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.
Agreed.
bsky.app/profile/ecoi...
bsky.app/profile/ecoi...
Controversial view: If one defines 'nonnative' in evolutionary terms (as I do), then humans are properly viewed as nonnative outside of Africa. If you define 'invasive' as being superabundant, spreading rapidly & causing ecological disruption, then the human species fits that definition too. 🧵 1/n
November 20, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Agreed.
bsky.app/profile/ecoi...
bsky.app/profile/ecoi...
1/🧵 Over the past decade, misinformation in the popular media & the opinion pages of some journals has promoted the claim that concern over species invasions is overblown, because "most invasions do not cause extinctions".
Here is a brief reminder of what scientific evidence shows...
#bioinvasions
Here is a brief reminder of what scientific evidence shows...
#bioinvasions
November 19, 2025 at 12:34 AM
3/3] Consensus on its non-native status would probably depend on the amount of divergence; but would we have the luxury of knowing this in advance?
I would argue that planetary protection protocols should treat *any* microbe being returned to Earth from space as potentially invasive or damaging.
I would argue that planetary protection protocols should treat *any* microbe being returned to Earth from space as potentially invasive or damaging.
November 16, 2025 at 3:51 AM
3/3] Consensus on its non-native status would probably depend on the amount of divergence; but would we have the luxury of knowing this in advance?
I would argue that planetary protection protocols should treat *any* microbe being returned to Earth from space as potentially invasive or damaging.
I would argue that planetary protection protocols should treat *any* microbe being returned to Earth from space as potentially invasive or damaging.
2/n] This would constitute a case of 'back contamination' & fall in the domain of invasion risk assessment. The same applies to any organism that (say) mutated after being introduced to Mars by previous missions, if it contaminates samples that are returned to Earth.
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
Planetary Biosecurity: Applying Invasion Science to Prevent Biological Contamination from Space Travel
Abstract. As plans for space exploration and commercial use expand rapidly, biosecurity measures and risk assessments that inform them must adapt. Sophisti
academic.oup.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:47 AM
2/n] This would constitute a case of 'back contamination' & fall in the domain of invasion risk assessment. The same applies to any organism that (say) mutated after being introduced to Mars by previous missions, if it contaminates samples that are returned to Earth.
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...