Harnessing <scp>iEcology</scp> data to uncover invasive species behaviour

Abstract Invasive animal species threaten ecosystems, biodiversity and human livelihoods. Behavioural traits such as boldness, exploratory tendencies, learning ability and social interactions are known to influence invasion success. Yet these behavioural traits remain underexplored due to challenges in observing behaviour across large spatial and temporal scales. The emerging field of iEcology—studying ecology using digital data such as online photos, videos, sounds and text, generated for other purposes—offers a novel and scalable approach for investigating invasive species behaviour. Here, we demonstrate the application of iEcology to uncover novel insights into the behaviour of invasive species, such as dominance over the native species, interactions with native species or increased tolerance to humans, all critical for assessing species' invasion potential and management. We also discuss challenges of applying iEcology to studying the behaviour of invasive animals and highlight the need for careful validation and complementary methods. Finally, we highlight ways and provide a workflow to maximise the potential of iEcology for advancing the study of invasive species behaviour. We advocate for integrating iEcology into invasion science to advance our understanding of animal behaviours accompanying invasion success and ultimately to support the monitoring, management and mitigation strategies of biological invasions. We argue that iEcology is best viewed as a complementary tool that enriches traditional behavioural ecology and invasion biology, enabling rapid, accessible insights into one of the most urgent ecological issues of our time.

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Publication Details

Journal
Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Published
2026-02-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.70266
Primary Topic
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Harnessing iEcology data to uncover invasive species behaviour

Franz Essl, Firth Josh A., Pavel Pipek, Valerio Sbragaglia et al.
Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
article

Harnessing iEcology data to uncover invasive species behaviour

Franz Essl, Firth Josh A., Pavel Pipek, Valerio Sbragaglia, Shawan Chowdhury, Ivan Jarić, Annette Menzel, María L. Castillo, Shengyu Wang, Theresa Henke, Nadja Pernat, Ana Novoa, Reut Vardi, Johan Smith, Zuzanna Jagiełło, Jérôme M. W. Gippet, Łukasz Dylewski, Allan Tainá Souza, Martin Bulla, Peter Mikula, Petr Pyšek, Bernd Lenzner
article en

Abstract

Abstract Invasive animal species threaten ecosystems, biodiversity and human livelihoods. Behavioural traits such as boldness, exploratory tendencies, learning ability and social interactions are known to influence invasion success. Yet these behavioural traits remain underexplored due to challenges in observing behaviour across large spatial and temporal scales. The emerging field of iEcology—studying ecology using digital data such as online photos, videos, sounds and text, generated for other purposes—offers a novel and scalable approach for investigating invasive species behaviour. Here, we demonstrate the application of iEcology to uncover novel insights into the behaviour of invasive species, such as dominance over the native species, interactions with native species or increased tolerance to humans, all critical for assessing species' invasion potential and management. We also discuss challenges of applying iEcology to studying the behaviour of invasive animals and highlight the need for careful validation and complementary methods. Finally, we highlight ways and provide a workflow to maximise the potential of iEcology for advancing the study of invasive species behaviour. We advocate for integrating iEcology into invasion science to advance our understanding of animal behaviours accompanying invasion success and ultimately to support the monitoring, management and mitigation strategies of biological invasions. We argue that iEcology is best viewed as a complementary tool that enriches traditional behavioural ecology and invasion biology, enabling rapid, accessible insights into one of the most urgent ecological issues of our time.

Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Vienna (AT), University of Leeds (GB), University of Helsinki (FI), University of Fribourg (CH), Czech Academy of Sciences (CZ), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZ), Charles University (CZ), AgroParisTech (FR), University of Münster (DE), University of Exeter (GB), University of Oxford (GB), Ecologie, Société, Evolution (FR), Estacion Experimental de Zonas Aridas (ES), Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany (CZ), Institute for Advanced Study (DE), Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CZ), Institut de Ciències del Mar (ES), University of Warsaw (PL), University of Life Sciences in Poznań (PL), Monash University (AU), Technical University of Munich (DE)
Technische Universität München, Canton de Fribourg, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Institute for Advanced Study, Technische Universität München
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 58%
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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