“This study bridges a major gap between predicting invasion success and predicting invasion impact,” says Prof. Madhav P. Thakur who led the study, recently published in Science.

The Bern-led study shows for the first time that biological invasions don’t change ecosystems in a single, uniform way. Some impacts, most notably losses of native plant diversity caused by invasive plant species, are persistent and intensify with time, while others, such as shifts in soil carbon and nutrients, often fade as invasions age. These results help clarify when environmental managers should act fast to prevent damage and where patient monitoring is wiser.