Invasive species are considered a major threat to wetland ecological integrity. However, I suggest in this presentation that many invasive species are better understood as symptoms of stressed ecosystems instead of as invasive. I assemble seven ecological concepts to help illuminate invasive species as manifestations of stressed conditions and not the cause. Concepts include: 1) biological controls over nutrient cycles (ecosystem phenomenology); 2) loss of keystone species; 3) trophic cascades; 4) eutrophication; 5) functional traits analysis; and 6) unadaptable management plans that unintentionally create and reinforce invasible conditions. I identify threats and management regimes to reduce factors that drive invasion. In conclusion, the continuum framework provides a new frontier in invasive species management by targeting both the species and the drivers of invasion.