Putting Allee effects to good use

Exploiting Allee effects for managing biological invasions

Patrick C. Tobin, Luděk Berec, Andrew M. Liebhold

Article first published online: 22 MAR 2011

Ecology Letters 

Putting Allee effects to good use? Sounds a wee bit far fetched.Yes, this is exactly what is discussed in this paper.

Biological invasions are an increasing threat to biodiversity worldwide. Allee effects (positive density dependence) have been shown to play a pivotal role in the spread of exotic species (non-native species).  Allee effects are a nuisance in conservation efforts, but they can prove useful in attempts to manage non-native species.

In this paper the authors review and highlight current strategies that effectively exploit an Allee effect. They propose ingenious ways by which Allee effects can be manipulated to the detriment of biological invaders. They contend that the concept of Allee effects can be integral in risk assessments and in the prioritization of resources allocated to manage non-native species, as some species beset by strong Allee effects could be less successful as invaders. The authors describe how methodologies that strengthen an existing Allee effect or create new ones could be used to manage biological invasions more effectively. On the whole a very interesting paper