The best practices for conservation of riparian zones have mostly focused on manipulating biotic and physical components (e.g. renaturalizing flow regimes, improving channel mobility, and controlling invasions of exotic ecosystem engineer species).
Here, we evaluated physical effects generated by Ficopomatus enigmaticus, an exotic and ecosystem engineer reef-building species, in one of the largest coastal lagoon of Argentina.
With this first map in hand, scientists turned to the question of what made the canyon such a biological hotspot, as well as whether its nooks and crannies might harbor some of nature's more exotic creatures and ecosystems.
Some examples of harmful human activities include habitat fragmentation, increased hunting pressure, favouritism of one species over another, and the introduction of exotic species into ecosystems that are ill-equipped to handle them (see also community ecology).
One mechanism by which exotic plants impact ecosystems is by decoupling plant soil feedback loops that previously functioned in soils under native vegetation.
In areas such as these, even small isolated patches are important refugia for endemic species and should be safeguarded, despite their vulnerability to exotic invasions, altered ecosystem function, and species loss.
A good way to check hypotheses explaining the invasion of ecosystems by exotic plants is to compare alien and native congeneric species.
The introduction of exotic species into native ecosystems has modified habitats, reduced species diversity and adversely altered ecosystem functioning across the globe [ 1].
Invasion of natural ecosystems by exotic plant species is a major threat to biodiversity.
But critics say exotic and little-known ecosystems in the deep oceans could be destroyed and must be protected.
Exotic species disrupt native ecosystems and produce significant economic and environmental costs across all habitat types [1], [2], but impacts appear especially strong in freshwater ecosystems [3].
