Ecosystems with Ghost Invasive Species
Ecosystems with Ghost Invasive Species
A successful invasive species can cause important changes in the functioning of an ecosystem. However, "ghost" species (ones that fail to establish themselves in a community) might still have significant effects on the ecosystem. For example, during transient invasion attempts, they can outcompete other species. In the simplified case of two competing resident species and one invading species only two results are possible: depending on the time of invasion and on the starting density of the invader, either one resident species or all three species survive.