Animal behavior: an essential component of invasion biology

A major challenge of invasion biology lies in the development of a predicti ve understanding of invasion processes. Attempts to identify the proximate causes of invasion success or to predict rates of spread seldom emphasize b ehavioral characteristics. Recent experimental work, however, illustrates t hat insight into the proximate causes of animal invasions often hinges on a careful assessment of behavioral mechanisms. For this reason, behavioral a nalyses should be more fully integrated into research on biological invasio ns. In addition to enhancing a general understanding of invasion processes, such approaches provide potentially underused opportunities for basic rese arch in animal behavior.