(Press-News.org)
Beijing, China — Biological invasion has become one of the most significant drivers of global ecological disruption, causing billions of dollars in economic losses annually. Yet, for decades, our response to these "alien" species has been largely reactive-acting only after a species has already established itself and caused damage.
In a major review published in the journal Biological Diversity, Professor Aibin Zhan from the Research Center for Eco - Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, proposes a paradigm shift. The study introduces a "proactive, predictive, and integrative" framework driven by multi - omics technologies, offering a high - resolution toolkit to detect, track, and manage invasive species with unprecedented precision.
"Despite decades of research, we are still struggling with early detection and predicting how an invasive species will adapt to a new environment," says Professor Aibin Zhan. "By the time we notice the problem, it is often too late. We need to move away from reactive firefighting and toward a predictive 'weather forecast' model for biosecurity."
The Power of Multi - Omics
Multi - omics refers to the integrated study of various biological molecules, including DNA (genomics), RNA (transcriptomics), proteins (proteomics), and metabolites (metabolomics). The review highlights how these technologies can solve the "invisible" problems of invasion science:
Early Detection: Identifying "hidden" incursions in water or soil via environmental DNA (eDNA) before the organisms are even visible.
Rapid Adaptation: Understanding at a molecular level how species evolve to survive in new climates or resist local predators.
Stage - Specific Solutions: Developing targeted interventions for every step of the invasion process, from initial transport to widespread establishment.
A Holistic, Tech - Driven Future
The proposed framework doesn't stop at biology. Professor Zhan emphasizes that the future of invasive species management lies in the fusion of micro - multi - omics" (cellular data) and "macro - meta - omics" (community - wide data) with cutting - edge digital tools. By integrating these biological insights with Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and remote sensing, scientists can create robust models to forecast invasion risks and ecological impacts long before they occur.
This evidence-based governance approach aims to provide policymakers and environmental managers with the reliable data needed to protect global biodiversity and secure economic stability.
"This is an integrative effort," Professor Zhan added. "By combining molecular biology with ecology, evolution, and AI, we can build a much stronger shield against the escalating threat of biological invasions."
===
Original Source: Zhan, Aibin. 2025. "Multi - Omics - Driven Adaptive Management of Biological Invasions: Toward a Proactive, Predictive, and Integrative Framework," Biological Diversity: 2 (4), 163 - 192.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bod2.70015
Keywords: adaptive management, biological invasion, biosecurity, invasive species management, modeling, omics.
===
About the Author:
Professor Aibin Zhan is a leading researcher at the Research Center for Eco - Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His work focuses on the molecular mechanisms of biological invasions and the development of advanced monitoring technologies for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
About the Journal:
Biological Diversity (ISSN: 2994 - 4139) is a high - impact journal dedicated to exploring the patterns, processes, and conservation of life on Earth, highlighting innovative research that addresses the global biodiversity crisis.
END
LUCKNOW, India — For centuries, Borago officinalis - commonly known as Borage or the Starflower - has been a staple of traditional medicine. Now, a comprehensive review published in the journal Biological Diversity reveals the scientific "blueprint" behind this plant's diverse therapeutic effects, positioning it as a powerful candidate for modern drug development.
The study, led by researchers at the Department of Pharmacology, Integral University, provides an exhaustive analysis of how Borage interacts with the human body at a molecular level. By synthesizing data from both preclinical trials and human clinical ...
Date: January 6, 2026
Source: Editorial Office of Biological Diversity
Contact: bd.admin@scbg.ac.cn
Biological Diversity, a premier international journal dedicated to the holistic study of life on Earth, has officially launched its global recruitment drive for both the Editorial Board (EB) and the Youth Editorial Board (YEB).
To address the complexity of the global biodiversity crisis, the journal is seeking experts across a systematic spectrum of disciplines. This recruitment aims to create a "dual - tier" leadership structure-combining the strategic wisdom of established world - class scientists with the innovative energy ...
Antibiotics that escape into the environment are widely recognized as a growing threat to ecosystems, wastewater treatment performance, and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. A new study shows that certain microbes can act as community protectors by breaking down antibiotics and stabilizing entire microbial ecosystems, offering a new way to rethink environmental risk assessment and pollution management.
Researchers investigated how microbial communities respond to sulfamethoxazole, a commonly detected antibiotic in wastewater and natural waters. Their findings reveal that the ability of a community to degrade antibiotics can be more important than the antibiotic ...
Scientists have combined molecular imprinting technology with biochar to create materials that can recognize and capture specific molecules with remarkable precision. Biochar is a porous carbon material made by heating biomass such as crop residues in low-oxygen conditions, and is already valued for its low cost, large surface area, and environmental friendliness.
Molecular imprinting works by “teaching” a polymer to remember the shape and chemical features of a target molecule, then locking that memory into tiny ...
Rice feeds more than half of the world’s population, but the tiny microbes living on and around rice plants may be just as important as the crop itself. A new study reveals that the specific genetic identity of a rice plant plays a stronger role than whether it is wild or domesticated in determining which microbes it hosts and how those microbes function.
The research, published in Agricultural Ecology and Environment, shows that differences among rice genotypes strongly shape microbial communities in both the soil surrounding roots, known as the rhizosphere, and on leaf surfaces, known as the phyllosphere. ...
Finding one tick on your body is scary enough – tick-borne diseases are serious – but what if you found more than 10 on yourself in just one month? That’s the plight of some farmers as the threat of ticks and tick-borne diseases grows, according to new research featuring experts at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
New research led by Mandy Roome, associate director of the Tick-borne Disease Center at Binghamton University, State University of New York, reveals that farmers and outdoor workers in the Northeast are facing an escalating threat of tick-borne diseases, which could be devastating ...
Turning green waste, hay and algae into fully biodegradable plastics for use in medical products, car components, insulation and packaging is the goal of a new Junior Research Group at the University of Oldenburg in the northwest of Germany. Led by chemist Dr Melanie Walther, the team will combine eco-friendly and application-oriented approaches to develop a cost-effective, energy-efficient technology for making innovative plastics based on polybutylene succinate (PBS) which are made entirely out of organic waste. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is providing around 2.7 million euros in funding for the EcoPBS project.
“The work of the new Junior Research ...
Scientists at the University of Missouri have identified a small group of unusual objects in the early universe. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Haojing Yan and his team at Mizzou’s College of Arts and Science spotted these strange objects, which seem like one galactic thing but have the unmistakable fingerprints of something else entirely.
These objects have “point-like” features that would normally place them in one of two categories: stars or quasars, which are the brilliant ...
Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer, affecting more people each year as detection rates continue to rise. During tumor excision, surgeons often struggle to determine exactly how much tissue should be removed, as distinguishing cancer from healthy tissue in real time is challenging and nearby structures are extremely delicate. Today, diagnosis and margin assessment rely on fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and traditional pathology. While accurate, these methods are slow, sometimes inconclusive, and offer no real-time guidance in the operating room. As a result, patients may undergo unnecessary ...
January 6, 2026 — An elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is significantly associated with increased risk of depressive disorder (DD) and may also correlate with suicide risk among individuals with DD, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the November issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry, part of the Lippincott portfolio from Wolters Kluwer.
“Studies demonstrate altered immune responses in DD, including diminished lymphocyte reactivity and dysregulated neutrophil activity,” explain Yongjun Chen, MD, of Shandong University of Traditional ...
