The role of urbanization in facilitating the introduction and establishment of non-native animal species: a comprehensive review

While urbanization is often associated to a loss of biodiversity, non-native animal species are strikingly successful in urban landscapes. As biological invasions are recognized to have detrimental environmental, social and economic impacts, extensive understanding of the interactions between invasive species and the abiotic and biotic environment is necessary for effective prevention and management strategies. However, the mechanisms underlying the success of invasive animals in urban environments are still poorly understood. We provide a first conceptual review of the role of urbanization in the introduction, establishment, and potential spread of non-native animal species. We summarize and discuss the mechanisms enhancing biological invasive potential of non-native animals in urban environments, by both isolating and interlinking the abiotic and biotic drivers involved. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) process, this systematic review covers a total of 124 studies comprehensive of all taxonomic groups, albeit with an evident publication bias for avian and terrestrial invertebrate species (22.1% and 19.8% of literature respectively). High-income regions also represent a larger bulk of the literature (Europe: 26.7%, North America: 23.7%). The most common reported factors facilitating species invasions in urban areas are reduced biotic resistance, and the competitive and urban-compatible ecological and/or behavioural traits of non-native animals allowing urban exploitation and aiding invasion. Finally, we identify important knowledge gaps, such as the scarcity of studies investigating socio-economic spatial patterns in the presence and abundance of invasive species, as well as the adaptive evolution of non-native animal species in urban areas.

• Publication year

  2024

• Venue

  Journal of Urban Ecology

• Publication date

  Unknown publication date

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1093/jue/juae015
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Could non-native species boost their chances of invasion success by socializing with natives?

  2023cited by this paper
• Invasive species behaviour in a toxic world.

  2023cited by this paper
• Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in Free-Ranging Introduced Monk Parakeets from Santiago, Chile

  2021cited by this paper
• Breeding success and its correlates in native versus invasive secondary cavity-nesting birds

  2021cited by this paper
• High and rising economic costs of biological invasions worldwide

  2021cited by this paper
• Comparing the dietary niche overlap and ecomorphological differences between invasive Hemidactylus mabouia geckos and a native gecko competitor

  2021cited by this paper
• Paved Paradise: Belowground Parking Structures Sustain Urban Mosquito Populations in Washington, DC.

  2021cited by this paper
• The role of invasion and urbanization gradients in shaping avian community composition

  2021cited by this paper
• Fortune favors the bold toad: urban-derived behavioral traits may provide advantages for invasive amphibian populations

  2021cited by this paper
• How Raccoons Could Lead to the Disappearance of Native Crayfish in Central Italy

  2021cited by this paper
• Regional effects of plant diversity and biotic homogenization in urban greenspace – The case of university campuses across China

  2021cited by this paper
• Cool birds: facultative use by an introduced species of mechanical air conditioning systems during extremely hot outdoor conditions

  2021cited by this paper
• Competition between a native and introduced pollinator in unmanaged urban meadows

  2021cited by this paper
• Landscape does matter: disentangling founder effects from natural and human-aided post-introduction dispersal during an ongoing biological invasion.

  2020cited by this paper
• Characterization of Models for Identifying Physical and Cognitive Frailty in Older Adults With Diabetes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  2020cited by this paper
• Challenges of a novel range: Water balance, stress, and immunity in an invasive toad.

  2020cited by this paper
• Evidence of predation on the Helmeted water toad Calyptocephalella gayi (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) by the invasive African clawed frog Xenopus laevis (Daudin 1802)

  2020cited by this paper
• Urbanization can increase the invasive potential of alien species

  2020cited by this paper
• Ecological impact and population status of non-native bees in a Brazilian urban environment

  2020cited by this paper
• Landscape configuration and habitat complexity shape arthropod assemblage in urban parks

  2020cited by this paper
• Ground-dwelling invertebrate diversity in domestic gardens along a rural-urban gradient: Landscape characteristics are more important than garden characteristics

  2020cited by this paper
• Native and invasive squirrels show different behavioural responses to scent of a shared native predator

  2020cited by this paper
• Are invasive House Sparrows a nuisance for native avifauna when scarce?

  2020cited by this paper
• Effects of urbanization–climate interactions on range expansion in the invasive European pavement ant

  2020cited by this paper
• When the winners are the losers: Invasive alien bird species outcompete the native winners in the biotic homogenization process

  2020cited by this paper
• Anthropogenic factors influence the occupancy of an invasive carnivore in a suburban preserve system

  2020cited by this paper
• A protective nesting association with native species counteracts biotic resistance for the spread of an invasive parakeet from urban into rural habitats

  2020cited by this paper
• Current knowledge of the Neozoa, Nutria and Muskrat in Europe and their environmental impacts

  2020cited by this paper
• Temporal and spatial variation of benthic macroinvertebrates on the shoreline of Guarujá, São Paulo, Brazil, under the influence of urban surface runoff

  2020cited by this paper
• Connectivity of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations in a highly fragmented urban landscape

  2019cited by this paper
• Current and future impacts of nest predation and nest‐site competition by invasive eastern grey squirrels Sciurus carolinensis on European birds

  2019cited by this paper
• Native and Invasive Small Mammals in Urban Habitats along the Commercial Axis Connecting Benin and Niger, West Africa

  2019cited by this paper
• Effect of free-ranging dogs and cats on medium-sized wild mammal assemblages in urban protected areas of a Mexican city

  2019cited by this paper
• Signs of adaptation to trace metal contamination in a common urban bird.

