Climate change and species invasions are two primary drivers of biodiversity and economic loss and prominent threats to human wellbeing. Here, I discuss findings showing that these threats are not independent: climate change and species invasions could deliver a “double whammy” to natural systems that are simultaneously impacted both directly by climate change and indirectly by climate-driven increases in invasive species. Furthermore, there is an emerging paradox wherein species invasions can limit the ability of native species to cope with climate change while at the same time, climate change is driving native species to shift their ranges and in some cases become invasive themselves. Here, I review evidence that climate change alters multiple forms of success and impacts for species invasions. I synthesize findings from case studies and meta-analyses conducted as part of two international, cross-ecosystem working groups.
Results/Conclusions
Together, these findings suggest that climate change is likely to increase the success and impacts of species invasions. However, the threat varies greatly across taxa, ecosystems, and regions. Furthermore, included in the group of more impactful invasions is native species “escaping” climate change and enacting natural mechanisms of persistence under shifting climatic conditions. There are, thus, cases where climate change and invasions are involved in both positive and negative feedbacks with local biodiversity patterns. These results highlight the importance of species-specific prevention and management efforts and, in some cases, scope for restoration and biodiversity maintenance under future change.