Adventive and invasive weed species in Serbia

Abstract

Invasive alien species are taxa that are deliberately or incidentally dispersed from their natural habitats and introduced into new ecosystems, where they show ability to out compete native species and occupy new habitats. The ecology of invasion by animals and plants has been analyzed in numerous articles. As more powerful competitors, introduced taxa may threaten the existence of native (in some cases rare or endemic) species. Moreover, introduction of new species may cause an introduction of organisms that are pathogenic to natives, but not to the introduced species. In such cases, the pathogenic disease may cause significant reduction in the biodiversity of native habitats. The problem of introduced species has been emphasized in recent times because of the globalization of markets, increased trade, travel and tourism. Considering such unfavorable trends, invasive alien species are recognized as one of the major threats to biodiversity (Convention on Biological Diversity). We analyzed effects of invasive alien species on agricultural communities, and surveyed such species in agricultural, ruderal and aquatic ecosystems in Serbia. We analyzed strategies that can be employed to prevent invasive spread of alien species.