  2019cited by this paper
• Invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are novel nest predators in wading bird colonies of the Florida Everglades

  2019cited by this paper
• Urbanisation modulates plant-pollinator interactions in invasive vs. native plant species

  2019cited by this paper
• Does predation pressure drive heronry birds to nest in the urban landscape?

  2019cited by this paper
• What’s next? The release of exotic pets continues virtually unabated 7 years after enforcement of new legislation for managing invasive species

  2019cited by this paper
• Pervasive impacts of invasive brown treesnakes drive low fledgling survival in endangered Micronesian Starlings (Aplonis opaca) on Guam

  2019cited by this paper
• The on‐ground feasibility of a waterless barrier to stop the spread of invasive cane toads in Western Australia

  2019cited by this paper
• Exotic parrots breeding in urban tree cavities: nesting requirements, geographic distribution, and potential impacts on cavity nesting birds in southeast Florida

  2019cited by this paper
• Current and future distribution of the invasive oak processionary moth

  2019cited by this paper
• Potential spread of the invasive North American termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, and the impact of climate warming

  2018cited by this paper
• Road mortality of the eastern long-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis) along the Murray River, Australia: an assessment using citizen science

  2018cited by this paper
• The phylogenetic and functional diversity of regional breeding bird assemblages is reduced and constricted through urbanization

  2018cited by this paper
• Genetic diversity of the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys in the invaded territories of Europe and its patterns of diffusion in Italy

  2018cited by this paper
• Naïve, bold, or just hungry? An invasive exotic prey species recognises but does not respond to its predators

  2018cited by this paper
• Widespread winners and narrow-ranged losers: Land use homogenizes biodiversity in local assemblages worldwide

  2018cited by this paper
• Arthropods and associated pathogens from native and introduced rodents in Northeastern Italy

  2018cited by this paper
• Non‐linearities in bird responses across urbanization gradients: A meta‐analysis

  2018cited by this paper
• Loss of dendritic connectivity in southern California's urban riverscape facilitates decline of an endemic freshwater fish

  2018cited by this paper
• Direct and indirect effects of chemical contaminants on the behaviour, ecology and evolution of wildlife

  2018cited by this paper
• Respiration-based monitoring of metabolic rate following cold-exposure in two invasive Anoplophora species depending on acclimation regime.

  2018cited by this paper
• Ornamental bromeliads of Miami-Dade County, Florida are important breeding sites for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

  2018cited by this paper
• Rapid adaptive response to a Mediterranean environment reduces phenotypic mismatch in a recent amphibian invader

  2018cited by this paper
• Impacts of rapid urbanization on the water quality and macroinvertebrate communities of streams: A case study in Liangjiang New Area, China.

  2017cited by this paper
• Direct Evidence of Adult Aedes albopictus Dispersal by Car

  2017cited by this paper
• The relation between exotic mammals and birds and agriculture productions in Italy: Modern containment strategies

  2017cited by this paper
• Are urban systems beneficial, detrimental, or indifferent for biological invasion?

  2017cited by this paper
• The effect of reproductive occurrences and human descriptors on invasive pet distribution modelling: Trachemys scripta elegans in the Iberian Peninsula

  2017cited by this paper
• Impact of the invasive ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) on local ant diversity in southern Cameroon

  2017cited by this paper
• Light and noise pollution interact to disrupt interspecific interactions.

  2017cited by this paper
• Parasite spillover: indirect effects of invasive Burmese pythons

  2017cited by this paper
• How do invasive species travel to and through urban environments?

  2017cited by this paper
• Urban ornamental trees: a source of current invaders; a case study from a European City

  2017cited by this paper
• Raising a racket: invasive species compete acoustically with native treefrogs

  2016cited by this paper
• The tale of two deer: management of Père David’s deer and sika deer in anthropogenic landscape of eastern Asia

  2016cited by this paper
• Replacing natural wetlands with stormwater management facilities: Biophysical and perceived social values.

