Many species of plants, microbes, and animals have been introduced around the world. Species are considered "invasive" or "alien" when they are not native to an area, but become established and cause, or are likely to cause, economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. In Invasive Species, the authors present current research in the study of the threats, ecological impacts and control methods relating to invasive species. Topics include thermochemical processing of wood from invasive arboreal species for sustainable bioenergy generation; invasive rodents in the U.S.; invasive Buprestid beetle species monitoring; the invasive beaver castor canadensis of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago; leaf-cutting ants; invasive species and accurate ecological assessment in freshwater pollution; and the aquarium trade as a pathway for the introduction of invasive species in Mexico.
Chapter 1 - Thermochemical Processing of Wood from Invasive Arboreal Species for Sustainable Bioenergy Generation and Activated Carbons Production (pp. 1-46)
Authors / Editors: (A.L. Cukierman, G.V. Nunell, M.E. Fernández, J. De Celis, M.R. Kim, L. Gurevich Messina, P.R. Bonelli, Programa de Investigación y Desarrollo de Fuentes Alternativas de Materias Primas y Energía (PINMATE), Depto. de Industrias, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, and others)
Chapter 2 - Invasive Rodents in the United States: Ecology, Impacts, and Management (pp. 47-76)
Authors / Editors: (Gary W. Witmer, William C. Pitt, USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins Colorado, USA, and others)
Chapter 3 - A Multi-Disciplinary Approach for Developing Tools to Monitor Invasive Buprestid Beetle Species (pp. 77-100)
Authors / Editors: (Michael J. Domingue, Thomas C. Baker, The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, Center for Chemical Ecology, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA)
Chapter 4 - The Invasive Beaver Castor canadensis in the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago: A Mitochondrial DNA and Spatial Genetic Structure Analysis for Controlling Population Expansion (pp. 101-122)
Authors / Editors: (Mariana Fasanella, Marta Susana Lizarralde, Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos, UNLP, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Chapter 5 - Leaf Cutting-Ants: Control Methods and Sustainability (pp. 123-140)
Authors / Editors: (Gabriela Ortiz, Maria Izabel Camargo Mathias, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita filho (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biologia, Rio Claro/SP, Brazil)
Chapter 6 - Freshwater Pollution and Biological Water Quality Monitoring: The Increasing Problem of Invasive Species and Accurate Ecological Assessment (pp. 141-154)
Authors / Editors: (Calum MacNeil, The Government Laboratory, Ballakermeen Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, British Isles)*
Chapter 7 - Aquarium Trade as a Pathway for the Introduction of Invasive Species into Mexico (pp. 155-170)
Authors / Editors: (Roberto Mendoza Alfaro, Carlos Ramírez Martínez, Salvador Contreras Balderas, Patricia Koleff Osorio, Porfirio Álvarez Torres, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas de la UANL, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and others)*