There are many tools that can be used to predict the invasion potential of a species, and where that species is likely to invade or establish a viable, reproductive population. Some researchers map species in their native habitat, and use that information to develop models of other areas that the species might invade because the other areas have the same types of habitat.
Invasive species sightings submitted through reporting systems can be used to generate geographic information systems (GIS), maps and models that can indicate the likely spread of a species along a pathway, such as a river that carries the seeds of the salt cedar tree to new locations downstream.
Invasive species distributions can also be predicted by looking at where the species are in relation to a place or habitat you want to protect.
Alerts, watch lists, and listservs allow researchers and members of the public to receive and exchange information about new species sightings. This helps us protect habitats from the spread of invasive species.
Graphical Ontology Browser
- Click on a node to jump to the content of that node
- Pan to see the rest of the graph
- Scroll the mousewheel up and down to zoom in and out
- Rearrange the nodes in the graph by dragging a node to a different position