Publications by authors named "James W E Dickey"
Standardised terminology in science is important for clarity of interpretation and communication. In invasion science - a dynamic and rapidly evolving discipline - the proliferation of technical terminology has lacked a standardised framework for its development. The result is a convoluted and inconsistent usage of terminology, with various discrepancies in descriptions of damage and interventions.
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- Interactions between invasive species can enhance their ecological impact, yet there is limited research on how these relationships affect aquatic invasive alien species (IAS).
- This study examines the interaction between the predatory round goby fish and the invasive Asian clam, focusing on how habitat complexity, provided by clam shells, influences the goby's feeding behavior compared to a native fish species.
- Results indicate that while habitat complexity affects predation rates, the round goby shows a higher feeding efficiency with increased shell density, suggesting a facilitative interaction that could contribute to its ecological success in invaded environments.
Animal behaviour is increasingly recognised as critical to the prediction of non-native species success and impacts. Rainbow trout and brown trout have been introduced globally, but there appear to be differences in their patterns of invasiveness and ecological impact. Here, we investigated whether diploid rainbow trout and diploid and triploid brown trout differ among several key behavioural measures linked to invasiveness and impact.
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- Climate change effects, particularly deoxygenation of aquatic environments, significantly impact the ecological dynamics between invasive alien species (IAS) like the round goby and native species such as the bullhead.
- The study found that low oxygen levels lead to higher feeding rates in the invasive species compared to the native fish, which can destabilize ecological balances and exacerbate the decline of native populations.
- Results show that the Relative Total Impact Potential (RTIP) of the invasive fish is notably higher at low oxygen levels, especially during stages of invasion, suggesting a dual threat from both climate stressors and invasive species on native ecosystems.
Invasive alien species continue to proliferate and cause severe ecological impacts. Functional responses (FRs) have shown excellent utility in predicting invasive predator success, however, their use in predicting invasive prey success is limited. Here, we assessed invader success by quantifying FRs and prey switching patterns of two native predators, the common sea star, Asterias rubens, and the green crab, Carcinus maenas, towards native blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, and invasive Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInvasive species continue to severely impact biodiversity, yet predicting the success or failure of introduced species has remained elusive. In particular, the relationship between community invasibility and native species diversity remains obscure. Here, we apply two traditional ecological concepts that inform prey population stability and hence invasibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasite manipulation of intermediate hosts evolves to increase parasite trophic transmission to final hosts, yet counter selection should act on the final host to reduce infection risk and costs. However, determining who wins this arms race and to what extent is challenging. Here, for the first time, comparative functional response analysis quantified final host consumption patterns with respect to intermediate host parasite status.
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