“CoEnv Science in Motion” features community-generated stories from our faculty, staff and students, relating to how they share their science–through such means as blog cross-posts or guest posts, science communication through non-science outlets, and stories about engagement offline as well.

For this installment of SiM, we’re sharing a blog post from the lab of Dr. Julian Olden, a faculty member in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. The original blog post was written by Lauren Kuehne, and can be found here.

Would you like an invasion with your heat wave? Extreme climatic events and species invasions

Extreme weather, like the July 2012 heat wave, may not only increase air-conditioning bills but also the likelihood and success of species invasions.  A new paper co-authored by Dr. Olden in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, shows how these events – droughts, hurricanes, floods, and heat waves – can influence transport, establishment, spread, and impact of non-native species.  Both empirical evidence and invasion theory suggest that these extreme events can 1) increase transport of non-native species, 2) reduce resistance of native communities, and 3) change the balance of competition between native and non-native species.
Extreme and more variable climate events are predicted to become more frequent and intense with ongoing climate change.  Slowing the rate of species introductions around the world will probably require managers to factor in increases in the magnitude and the number of extreme climatic events.