Exotic species are often vilified as "bad" without consideration of the potential
they have for contributing to ecological functions in degraded ecosystems. The red-eared
slider turtle (RES) has been disparaged as one of the worst invasive species. Based
on this review, we suggest that RES contribute some ecosystem functions in urban wetlands
comparable to those provided by the native turtles they sometimes dominate or replace.
While we do not advocate for releases outside their native range, or into natural
environments, in this review, we examine the case for the RES to be considered potentially
beneficial in heavily human-altered and degraded ecosystems where native turtles struggle
or fail to persist. After reviewing the ecosystem functions RESs are known to provide,
we conclude that in many modified environments the RES is a partial ecological analog
to native turtles and removing them may obviate the ecological benefits they provide.
We also suggest research avenues to better understand the role of RESs in heavily
modified wetlands.
