MANAGING SPECIES INVASIONS THROUGH A MULTIPURPOSE TOOLKIT

Manzoor A. Shah

Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar-190 006, Jammu & Kashmir, India

Abstract

Invasive species comprise a major threat to native biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Understanding the dynamics and impacts of invasive species for their effective management calls for using a bigger toolkit, ranging from traditional field techniques to novel tools offered by genomics and related technologies. Here, I present specific case studies from Kashmir Himalaya to demonstrate how a larger toolbox and multi-faceted approach helps getting useful insights into the invasive species biology, ecology and management. A strong case is made for integrating the clues from field studies and controlled experiments with tools such as metabarcoding, population genetics and epigenetics to enter management practice, notwithstanding some technical problems. The need of a unified framework to understand invasions through a diverse toolkit and coordinated distributed experiments at a biogeographic scale is highlighted.