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Virginia Tech

Invasive Species Collaborative

Utilizing an adaptive framework and transdisciplinary science to confront the invasive species crisis

Buffelgrass

Invasive Species

Impacts to ecosystems

Invasive species cause dramatic changes to ecosystems, and can contribute solely or alongside other drivers to extinction events.

Populations of native species can be directly affected by invasive species through predation, herbivory, and disease, and indirectly affected through resource competition and habitat alteration. For instance, plant invasions can impact carbon and nitrogen cycles and alter fire regimes.

Buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris)

Brown Tree Snake

Invasive Species

Impacts to the economy

Invasive species significantly impact local, national, and global economies.

The annual cost of biological invasions was estimated to exceed $423 billion globally and $21 billion in the United States. Spongy moth, zebra mussel, feral pig, citrus canker, red imported fire ant, brown tree snake, and leafy spurge are some of the most financially damaging invasive species in the U.S. and its territories.

Brown Tree Snake (Boiga Irregularis)

Asian Tiger Mosquito

Invasive Species

Impacts to human health

Invasive species negatively impact human health by infecting humans with new diseases, serving as vectors for existing diseases, or causing wounds through bites, stings, allergens, or other toxins.

The spread of novel diseases and pathogens is closely tied to the movement of human activities. People and goods now travel quickly around the world and can carry uninvited species and their distinct microbiomes with them.

Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus)

Buffelgrass

Invasive Species

Impacts to food and fiber security

Invasive species adversely affect the production of food and fiber crops worldwide.

Vegetative invasive species can reduce crop and timber yields due to fast growth, high seed production and dispersal ability, and a broad tolerance of environmental conditions. Invasive insects and other animals commonly consume desirable food and fiber crops. Feral hogs, for instance, are one of the most damaging species in the U.S. and are estimated to be responsible for $2.5 billion in annual damage to the agricultural sector.

Feral swine (Sus scrofa)

Join The Team

Collaborative

Join The Team

ISWG was awarded a Destination Area 2.0 Phase II grant enabling us to further our mission.

Invasive Species Collaborative was recently awarded a Destination Area 2.0 Phase II grant which will enable us further our mission to combat invasive species.

This funding will enable ISC to further their mission to combat invasive species, a global threat that jeopardizes health, economic stability, and environmental security.

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Virginia Tech

Meet The Team

The Invasive Species Collaborative was awarded a competitive university-wide investment to address the complex global problem of invasive species through transdisciplinary science, engagement, and education. This multi-year investment includes the hiring of several new tenure-track faculty across campus and a range of transdisciplinary activities.

We're Hiring!

Join the Invasive Species Collaborative and tackle the global challenge of understanding invasive species.

December 2, 2025

Introduced species are changing how seeds move on islands

A new study found that species introductions, more than extinctions, are reshaping how seeds move across 120 islands worldwide. This change matters because seed dispersal drives forest regeneration, plant diversity, and long-term ecosystem health.

Pass the Thanksgiving kudzu: Expert on edible invasive species

Invasive species often thrive because they have no natural predators — yet surprisingly, some of them are not only edible to humans, but downright delicious, with flavors that could enhance a Thanksgiving table spread.

Graduate students uncover stories hidden in the forests of the past

Armed with maps and 19th-century handwriting, students are reconstructing what Indiana’s forests looked like before the invasive Dutch elm disease reshaped the landscape in the early 1900s.

Meet The Team

We're Hiring!

Featured news from Virginia Tech

December 2, 2025

Introduced species are changing how seeds move on islands

November 12, 2025

Pass the Thanksgiving kudzu: Expert on edible invasive species

November 10, 2025

Graduate students uncover stories hidden in the forests of the past

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