[1] The term ecological release first appeared in the scientific literature in 1972 in the American Zoologist journal discussing the increased diversity of diet and habitat preferences adopted by a sea snail species introduced without competition in the isolated ecosystem of Easter Island.
Invasive species are an excellent example of successful ecological release because low levels of biodiversity, an abundance of resources, and particular life history traits allow their numbers to increase dramatically.
When a keystone species, such as a top predator, is removed from a community or ecosystem, an ecological cascade effect can occur through which a series of secondary extinctions take place.
The most extreme examples of invasive species include: cane toads in Australia,[5] kudzu in the Southeast United States,[6] or beavers in Tierra Del Fuego.
But ecological release can also be more subtle, less drastic and easily overlooked such as mustangs and dandelions in North America,[7] musk oxen in Svalbard,[8] dromedaries in Australia, or peaches in Georgia[9]