Staff

Dr Llewellyn Foxcroft

Scientist: Invasion Ecology, Savanna Research Unit

Location: Skukuza, Kruger National Park

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4125

Education

PhD (Botany), 2007, University of Cape Town

Research Focus and Interest

My interests span the field of invasion ecology, from applied, problem orientated research to conceptual frameworks. I largely focus on risk assessment, pathways and patterns of invasion within large protected areas, specifically the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The high number of alien species, together with the size and the intact ecological processes in Kruger, provides a model system in which to answer numerous invasion related questions.

I also enjoy working across all 19 of South African National Parks’ protected areas, and have gained many insights into threats and priorities from the different regions. Over time my interests have expanded to reviewing the status of alien plant invasions in protected areas globally.

Based in a conservation agency, I appreciate the importance of integrating science into management and endeavour to develop these links through evidence based management strategies. In general my research is directed into six core areas, namely,

patterns and drivers of plant invasions,
invasive species risk assessment,
long-term assessments of impacts on species and communities by alien plant invasions,
analysis of global patterns of alien plant invasions in protected areas,
non-plant invasions in protected areas,
working at the science–management–policy interface. Working across these spheres also allows for contributing to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) thematic assessment on Invasive alien species and their control.

Publications

Journal Articles

Pyšek, P., P.E. Hulme, D. Simberloff, S. Bacher, T.M. Blackburn, J.T. Carlton, W. Dawson, F. Essl, L.C. Foxcroft, P. Genovesi, J.M. Jeschke, I. Kühn, A.M. Liebhold, N.E. Mandrak, L.A. Meyerson, A. Pauchard, J. Pergl, H.E. Roy, H. Seebens, M. van Kleunen, M. Vilà, M.J. Wingfield and D.M. Richardson. 2020. Scientists’ Warning on Invasive Alien Species. Biological Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12627

Skubel, S.A., X. Su, A. Poulev, L.C. Foxcroft, V. Dushenkov and I. Raskin. 2020. Novel approaches to metabolomic fingerprinting of invasive alien plants from native and invaded habitats as an indicator of biochemical adaptation and evolutionary success. Scientific Reports 10: 9749. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66477-w

Crookes, S., T. Heer, R.A. Castañeda, N.E. Mandrak, D.D. Heath, O.L.F. Weyl, H.J. MacIsaac and L.C. Foxcroft. 2020. Monitoring the silver carp invasion in Africa: a case study using environmental DNA (eDNA) in dangerous watersheds. NeoBiota 56: 31–47. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.56.47475

Novoa, A., D.M. Richardson, P. Pyšek, L.A. Meyerson, S. Bacher, S. Canavan, J.A. Catford, J. Čuda, F. Essl, L.C. Foxcroft, P. Genovesi, H. Hirsch, C. Hui, M.C. Jackson, C. Kueffer, J.J. Le Roux, J. Measey, N.P. Mohanty, D. Moodley, H. Müller-Schärer, J.G. Packer, J. Pergl, T.B. Robinson, W-C. Saul, R.T. Shackleton, V. Visser, O.L.F. Weyl, F.A. Yannelli, and J.R.U. Wilson. 2020. Invasion syndromes: a systematic approach for predicting biological invasions and facilitating effective management. Biological Invasions 22: 1801–1820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02220-w

Shackleton, R., L.C. Foxcroft, P. Pyšek, L. Wood and D.M. Richardson. 2020. Biological invasions in protected areas after 30 years: revisiting nature reserves targeted by the 1980s SCOPE project. Biological Conservation. Biological Conservation 243: 108424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108424

Foster, J.D., A.G. Ellis, L.C. Foxcroft, S.P. Carroll and J.J. Le Roux. 2019. The potential evolutionary impact of invasive balloon vines on native soapberry bugs in South Africa. Neobiota 49: 19–35. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.49.34245

Cheney, C., K.J. Esler, L.C. Foxcroft and N.J. van Wilgen. 2019. Scenarios for the management of invasive Acacia species in a protected area: Implications of clearing efficacy. Journal of Environmental Management 238: 274–282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.02.112

Foxcroft, L.C., D. Spear, N.J. van Wilgen and M.A. McGeoch. 2019. Assessing the association between pathways of alien plant invaders and their impacts in protected areas. NeoBiota 43: 1–25. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.43.29644

