of trout, Salmo epimolos, coexists with & is morphologically distinct from introduced brown trout S. trutta in a Pennsylania creek. It likely reflects reproductive isolation & divergence from a founder population of brown trout established since 1886 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
6/ Although some native species can also become superabundant & damaging (but only when triggered by disturbance), non-native species are far more likely to be implicated as a cause of global extinction:
t.co/9NUoV81a54
t.co/9NUoV81a54
October 11, 2025 at 7:49 AM
6/ Although some native species can also become superabundant & damaging (but only when triggered by disturbance), non-native species are far more likely to be implicated as a cause of global extinction:
t.co/9NUoV81a54
t.co/9NUoV81a54
3/ Evidence from various studies (some shown below) & taxonomic groups have implicated invasions as the sole or contributing cause of a large proportion of global animal extinctions.
An additional line of evidence comes from recoveries of native species following invasive species eradications.
An additional line of evidence comes from recoveries of native species following invasive species eradications.
October 11, 2025 at 7:44 AM
3/ Evidence from various studies (some shown below) & taxonomic groups have implicated invasions as the sole or contributing cause of a large proportion of global animal extinctions.
An additional line of evidence comes from recoveries of native species following invasive species eradications.
An additional line of evidence comes from recoveries of native species following invasive species eradications.
The reviewer crisis: data from the journal Biological Invasions:
"Reviewer acceptance rates dropped steadily over the past two decades. Early-career researchers had the highest acceptance rates, while senior scholars were least likely to accept review invitations."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
"Reviewer acceptance rates dropped steadily over the past two decades. Early-career researchers had the highest acceptance rates, while senior scholars were least likely to accept review invitations."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
October 9, 2025 at 7:32 PM
The reviewer crisis: data from the journal Biological Invasions:
"Reviewer acceptance rates dropped steadily over the past two decades. Early-career researchers had the highest acceptance rates, while senior scholars were least likely to accept review invitations."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
"Reviewer acceptance rates dropped steadily over the past two decades. Early-career researchers had the highest acceptance rates, while senior scholars were least likely to accept review invitations."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
"I choose to listen to the river for a while, thinking river thoughts, before joining the night and the stars."
- Edward Abbey ('Desert Solitaire', 1968).
#WorldRiversDay #StLawrenceRiver
- Edward Abbey ('Desert Solitaire', 1968).
#WorldRiversDay #StLawrenceRiver
September 28, 2025 at 3:40 PM
"I choose to listen to the river for a while, thinking river thoughts, before joining the night and the stars."
- Edward Abbey ('Desert Solitaire', 1968).
#WorldRiversDay #StLawrenceRiver
- Edward Abbey ('Desert Solitaire', 1968).
#WorldRiversDay #StLawrenceRiver
New paper from our lab: The use of #microplastics as case-building material by larval caddisflies facilitates the transfer of plastic (& potentially its associated contaminants) to predatory fish.
September 26, 2025 at 3:42 PM
New paper from our lab: The use of #microplastics as case-building material by larval caddisflies facilitates the transfer of plastic (& potentially its associated contaminants) to predatory fish.
There is reason to be concerned. Genetic swapping between flu viruses has likely occurred in farmed pigs, and led to reassortment that created novel avian/swine flus.
The mixing vessel concept is important for understanding the emergence of invasive zoonotic pathogens from farming practices.
The mixing vessel concept is important for understanding the emergence of invasive zoonotic pathogens from farming practices.
September 26, 2025 at 3:20 PM
There is reason to be concerned. Genetic swapping between flu viruses has likely occurred in farmed pigs, and led to reassortment that created novel avian/swine flus.
The mixing vessel concept is important for understanding the emergence of invasive zoonotic pathogens from farming practices.
The mixing vessel concept is important for understanding the emergence of invasive zoonotic pathogens from farming practices.
There are times when this feels like an appropriate response...
September 20, 2025 at 7:11 PM
There are times when this feels like an appropriate response...
"...[Animal populations] form complex capillaries through which flow streams of matter and energy, subject to laws that are still almost unformulated in physico-chemical terms." [2/2]
September 16, 2025 at 4:16 AM
"...[Animal populations] form complex capillaries through which flow streams of matter and energy, subject to laws that are still almost unformulated in physico-chemical terms." [2/2]