| Abstract: | Invasion by exotic species is one of the serious socio-economic, environmental and ecological problems currently faced by mankind. Biological invasions have changed the species composition, structure and function of ecosystems, and are seriously threatening global biodiversity, economy and human health (Iqbal et al. 2021; Wang et al. 2020; Yang et al. 2021; Zhao et al. 2020; Zheng et al. 2015). Biological invasions have resulted in an economic loss of at least US$ 1.288 trillion over the past few decades worldwide (Diagne et al. 2021). As a consequence of these far-reaching impacts, biological invasions have become a hot research topic in modern ecology, and attract major attention from international organizations, governments and scientists all over the world.There is a complex interaction between biological invasions and global environmental change. Biological invasions are not only passengers of global change, but can also be major drivers of global change (MacDougall and Turkington 2005). Other components of global change, such as atmospheric CO2 enrichment, global warming, nitrogen deposition, changes in precipitation regimes, habitat fragmentation and land-use change, affect species distributions and resource dynamics of ecosystems, and consequently drive invasion success of many exotic species. On the other hand, invasion by exotic species can also alter basic ecosystem properties, which in turn affect many components of global change. Research on the patterns, processes and mechanisms of biological invasion can shed light on the drivers and consequences of biological invasions in the light of global change, and serve as a scientific basis for forward-thinking management plans. The overarching challenge is to understand the basic ecological interactions of, e.g., invasive and native species, plants and soil, and plants and animals. |
