Invasive species are non-native organisms introduced to new environments where they cause economic and ecological harm
The study reveals that invasive species can dramatically alter geography and ecology through mechanisms like burrowing, trampling vegetation, and modifying waterways. According to Fei, these changes can be swift, widespread, and nearly impossible to reverse.
Invasive plants can reshape landscapes by altering sedimentation patterns, creating new landforms, or even rerouting stream channels. Insects and animals contribute by building mounds, burrowing, and accelerating erosion
Certain areas are particularly vulnerable to invasions. Wetlands, salt marshes, beaches, and dunes are dynamic landscapes where land and water systems overlap, making them hotspots for transformation by invasive species
A vivid example of invasive impact is Spartina grass, which was introduced to coastal mudflats to prevent erosion. Instead, it rapidly transformed over 400 square miles of China's coastline into salt marshes, erasing beaches in under a decade
In contrast to wetlands and beaches, forests exhibit slower responses to invasive species due to the longevity of trees and the gradual turnover of forest ecosystems. However, their eventual transformation can be equally significant
Invasive plants and animals often construct new structures in the ecosystems they invade. Plants may form peat bogs or thick layers of leaf litter, while animals, like beavers and termites, create dams and mounds that can drastically alter habitats.