Abstract
The major concern regarding the current trend towards biotic simplicity is that it is occurring with unprecedented rapidity across the entire globe. Geographic ranges of many species are collapsing (Lomolino and Channel 1995, 1998; Channel and Lomolino 1999a), while species that are favored by ecological conditions associated with modern human-dominated ecosystems are expanding rapidly (see Bright 1996 and references therein). Invading species often establish viable populations in extremely disturbed conditions and persist by continual colonization of newly disturbed area (Bright 1996, Williams and Meffe 1999), and in some cases by altering ecosystem processes such as fire frequency to favor their persistence (e.g., Cronk and Fuller 1995). Often vigorous colonizers in early succession in their native ecosystems, invasive species put most of their energy into reproduction, are generally less well adapted to specific environments, and tend to be able to tolerate a wide variety of conditions (Williams and Meffe 1999).
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Maurer, B.A., Linder, E.T., Gammon, D. (2001). A Geographical Perspective on the Biotic Homogenization Process: Implications from the Macroecology of North American Birds. In: Lockwood, J.L., McKinney, M.L. (eds) Biotic Homogenization. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1261-5_8
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