A horizon scan exercise for aquatic invasive alien species in Iberian inland waters

As the number of introduced species keeps increasing unabatedly, identifying and prioritising current and potential Invasive Alien Species (IAS) has become essential to manage them. Horizon Scanning (HS), defined as an exploration of potential threats, is considered a fundamental component of IAS management. By combining scientific knowledge on taxa with expert opinion, we identified the most relevant aquatic IAS in the Iberian Peninsula, i.e., those with the greatest geographic extent (or probability of introduction), severe ecological, economic and human health impacts, greatest difficulty and acceptability of management. We highlighted the 126 most relevant IAS already present in Iberian inland waters (i.e., Concern list) and 89 with a high probability of being introduced in the near future (i.e., Alert list), of which 24 and 10 IAS, respectively, were considered as a management priority after receiving the highest scores in the expert assessment (i.e., top-ranked IAS). In both lists, aquatic IAS belonging to the four thematic groups (plants, freshwater invertebrates, estuarine invertebrates, and vertebrates) were identified as having been introduced through various pathways from different regions of the world and classified according to their main functional feeding groups. Also, the latest update of the list of IAS of Union concern pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 includes only 12 top-ranked IAS identified for the Iberian Peninsula, while the national lists incorporate the vast majority of them. This fact underlines the great importance of taxa prioritisation exercises at biogeographical scales as a step prior to risk analyses and their inclusion in national lists. This HS provides a robust assessment and a cost-effective strategy for decision-makers and stakeholders to prioritise the use of limited resources for IAS prevention and management. Although applied at a transnational level in a European biodiversity hotspot, this approach is designed for potential application at any geographical or administrative scale, including the continental one

Código de conducta. Zoológicos, acuarios y especies exóticas invasoras en la Península Ibérica

Código de conducta. Zoológicos, acuarios y especies exóticas invasoras en la Península Ibéric

Black list and Alert list of the Aquatic Invasive Alien Species in the Iberian Peninsula: an action of the LIFE INVASAQUA

Resumen del trabajo presentado en VI Congreso Nacional sobre Especies Exóticas Invasoras y I Congreso Ibérico sobre EEI (EEI 2022) celebrado en Navarra del 20 al 23 de abril de 2022.One of the objectives of LIFE INVASQUA project is to develop tools that will be more efficient the Early Warning and Rapid Response (EWRR) framework for Invasive Alien Species in the Iberian Peninsula. Horizon scanning for high-risk IAS is basic in implementing measures to reduce new invasions, developing Alert lists, and to focus effort in the species already established, for instance making a Black list. We developed a trans national horizon scanning exercise focused on inland waters of Spain and Portugal in order to provide a prioritized lists (Black list and Alert list) of aquatic IAS that may pose a threat to aquatic ecosystems and socio economic sectors in the future. We followed a step approach of existing information about IAS (Plants, Freshwater Invertebrates, Estuarine Invertebrates and Vertebrates; 127 established taxa in Black list; 90 non established taxa in Alert list) combining with an expert scoring of prioritized taxa. IAS established in the Iberian aquatic system consistently highlighted as the worst included vertebrates (e.g. Cyprinus carpio, Gambusia holbrooki, Silurus glanis), freshwater and estuarine invertebrates (e.g. Procambarus clarkii, Dreissena polymorpha, Pacifastacus leniusculus, Ficopomatus enigmaticus, Callinectes sapidus, Corbicula fluminea) and plants (e.g. Eichhornia crassipes, Azolla filiculoides, Ludwigia grandiflora). Amongst taxa not yet established (Alert list), expert pointed to Perna viridis, Hydroides dirampha, Dreissena bugensis, Procambarus fallax f. virginallis, Perccottus glenii with higher risk of invasion, ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Over 20.6% of the taxa in the preliminary black list received no votes (no prioritization) by experts, 17.8% in the innitial alert list. Our horizon scanning approach is inclusive of all-taxa, prioritizes both established and emerging biological threats across trans-national scales, and considers not only the ecological impact, but also potential direct economic consequences as well as the manageability of invasive species.This work received funds from the LIFE Programme (LIFE17 GIE/ES/000515)

