Here are some common traits belonging to invasive species . A tourist fulfills most of the criteria on the checklist.
- The ability to reproduce both asexually as well as sexually (garbage and cultural leavings as a byproduct)
- Fast growth
- Rapid reproduction (not restricted to babies)
- High dispersal ability (planes trains tour-buses cruise ships)
- Phenotypic plasticity (the ability to alter one’s growth form to suit current conditions) (dress native, get all the right travel gear, dip in and out of cultures)
- Tolerance of a wide range of environmental conditions (generalist) (again, specialized gear)
- Ability to live off of a wide range of food types (generalist) (when in Rome…)
- Association with humans (anthro-fetishism and the McDonald’s phenomenon)
- Other successful invasions (war and peace)
(from wikipedia)
