Invasive engineers and ecosystem functioning.

GUTIÉRREZ, J. L.

Porto, Portugal.

Conferencia; World Conference on Biological Invasions and Ecosystem Functioning (BIOLIEF); 2009

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Ecosystem engineers, or more precisely physical ecosystem engineers, are organisms that change the abiotic environment by physically altering structure. As a consequence they often, but not invariably, have effects on other biota and their interactions, and on ecosystem processes. Invasive species – as most organisms – physically engineer their environments to some degree. Research on invasive engineers has been emphasizing invader effects on native species and communities, and the importance of engineering feedbacks for invader spread and population dynamics. Nevertheless, the impacts invasive engineers on ecosystem functioning remain largely underappreciated. Here, I illustrate that invasive engineers can intervene in a variety of ecosystem fluxes having diverse of effects on ecosystem functioning. Such effects include alterations of energy and material transfer between trophic levels, changes in primary, secondary and overall ecosystem production, and transformation the overall physical structure of ecosystems.