Cheney, C., K.J. Esler, L.C. Foxcroft, N.J. van Wilgen, M.A. McGeoch. 2018. The impact of data precision on the effectiveness of alien plant control programmes: a case study from a protected area. Biological Invasions 20: 3227–3243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1770-8

van Wilgen, B.W., J.M. Fill, N. Govender and L.C. Foxcroft. 2017. An assessment of the evolution, costs and effectiveness of alien plant control operations in Kruger National Park, South Africa. NeoBiota 35: 35–59. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.35.12391

Foxcroft, L.C., P. Pyšek, D.M. Richardson, P. Genovesi and S. MacFadyen. 2017. Plant invasion science in protected areas: progress and priorities. Biological Invasions 19: 1353–1378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1367-z

Foxcroft, L.C., N. van Wilgen, J. Baard and N. Cole. 2017. Biological invasions in South African National Parks. Bothalia 47(2), a2158. https://doi.org/10.4102/abc.v47i2.2158

Roux, D.J., R.T. Kingsford, S.F. McCool, M.A. McGeoch and L.C. Foxcroft. 2015. The role and value of conservation agency research. Environmental Management 55(6): 1232–1245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0473-5

Le Roux, J.J., L.C. Foxcroft, M. Herbst and S. MacFadyen. 2015. Genetic status of the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) in South Africa: the role of protected areas in conserving genetic purity. Ecology and Evolution 5(2): 288–299. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1275

Vardien, W., Richardson, D.M., Foxcroft, L.C., Thompson, G.D., Wilson, J.R.U. and Le Roux, J.J. (2013). Management history determines gene flow in a prominent invader. Ecography 36: 1-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.00120.x

Spear, D., Foxcroft, L.C., Bezuidenhout, H. and McGeoch, M.A. (2013). Human population density explains alien species richness in protected areas. Biological Conservation 159: 137-147. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.11.022

Jarošík, V., Pyšek, P., Foxcroft, L.C., Richardson, D.M., Rouget, M. and MacFadyen, S. (2011). Predicting incursion of plant invaders into Kruger National Park, South Africa: The interplay of general drivers and species-specific factors. PLOS ONE 6(12): e28711. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028711

Robertson, M.P., K.R. Harris, J. Coetzee, L.C. Foxcroft, A.S. Dippenaar-Schoeman and B.J. van Rensburg. 2011. Assessing local scale impacts of Opuntia stricta (Cactaceae) invasion on beetle and spider diversity in Kruger National Park, South Africa. African Zoology 46(2): 205-223. https://doi.org/10.3377/004.046.0202

Foxcroft, L.C., Pickett, S.T.A. and Cadenasso, M.L. (2011). Expanding the conceptual frameworks of plant invasion ecology. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 13: 89-100.

Hui, C., Foxcroft, L.C., Richardson, D.M. and MacFadyen, S. (2011). Defining optimal sampling effort for large-scale monitoring of invasive alien plants: A Bayesian method for estimating abundance and distribution. Journal of Applied Ecology 48: 768-776. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.01974.x

Foxcroft, L.C., Jarošík, V., Pyšek, P., Richardson, D.M. and Rouget, M. (2011). Protected area boundaries as a natural filter of plant invasions from surrounding landscapes. Conservation Biology 25: 400-405. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01617.x.

Foxcroft, L.C., D.M. Richardson, M. Rejmánek and P. Pyšek. 2010. Alien plant invasions in tropical savanna ecosystems: patterns, processes and prospects. Biological Invasions 12: 3913–3933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9823-7

Foxcroft, L.C., Richardson, D.M., Rouget, M. and MacFadyen, S. (2009). Patterns of alien plant distribution at multiple spatial scales in a large national park: Implications for ecology, management and monitoring. Diversity and Distributions 15: 367-378.

Foxcroft, L.C., D.M. Richardson and J.R.U. Wilson. 2008. Ornamental plants as invasive aliens: problems and solutions in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Environmental Management 41: 32-51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-007-9027-9

Foxcroft, L.C., Rouget, M. and Richardson, D.M. (2007). Risk assessment of riparian alien plant invasion into protected areas – A landscape approach. Conservation Biology 21: 412-421.

Foxcroft, L.C., Rouget, M., Richardson, D.M. and MacFadyen, S. (2004). Reconstructing 50 years of Opuntia stricta invasion in the Kruger National Park, South Africa: Environmental determinants and propagule pressure. Diversity and Distributions 10: 427-437.