Corrigendum to ‘a horizon scan exercise for aquatic invasive alien species in Iberian inland waters’

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Código de conduta. Prevenção da introdução e dispersão de flora e fauna exótica invasora: agentes ambientais

De forma intencional ou involuntária, o ser humano transporta espécies entre locais desde tempos imemoriais. No entanto, nos últimos 50 anos, o ritmo de introdução de espécies exóticas no meio natural acelerou de forma alarmante, tornando-se numa das principais causas de perda de biodiversidade. A globalização, juntamente com as alterações climáticas, a destruição de habitats, o aumento do trânsito de pessoas e o comércio, são hoje os principais responsáveis pela perda de biodiversidade a nível global, acarretando também graves prejuízos para a economia e a saúde humana

Estructura genética del género Cobitis (Teleostei, Cobitidae) en la península Ibérica y norte de Marruecos.

Peer Reviewe

Phylogeny, diversity, and species delimitation of the North American Round-Nosed Minnows (Teleostei: Dionda), as inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences

Received 26 April 2011, Revised 6 October 2011, Accepted 17 October 2011, Available online 25 October 2011Accurate delimitation of species is a critical first step in protecting biodiversity. Detection of distinct species is especially important for groups of organisms that inhabit sensitive environments subject to recent degradation, such as creeks, springs, and rivers in arid or semi-desert regions. The genus Dionda currently includes six recognized and described species of minnows that live in clear springs and spring-fed creeks of Texas, New Mexico (USA), and northern Mexico, but the boundaries, delimitation, and characterization of species in this genus have not been examined rigorously. The habitats of some of the species in this genus are rapidly deteriorating, and many local populations of Dionda have been extirpated. Considering the increasing concerns over degradation of their habitat, and pending a more detailed morphological revision of the genus, we undertook a molecular survey based on four DNA regions to examine variation over the range of the genus, test species boundaries, and infer phylogenetic relationships within Dionda. Based on analyses of two mitochondrial (cytb and D-loop) and two nuclear (Rag1 and S7) DNA regions from specimens collected throughout the range of Dionda, we identified 12 distinct species in the genus. Formerly synonymized names are available for two of these species, and four other species remain undescribed. We also redefine the known range of six species. The limited distribution of several of the species, coupled with widespread habitat degradation, suggests that many of the species in this genus should be targets for conservation and recovery efforts.This study was funded by NSF grants (DEB 0817027, DEB1021840, and EF0431326) to R.L. Mayden, and by BBVA-Foundation support to project ‘Studies for the conservation of cyprinids in arid/semi-arid environments of the Iberian Peninsula and North America’ (REF. 060501070030) to A. Perdices.Peer reviewe

Inter-basin exchange and repeated headwater capture across the Sierra Madre Occidental inferred from the phylogeography of Mexican stonerollers

We examined range-wide patterns of genetic variation among Campostoma populations to infer the progression of events that may have shaped species distributions and freshwater diversity across the SMO and adjacent areas. The recovered gene genealogies indicate that: (1) a widespread ancestral form inhabiting an ancient Rio Grande system diverged into two evolutionary lineages following isolation of southern drainages, possibly due to the combined influence of tectonic events and increasing regional aridity (Hubbs & Miller, 1948; Smith, 1981; Miller & Smith, 1986; Metcalfe et al., 2002); (2) divergence into two evolutionary lineages was followed by range expansion from Atlantic to Pacific drainages due to drainage evolution and river capture events; and (3) further inter-basin exchange has occurred via more recent headwater capture events, hydrological connections, and possible anthropogenic introductions. As a consequence, the geographic distribution of genetic variation does not necessarily correspond to drainage boundaries, where geographically close but hydrologically disjunctive populations from independent drainages may be more closely related than geographically distant populations from the same river drainage.This study was funded by NSF grant (DEB 0817027) to R.L.M., by BBVA-Foundation support to the project ‘Studies for the conservation of cyprinids in arid/semiarid environments of the Iberian Peninsula and North America’ to A.P. (ref. 060501070030), the US Environmental Protection Agency and Tulane University.Peer reviewe

LIFE INVASAQUA - Código de conduta. Comércio electrónico de flora e fauna exóticas invasoras.

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