We're all aware that global warming can impact species negatively. Now, though, scientists have taken a closer look at how a changing climate might affect invasive species.

Invasive species are one of the largest threats to native ecosystems. Locations like the Florida Everglades, for example, are under attack from multiple non-native species, such as pythons, nutria, and wild boar. Yet while invasive species have long been studied, scientists haven't examined them in relation to climate change, a factor that's greatly affecting natural systems across the globe.

The conventional notion is that species from lower latitudes, which typically experience warmer temperatures than those in higher latitude ecosystems, will perform better at higher latitudes as temperatures warm. This means that, in theory, invasive species at lower latitudes will be able to spread northward.

In this case, though, the scientists focused on how a trait common among certain invasive species, benefitting from "enemy release," can be influenced by changes in temperatures. This "enemy release" hypothesis holds that certain invading species succeed because they escape from their natural enemies in their native habitat.

In order to test this, the scientists manipulated the presence of sunfish and water temperature using two non-native and native crustacean zooplankton. In the end, they found that increases in water temperature favored the non-native crustacean. Not only that, but the higher temperatures caused the sunfish to eat more and hunt more native crustaceans. This also increased the number of non-native crustaceans.

The findings reveal that warming temperatures can affect the strength of "enemy release." This, in turn, could mean that non-native species may experience unprecedented growth in the future. That said, the researchers are still cautious.

"But the direction of this effect depends on the physiology of the species present," said Samuel Fey, the study's lead author, in a news release. "As such, warming could increase or decrease the strength of 'enemy release' depending on the organisms that exist in a given location."

The findings are published in the journal Ecology.