Alien insect dispersal mediated by the global movement of commodities.

ABSTRACT: Globalization and economic growth are recognized as key drivers of biological invasions. Alien species have become a feature of almost every biological community worldwide, and rates of new introductions continue to rise as the movement of people and goods accelerates. Insects are among the most numerous and problematic alien organisms, and are mainly introduced unintentionally with imported cargo or arriving passengers. However, the processes occurring prior to insect introductions remain poorly understood. We used a unique dataset of 1,902,392 border interception records from inspections at air, land, and maritime ports in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan, USA, and Canada to identify key commodities associated with insect movement through trade and travel. In total, 8939 species wer

SUBMITTER: Fenn-Moltu G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10078186 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature