Unwanted pet goldfish grow to several times their normal size in US lakes. Crayfish and exotic birds are “set free” in religious mercy release practices across Asia. Terrapins, some perhaps bought by fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, end up in wild ponds in Wales, Japan and across Europe. Cane toads, meanwhile, spread across Australia after being introduced to control pests in 1935.
While some non-native animals or “aliens” are released intentionally into the wild, others accidentally hitchhike on ships, planes, cars, trains, even ocean plastic. Either way, some will become “invasive alien species” that disrupt the natural balance of ecosystems, threatening native species and habitats, and driving biodiversity loss. In Northern Ireland, researchers at the school of biological sciences at Queen’s University Belfast are investigating the mechanics of these alien invasions in the hope that, by better understanding and predicting them, some of the most dangerous invasions can be limited in the future.