Book or Book Chapters

Wilson J.R.U., L.C. Foxcroft, S. Geerts, M.T. Hoffman, S. MacFadyen, J. Measey, A. Mills, D.M. Richardson, M.P. Robertson, and B.W. van Wilgen. 2020. The Role of Environmental Factors in Promoting and Limiting Biological Invasions in South Africa. In van Wilgen, B.W., Measey, J., Richardson, D.M., Wilson, J.R. and Zengeya, T.A. (eds.) Biological invasions in South Africa. pp. 355-385. Springer Nature Switzerland AG https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3_13

van Wilgen B.W., J.R.U. Wilson, A. Wannenburgh and L.C. Foxcroft. 2020. The Extent and Effectiveness of Alien Plant Control Projects in South Africa. In van Wilgen, B.W., Measey, J., Richardson, D.M., Wilson, J.R. and Zengeya, T.A. (eds.) Biological invasions in South Africa. pp. 597-628. Springer Nature Switzerland AG https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3_21

Kumschick S., L.C. Foxcroft and J.R.U. Wilson. 2020. Analysing the Risks Posed by Biological Invasions to South Africa. The Biogeography of South African Terrestrial Plant Invasions. In van Wilgen, B.W., Measey, J., Richardson, D.M., Wilson, J.R. and Zengeya, T.A. (eds.) pp. 573-595. Springer Nature Switzerland AG Biological invasions in South Africa. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3_20

Richardson D.M., L.C. Foxcroft, G. Latombe, D.C. Le Maitre, M. Rouget and J.R.U. Wilson. 2020. The Biogeography of South African Terrestrial Plant Invasions. In van Wilgen, B.W., Measey, J., Richardson, D.M., Wilson, J.R. and Zengeya, T.A. (eds.) Biological invasions in South Africa. pp. 67-96. Springer Nature Switzerland AG https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3_3

Foxcroft, L.C., van Wilgen, B.W., Abrahams, B., Esler, K.J. and Wannenburgh, A. 2020. Knowing-doing continuum or knowing-doing gap? Information flow between researchers and managers of biological invasions in South Africa. In van Wilgen, B.W., Measey, J., Richardson, D.M., Wilson, J.R. and Zengeya, T.A. (eds.) Biological invasions in South Africa. pp. 831-853. Springer Nature Switzerland AG https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3_28

van Wilgen, B.W., T., Munyai, Z., Mnikathi, J.R., Wilson, T., Morapi, L-A, Botha, T., Forsyth, D., Herbert, I., Rushworth, L.C., Foxcroft, et al. 2018. The status of alien species. In: van Wilgen, B.W. and Wilson, J.R. (eds.) The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa in 2017. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. pp. 47-70.

van Wilgen, B.W., T., Munyai, J.R., Wilson, T., Morapi, T., Forsyth, I., Rushworth, L.C., Foxcroft, et al. 2018. The status of invaded areas. In: van Wilgen, B.W. and Wilson, J.R. (eds.) The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa in 2017. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. pp. 71-89.

Foxcroft, L.C., Pyšek, P., Richardson, D.M. and Genovesi, P. (Eds) 2013. Plant Invasions in Protected Areas. Patterns, Problems and Challenges. Dordrecht: Springer.
http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/ecology/book/978-94-007-7749-1

Foxcroft, L.C., Richardson, D.M., Pyšek, P. and Genovesi, P. (2013). Plant invasions in protected areas: Outlining the issues and creating the links. In: L.C. Foxcroft, P., Pyšek, D.M. Richardson and P. Genovesi (Eds), Plant Invasions in Protected Areas. Patterns, Problems and Challenges. Dordrecht: Springer. Pp. 3-18. Doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7750-7_1

Foxcroft, L.C., Pyšek, P. Richardson, D.M., Pergl, J. and Hulme, P.E. (2013). The bottom line: Impacts of alien plant invasions in protected areas. In: L.C. Foxcroft, P., Pyšek, D.M. Richardson and P. Genovesi (Eds), Plant Invasions in Protected Areas. Patterns, Problems and Challenges. Dordrecht: Springer. Pp. 19-41. Doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7750-7_2

