Synergistic amplification: Mechanisms of multi-factorial coupling in biological invasions

• The spread of invasive alien species (IAS) is driven by synergistic factors. • Cascading feedback loops accelerate IAS establishment and outbreaks. • Integrating multifactorial techniques facilitates IAS trajectory predictions and management strategies. Invasive alien species (IAS) are a major driver of biodiversity loss, which poses substantial threats to food security, ecological integrity, and public health. Their proliferation results from synergistic interactions among species-specific traits (e.g., high reproductive capacity, and adaptability), environmental conditions, anthropogenic activities like global trade, biotic relationships, and policy frameworks. While much research has examined individual invasion drivers, emerging evidence confirms that invasion success primarily results from complex, multifactorial synergies. This review elucidates how the coupling of environmental stressors, biotic interactions, and human-mediated processes (notably habitat modification and dispersal mechanisms) accelerates the global spread of high-impact IAS, exemplified by species of global concern including Cydia pomonella, Tuta absoluta, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Erwinia amylovora , and tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). We systematically evaluate how cascading interactions among these factors amplify ecological imbalances and invasion risks. Furthermore, advances in population genomics further enable critical insights into the adaptive evolution and genetic determinants of invasion success. Therefore, integrating multifactorial frameworks with genomic methodologies is vital for predicting invasion trajectories and developing targeted management strategies, underscoring the imperative for interdisciplinary approaches to mitigate the escalating threat of biological invasions.