Introduced species in Mediterranean marine caves: an increasing but neglected threat

Gerovasileiou, Vasilis; Băncilă, Raluca Ioana; KATSANEVAKIS, STELIOS; Zenetos, Argyro

doi:10.12681/mms.31284

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…the 'Subterranean tidal' (SM1) biome sensu Keith et al (2022). The diversity of alien species, pathways of introduction, and management in marine systems seems to be much lower than in terrestrial ecosystems [see Gerovasileiou et al (2016Gerovasileiou et al ( , 2022 for extensive coverage of alien species in marine caves].…”

Section: Materials and Methods (1) Scope Of The Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Aliens in caves: the global dimension of biological invasions in subterranean ecosystems

et al. 2023

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Alien species are a significant threat to natural ecosystems and human economies. Despite global efforts to address this challenge, the documented number of alien species is rapidly increasing worldwide. However, the magnitude of the impact of alien species may vary significantly across habitats. For example, some habitats are naturally less prone to biological invasions due to stringent abiotic and biotic characteristics, selecting for a limited number of introduced species possessing traits closely related to the native organisms. Subterranean ecosystems are quintessential examples of habitats with strong environmental filters (e.g. lack of light and scarcity of food), driving convergent adaptations in species that have successfully adapted to life in darkness. Despite these stringent environmental constraints, the number of records of alien species in subterranean ecosystems has increased in recent decades, but the relevant literature remains largely fragmented and mostly anecdotal. Therefore, even though caves are generally considered very fragile ecosystems, their susceptibility to impacts by alien species remains untested other than for some very specific cases. We provide the first systematic literature survey to synthesise available knowledge on alien species in subterranean ecosystems globally. This review is supported by a database summarising the available literature, aiming to identify gaps in the distribution and spread of alien invertebrate species in subterranean habitats, and laying the foundations for future management practices and interventions. First, we quantitatively assessed the current knowledge of alien species in subterranean ecosystems to shed light on broader questions about taxonomic biases, geographical patterns, modes of dispersal, pathways for introductions and potential impacts. Secondly, we collected species‐specific traits for each recorded alien species and tested whether subterranean habitats act as ecological filters for their establishment, favouring organisms with pre‐adaptive traits suitable for subterranean life. We found information on the presence of 246 subterranean alien species belonging to 18 different classes. The dominant alien species were invertebrates, especially insects and arachnids. Most species were reported in terrestrial subterranean habitats from all continents except Antarctica. Palaearctic and Nearctic biogeographic regions represented the main source of alien species. The main routes of introductions into the recipient country are linked to commercial activities (84.3% of cases for which there was information available). Negative impacts have been documented for a small number of case studies (22.7%), mostly related to increased competition with native species. For a limited number of case studies (6.1%), management strategies were reported but the effectiveness of these interventions has rarely been quantified. Accordingly, information on costs is very limited. Approximately half of the species in our database can be considered established i...

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Section: Materials and Methods (1) Scope Of The Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Aliens in caves: the global dimension of biological invasions in subterranean ecosystems

et al. 2023

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“…The last available census reported a total of 112 fish species from Mediterranean marine caves [9]. Among these, 18 species are introduced, mainly originating from the Indo-Pacific Ocean [81,82].…”

Section: History Of Research and Knowledge On Fishes In Marine Cavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fishes in Marine Caves

Kovačić,

Gerovasileiou,

Patzner

2024

Fishes

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Fishes in marine caves have attracted limited attention by the scientific community in comparison to subterranean fishes which have lost eyes and pigmentation. They constitute a largely unexplored component of marine fish diversity, except for the relatively well-studied marine caves of the Mediterranean Sea. These habitats are characterized by steep environmental gradients of decreasing light and decreasing water exchange. The fishes recorded so far in marine caves are not exclusive residents of this habitat and they are also present at least in the other mesolithial habitats. In the Mediterranean marine caves, 132 fishes have been recorded to date, representing about 17% of the total Mediterranean fish species richness. Most of these species are reported from the anterior cave zones where some light still exists, while a smaller number of species are known from the totally dark zones. Among them, 27.3% are accidental visitors, 53.8% are the regular mesolithial visitors and switchers between mesolithion and open water, 5.3% are permanent residents of the mesolithion, but also occur in other habitats, and 13.6% are exclusive permanent residents of mesolithion. Some mesolithial exclusive permanent residents recorded in marine caves share similar morphology, probably as adaptations to these habitats.

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“…Some of the species previously reported from marine caves belong to unresolved species complexes or have a cryptogenic status at the Mediterranean (i.e., species that cannot be easily demonstrated as being either native or introduced) such as Monocorophium sextonae, Ericthonius brasiliensis, Elasmopus rapax, and Elasmopus pectenicrus (report of the latter is most likely a misidentification of Elasmopus vachoni) [82]. The only confirmed introduced species are Jassa slatteryi and Jassa marmorata [83,84], reported from marine caves in Spain (Alboran Sea) and Italy (Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Sea), respectively, [85] and this study.…”

Section: Marine Cavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amphipods in Mediterranean Marine and Anchialine Caves: New Data and Overview of Existing Knowledge

Navarro-Barranco,

Martínez,

Sempere-Valverde

et al. 2023

Diversity

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Marine and anchialine caves host specialized faunal communities with a variable degree of endemism and functional specialization. However, biodiversity assessments on this habitat are scarce, particularly in relation to small-sized cryptic fauna (such as amphipods), which often play a key role in benthic ecosystems. The present article compiles all records of marine and brackish-water amphipods inhabiting marine and anchialine caves along the Mediterranean basin, combining information extracted from a literature review with newly acquired records. A total of 106 amphipod species has been reported (representing approximately 20% of the Mediterranean amphipod species), mostly from the North-Western Mediterranean. Examination of new material from marine caves in Greece has yielded 14 new records from the East Ionian and Aegean Sea. Most of the reported species display wide ecological amplitude in terms of habitat and substrate preferences, feeding habits as well as bathymetric and geographical distribution. In contrast, only 17 amphipod species have been reported from marine-brackish waters in anchialine caves, predominantly represented by cave specialists with a narrow spatial distribution and distinct morphological traits. Our overall knowledge on amphipods inhabiting Mediterranean caves is far from complete so that new and valuable findings are expected to occur as new caves are explored.

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Introduced species in Mediterranean marine caves: an increasing but neglected threat

Cited by 13 publications

References 53 publications

Aliens in caves: the global dimension of biological invasions in subterranean ecosystems

Aliens in caves: the global dimension of biological invasions in subterranean ecosystems

Fishes in Marine Caves

Amphipods in Mediterranean Marine and Anchialine Caves: New Data and Overview of Existing Knowledge

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