  2015cited by this paper
• Supplementary feeding restructures urban bird communities

  2015cited by this paper
• Urban drivers of plant‐pollinator interactions

  2015cited by this paper
• First record of the invasive land snail Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica (Bowdich, 1822) (Gastropoda: Achatinidae), vector of Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae), in Havana, Cuba

  2015cited by this paper
• Differences in neophobia between cane toads from introduced and native populations

  2015cited by this paper
• The impact and legislative framework of invasive mammals on Portuguese Macaronesian islands: A case study on Corvo, Azores

  2015cited by this paper
• Aquatic pollution may favor the success of the invasive species A. franciscana.

  2015cited by this paper
• Eco-evolutionary dynamics in an urbanizing planet.

  2015cited by this paper
• Invasive house geckos are more willing to use artificial lights than are native geckos

  2015cited by this paper
• A bioeconomic analysis of an emerald ash borer invasion of an urban forest with multiple jurisdictions

  2014cited by this paper
• Presence of the pharmaceutical drug carbamazepine in coastal systems: effects on bivalves.

  2014cited by this paper
• Are invasive species drivers of native species decline or passengers of habitat modification? A case study of the impact of the common myna (Acridotheres tristis) on Australian bird species

  2014cited by this paper
• Horizon scanning for invasive alien species with the potential to threaten biodiversity in Great Britain

  2014cited by this paper
• Squirrels in suburbia: influence of urbanisation on the occurrence and distribution of a common exotic mammal

  2014cited by this paper
• Simplification of Arboreal Marsupial Assemblages in Response to Increasing Urbanization

  2014cited by this paper
• Ecological Homogenization of Urban USA

  2014cited by this paper
• European red squirrel population dynamics driven by squirrelpox at a gray squirrel invasion interface

  2014cited by this paper
• INVADERS ON THE ROAD: SYNANTHROPIC BIRD FORAGING ALONG HIGHWAYS

  2013cited by this paper
• Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), An Invasive Stink Bug Attacking Cole Crops in the Southwestern United States

  2013cited by this paper
• New alien insect pests to Portugal on urban ornamental plants and additional data on recently introduced species

  2013cited by this paper
• Nest predation in an anthropogenic landscape

  2013cited by this paper
• Rapid species displacement during the invasion of Florida by the tropical house gecko Hemidactylus mabouia

  2012cited by this paper
• Bird feeders may sustain feral Rose-ringed parakeets Psittacula krameri in temperate Europe

  2011cited by this paper
• A malaria transmission-directed model of mosquito life cycle and ecology

  2011cited by this paper
• Heritable pollution tolerance in a marine invader.

  2011cited by this paper
• Invasion, Competition, and Biodiversity Loss in Urban Ecosystems

  2010cited by this paper
• Aquatic pollution increases the relative success of invasive species

  2010cited by this paper
• Benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in remediated wetlands around Sydney, Australia

  2010cited by this paper
• Predicting the spatial distribution of the invasive piscivorous chub (Opsariichthys uncirostris uncirostris) in the irrigation ditches of Kyushu, Japan: a tool for the risk management of biological invasions

  2010cited by this paper
• Do urban areas act as foci for the spread of alien plant species? An assessment of temporal trends in the UK

  2009cited by this paper
• The rat and the octopus: initial human colonization and the prehistoric introduction of domestic animals to Remote Oceania

  2009cited by this paper
• Suburban habitats and their role for birds in the urban–rural habitat network: points of local invasion and extinction?

  2008cited by this paper
• Grasping at the routes of biological invasions: a framework for integrating pathways into policy

  2008cited by this paper

• Spatiotemporal variation and driving mechanisms of nest predation on Spotted Doves along an urbanization gradient

  2026cites this paper
• Ecology and Diversity of Urban Drosophila Species Communities as Potential Indicators of Biodiversity Decline

  2026cites this paper
• Cities as evolutionary incubators for the global spread of the spotted lanternfly.

  2026cites this paper
• Eco-evolutionary dynamics shaping biodiversity in the urban mosaic

  2026cites this paper
• Spatial distribution of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina along a rural-urban gradient in a coastal Spanish City

  2026cites this paper
• Environmental drivers shaping mollusc communities in ponds of two different landscapes

  2025cites this paper
• Exotic species occupancy in an urban reserve: explosion or stability?

  2025cites this paper
• The impact of urbanisation on social behaviour: a comprehensive review

  2025cites this paper
• Cryptic life history diversity supports endangered species recovery in an ultra-urbanized landscape

  2025cites this paper
• Contrasted effects of human pressure on biodiversity in the UK: a multi-taxonomic assessment using airborne environmental DNA

  2025cites this paper
• Land use and land cover changes influence the rate of accidents involving venomous animals.

  2025cites this paper
• Population Declines of the Oriental Magpie Pica serica (Corvidae) in the Saga Plain, Japan: Relationships With Land Use Patterns, Nesting Sites, and Breeding Success

  2025cites this paper
• How urban impervious surface shapes bird foraging behavior in an arid city

  2025cites this paper