Invasive species have a ‘delayed legacy’, says report
By Mark Kinver Science and environment reporter, BBC News
The full impact of an alien species on an area’s habitat may not come to light until decades after its intentional introduction, a report has warned.
Researchers suggest that the seeds of future invasions have already been sown, making them difficult to control.
The team of European scientists called on governments to tighten controls on international trade that involved potentially invasive species.
The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences <http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1011728108>.
“Alien invasions may be characterised by considerable time lags between the date of first introduction of a species to a new territory and its establishment as part of the regional flora or fauna,” they wrote.
Read rest of article at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12041943
BBC News Science & Environment 20 December 2010 Last updated at 21:28