Taming the terminological tempest in invasion science

• DOI: 10.1111/brv.13071
• Publication Date: 2024-03-19T05:35:31Z
• Authors: Ismael Soto; Paride Balzani; Laís Carneiro; Ross N. Cuthbert; Rafael Macêdo; Ali Serhan Tarkan; Danish A. Ahmed; Alok Bang; Karolina Bacela‐S...; Sarah A. Bailey; Thomas Baudry; Liliana Ballester...; Alejandro Bortolus; Elizabeta Briski; J. Robert Britton; Miloš Buřič; Morelia Camacho‐C...; Carlos Cano‐Barbacil; Denis Copilaș‐Cio...; Neil E. Coughlan; Pierre Courtois; Zoltán Csabai; Tatenda Dalu; Vanessa De Santis; James W. E. Dickey; Romina D. Dimarco; Jannike Falk‐Ande...; Romina D. Fernandez; Margarita Florencio; Ana Clara S. Franco; Emili García‐Berthou; Daniela Giannetto; Milka M. Glavendekic; Michał Grabowski; Gustavo Heringer; Ileana Herrera; Wei Huang; Katie L. Kamelamela; Natalia I. Kirich...; Antonín Kouba; Melina Kourantidou; Irmak Kurtul; Gabriel Laufer; Boris Lipták; Chunlong Liu; Eugenia López‐López; Vanessa Lozano; Stefano Mammola; Agnese Marchini; Valentyna Meshkova; Marco Milardi; Dmitrii L. Musolin; Martin A. Nuñez; Francisco J. Ofic...; Jiří Patoka; Zarah Pattison; Daniel Pincheira‐...; Marina Piria; Anna F. Probert; Jes Jessen Rasmussen; David Renault; Filipe Ribeiro; Gil Rilov; Tamara B. Robinson; Axel E. Sanchez; Evangelina Schwindt; Josie South; Peter Stoett; Hugo Verreycken; Lorenzo Vilizzi; Yong‐Jian Wang; Yuya Watari; Priscilla M. Wehi; András Weiperth; Peter Wiberg‐Larsen; Sercan Yapıcı; Baran Yoğurtçuoğlu; Rafael D. Zenni; Bella S. Galil; Jaimie T. A. Dick; James C. Russell; Anthony Ricciardi; Daniel Simberloff; Corey J. A. Bradshaw; Phillip J. Haubrock
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; FOS: Political science; synonymy; Invasive Species; biological invasion; 01 natural sciences; Biochemistry; Data science; non-native; Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management; Political science; Species Distribution Modeling and Climate Change Impacts; Ecology; communication; Ecological Modeling; biological invasion; classification; communication; non‐English language; non‐native; polysemy; synonymy; Terminology; FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion; classification; Physical Sciences; General Agricultural and Biological Sciences; Drivers and Impacts of Forest Pest Dynamics; 570; Genetics and Molecular Biology; non-English language; General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; Introduced species; Terminology as Topic; 616; Animals; Biology; Nature and Landscape Conservation; polysemy; Invasive species; 500; Linguistics; 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie::570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie; Computer science; Indigenous; [SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Philosophy; Ecology, evolutionary biology; FOS: Biological sciences; CLARITY; General Biochemistry; Environmental Science; FOS: Languages and literature; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Introduced Species

ABSTRACTStandardised 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. A standardised framework is therefore needed for a clear, universally applicable, and consistent terminology to promote more effective communication across researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers. Inconsistencies in terminology stem from the exponential increase in scientific publications on the patterns and processes of biological invasions authored by experts from various disciplines and countries since the 1990s, as well as publications by legislators and policymakers focusing on practical applications, regulations, and management of resources. Aligning and standardising terminology across stakeholders remains a challenge in invasion science. Here, we review and evaluate the multiple terms used in invasion science (e.g. ‘non‐native’, ‘alien’, ‘invasive’ or ‘invader’, ‘exotic’, ‘non‐indigenous’, ‘naturalised’, ‘pest’) to propose a more simplified and standardised terminology. The streamlined framework we propose and translate into 28 other languages is based on the terms (i) ‘non‐native’, denoting species transported beyond their natural biogeographic range, (ii) ‘established non‐native’, i.e. those non‐native species that have established self‐sustaining populations in their new location(s) in the wild, and (iii) ‘invasive non‐native’ – populations of established non‐native species that have recently spread or are spreading rapidly in their invaded range actively or passively with or without human mediation. We also highlight the importance of conceptualising ‘spread’ for classifying invasiveness and ‘impact’ for management. Finally, we propose a protocol for classifying populations based on (i) dispersal mechanism, (ii) species origin, (iii) population status, and (iv) impact. Collectively and without introducing new terminology, the framework that we present aims to facilitate effective communication and collaboration in invasion science and management of non‐native species.