Water currents are another powerful natural vector, floating seeds or propagules down rivers and across oceans to establish new populations in distant, often isolated, habitats. Leveraging Animal Partners Many species have co-evolved intricate relationships with animals, turning them into unwitting couriers.
Breaking Barriers: How Species Spread Across Continents and Oceans
Others, such as burrs or cockleburs, rely on hitching a ride on the fur of passing animals, a strategy known as epizoochory. The aquarium trade, driven by demand for exotic colors and shapes, releases non-native fish and plants into local waterways when owners can no longer care for them or they escape.
We have dismantled geographical barriers, creating highways for species that would have taken millennia to cross on their own. Hikers and campers can inadvertently transport seeds and soil clinging to boots, gear, and vehicle tires, introducing plants to pristine wilderness areas.
Breaking Barriers: How Species Spread Across Landscapes and Waters
Recreation and the Everyday Movements of People Our leisure activities and daily routines are also potent vectors for invasion. The emerald ash borer, a beetle that has decimated North American ash trees, is believed to have arrived in solid wood packaging from Asia.
More About How invasive species spread
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