Plants, animals, pathogens and other organisms that are non-native to an ecosystem, and which may cause economic or environmental harm or adversely affect human health. In particular, they impact adversely upon biodiversity, including decline or elimination of native species - through competition, predation, or transmission of pathogens - and the disruption of local ecosystems and ecosystem functions. (FAOLEX. 2025. Glossary https://www.fao.org/faolex/)
The Chaetognatha (i.e., “bristle jaws”), or arrow worms, belong to a marine invertebrate phylum with unclear protostomian affinities in the animal kingdom. Arrow worms are carnivorous, feeding preferentially on copepods, but also on other small invertebrates and fish larvae. (Adapted from Pauly, D.; Liang, C.; Xian, W.; Chu, E.; Bailly, N. The Sizes, Growth and Reproduction of Arrow Worms (Chaetognatha) in Light of the Gill-Oxygen Limitation Theory (GOLT). J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9, 1397. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9121397)
Plant-derived compounds found in many foods such as soy. Some are linked to health benefits, including a lowered risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and breast cancer, while others are endocrine disruptors that may harm health. (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2024. Environmental Health Sciences Glossary https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/glossary citing EPA.gov)
