GAINESVILLE — Florida has a rich natural heritage with many unique plants and animals. Unfortunately, this has been disrupted by the introduction of many nonnative species that have become invasive. This has led to confusion and uncertainty as an array of terminology is often used to classify species.

With terms like native, nonnative, introduced, established, invasive, nuisance and others, it can be confusing for the public to determine which is which and why? This makes detecting and determining the spread challenging for invasion science researchers.

Recently, the UF/IFAS Invasive Species Council completed a year-long consensus-building effort to develop a list of key terms for communicating with Florida’s residents, visitors and stakeholder groups about invasive species and their impact. The council has also produced two published works on the process and results.

Shannon Carnevale, a natural resources and conservation agent for UF/IFAS Extension Polk County, offers up a summary of the terms in “Let’s Talk about Invasive Species.” Check out her blog in English and Spanish.