The Doñana Biological Station – CSIC has shown the reliability of assessments of alien species impacts, which help prioritize resources against one of the current and future challenges of humankind.

These assessments based on responses by experts are susceptible of high subjectivity and it was essential to test their utility in assisting in the management of alien invasive species.

To predict the threat of biological invasions to native species, it is critical to understand how increasing abundance of invasive alien species affects native populations and communities. The form of this relationship across taxa and ecosystems is unknown, but is expected to depend strongly on the trophic position. Using a global metaanalysis based on empirical studies, the authors assessed the shape, direction, and strength of native responses to increasing invader abundance.