Hui, C., Foxcroft, L.C., Richardson, D.M. and MacFadyen, S. (2013). A cross-scale approach for abundance estimation of invasive alien plants in a large protected area. In: L.C. Foxcroft, P., Pyšek, D.M. Richardson and P. Genovesi (Eds), Plant Invasions in Protected Areas. Patterns, Problems and Challenges. Dordrecht: Springer. Pp. 73-88. Doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7750-7_5

Foxcroft, L.C., Witt, A. and Lotter, W.D. (2013). Icons in peril: Invasive alien plants in African protected areas. In: L.C. Foxcroft, P., Pyšek, D.M. Richardson and P. Genovesi (Eds), Plant Invasions in Protected Areas. Patterns, Problems and Challenges. Dordrecht: Springer. Pp. 117-143. Doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7750-7_7

Baret, S., Baider, C., Kueffer, C., Foxcroft, L.C. and Lagabrielle, E. (2013). Threats to paradise? Plant invasions in protected areas of the Western Indian Ocean Islands. In: L.C. Foxcroft, P., Pyšek, D.M. Richardson and P. Genovesi (Eds), Plant Invasions in Protected Areas. Patterns, Problems and Challenges. Dordrecht: Springer. Pp. 423-447. Doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7750-7_19

Foxcroft, L.C., Richardson, D.M., Pyšek, P. and Genovesi, P. (2013). Invasive alien plants in protected areas: Threats, opportunities, and the way forward. In: L.C. Foxcroft, P., Pyšek, D.M. Richardson and P. Genovesi (Eds), Plant Invasions in Protected Areas. Patterns, Problems and Challenges. Dordrecht: Springer. Pp. 621-639. Doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7750-7_28

Foxcroft, L.C. and Downey, P.O. (2008). Protecting biodiversity by managing alien plants in national parks – Perspectives from South Africa and Australia. In: B. Tokarska-Guzik, J. Brock, G. Brundu, L. Child, C. Daehler and P. Pyšek (Eds), Plant Invasions. Human Perception, Ecological Impacts and Management. Leiden, The Netherlands: Backhuys Publishers. Pp 387-403.

Freitag-Ronaldson, S. and Foxcroft, L.C. (2003). Anthropogenic ecosystem influences in the Kruger National Park. In: J. du Toit, K.H. Rogers and H.C. Biggs (Eds), The Kruger Experience: Ecology and management of savanna heterogeneity. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Pp 391- 421. ISBN 1-55963-981-4.

Foxcroft, L.C. and Richardson, D.M. (2003). Managing alien plant invasions in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. In: L. Child, J.H. Brock, G. Brundu, K. Prach, P. Pyšek, P.M. Wade and M. Williamson (Eds), Plant Invasions: Ecological Threats and Management Solutions. The Netherlands: Backhuys Publishers. Pp 385-404.

Foxcroft, L.C. (2001). A case study of the human dimensions in invasion and control of alien plants in the personnel villages of Kruger National Park. In: J.A. McNeely (Ed), The Great Reshuffling: Human Dimensions of Invasive Alien Species. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. Pp 127-134.

Technical and Scientific Reports

Shikwambana, P., A. Krom, B.W.T. Coetzee and L.C. Foxcroft. 2019. Microplastic pollution detected in the Kruger National Park: a preliminary study on the distribution and abundance of microplastics. Scientific Report 11/2019. South African National Parks. pp 23.

Le Bourgeois, T., Grard, P., Foxcroft, L.C., Thompson, D., Carrara, A., Guézou, A., Taylor, R.W. and Marshall, T. (2013). Pl@ntInvasive-Kruger V.1.0 : Alien plants of the Kruger National Park. Cirad-SANparks-SAEON, Montpellier, France, Skukuza, South Africa. CD-ROM.

Foxcroft, L.C., van Wilgen, N.J., Spear, D., Bezuidenhout, H. and McGeoch, M.A. (2012). SANParks Global Environmental Change Assessment: Alien species Summary Report. Scientific Report number 06/2012, South African National Parks, Skukuza. pp 33.

Roux, D., McGeoch, M. A. and Foxcroft, L.C. (2012). Assessment of selected in-house research achievements for the period 2008-2011. Scientific Report 01/2012, South African National Parks. pp 74.

Foxcroft, L.C. and McGeoch, M.A. (2011). South African National Parks Biodiversity Monitoring Programme: Alien and Invasive Species. Scientific Report 04/2011, South African National Parks. pp 32.