Researchers develop approach to protect biodiversity
New Zealand and other islands have experienced invasions of rats, Europe has seen the arrival of the spinycheek crayfish, spreading a deadly disease called crayfish plague: invasive species can put native animal and plant species on the brink of extinction. They often go undetected for a long time, or their damaging impacts are not immediately clear. This phenomenon – referred to as crypticity – represents a huge challenge for the management of species communities and the conservation of biodiversity. This is the conclusion of an international team of researchers involving the Czech Academy of Sciences, Berlin's Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Freie Universität Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, the University of Potsdam, India's National Institute of Advanced Studies and the University of Vienna.