Examples of Alien Species in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin

<div><p>Clockwise from top left: The top left-hand panel has been removed due to copyright restrictions made apparent after publication; the raccoon (Procyon lotor), introduced in Europe in the late 1920s for fur farming, has spread to several central and western European countries, having ecological, agricultural, and health-related impacts; the Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris), originating from the Iberian Peninsula, has invaded many areas of Europe; the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), introduced from Russia via shipping canals to non-native areas in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries and later to North America, where it has large negative impacts; the yellow sage (Lantana camara), an invasive weed from tropical America with many cultivars and hybrids, was introduced as an ornamental shrub in Europe and many other areas; and the common myna (Acridotheres tristis), a highly invasive bird species, which was recently introduced to several Mediterranean countries and is rapidly expanding its range.</p> <p>Photos: Raccoon, non-copyright (<a href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/373074" target="_blank">http://www.sxc.hu/photo/373074</a>), Spanish slug, Inger Weidema; zebra mussel, Dan Minchin; yellow sage, Salit Kark; common myna, Yotam Orchan, Assaf Shwartz.</p></div

Change in the Number of Publications on Alien Species in Europe That Appeared in Eight Major Ecology and Conservation Biology Journals from 1995–2005

<p>An increase with year was found for the plant, vertebrate, and aquatic taxonomic groups (<i>R²</i> = 0.81 for all four groups combined; plants: linear <i>R²</i> = 0.67, <i>p</i> = 0.002; vertebrates: linear <i>R²</i> = 0.67, <i>p</i> = 0.002; aquatic: linear <i>R²</i> = 0.51, <i>p</i> = 0.014; invertebrates: linear <i>R²</i> = 0.28, <i>p</i> = 0.091). The journals include <i>Biological Conservation, Biological Invasions, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal of Ecology,</i> and Oikos. We included all papers that dealt with aliens in any European country. Papers were searched from ISI Web of Knowledge on 22 May 2006 using the words “aliens,” “exotic,” “invasion,” “naturalized,” “non-indigenous,” “nonindigenous,” “non-native,” and “nonnative.” Global papers and models were not included. While other journals include papers on alien species (especially aquatic species), this figure shows an increase in interest in the area based on the ecological and conservation journals examined.</p

Appendix A. Tables of references for visitation statistics to protected areas in twelve countries; the number of geo-tagged Flickr photos globally when summed for land and sea areas, coastal and non-coastal areas, protected and unprotected areas, as well as for three night-light intensity levels; the three most visited protected areas in 40 selected countries, according to the total number of Flickr photos; the three most popular protected areas in 40 selected countries according to Flickr;...

Tables of references for visitation statistics to protected areas in twelve countries; the number of geo-tagged Flickr photos globally when summed for land and sea areas, coastal and non-coastal areas, protected and unprotected areas, as well as for three night-light intensity levels; the three most visited protected areas in 40 selected countries, according to the total number of Flickr photos; the three most popular protected areas in 40 selected countries according to Flickr; the three most photographed protected areas in 40 selected countries according to Flickr based on the most photographed grid cell within them; the three most popular protected areas shown for 40 selected countries according to Flickr; the three most impacted protected areas in 40 selected countries based on the average of the percentage of lit area and the percentage area with photographers; and the three most impacted protected areas in 40 selected countries based on the average of the percentage of lit area and the percentage area with photographers

Appendix B. Detailed descriptions of input data and resulting cost layers.

Detailed descriptions of input data and resulting cost layers

Appendix C. Results of 30% target and selection frequency outputs from Marxan analysis.

Results of 30% target and selection frequency outputs from Marxan analysis

Appendix A. Detailed information of threatened species used in this study.

Detailed information of threatened species used in this study

A graphic representation of the ecotones detected in the study site (for birds and butterflies in purple and orange respectively) compared with vegetation belts, as described in previous studies of Mt. Hermon (Shmida 1974).

<p>Black contours denote 100 m elevation intervals. The background color gradient represents elevation from low (in green) to high (in brown).</p

Spearman rank correlation (ρ) of the similarity between the selection frequency outputs of each planning scenario.

<p>High values (closer to 1) indicate a more similar spatial pattern in selection frequencies, meaning that these plans will require similar conservation actions. All scenarios show significant correlations (p<0.001).</p

Biodiversity features and fishing effort in Israel's Mediterranean Sea territorial waters; a) species richness of 166 biodiversity features (species and geomorphologic features), b) combined fishing effort (entangling nets, longliners, purse seiners and trawlers), where the blue areas (no effort) are restricted fishing areas; marine reserves, military areas and aquaculture.

<p>Biodiversity features and fishing effort in Israel's Mediterranean Sea territorial waters; a) species richness of 166 biodiversity features (species and geomorphologic features), b) combined fishing effort (entangling nets, longliners, purse seiners and trawlers), where the blue areas (no effort) are restricted fishing areas; marine reserves, military areas and aquaculture.</p

Species list Levin et al

Information used to define fish species distribution ranges - depth ranges and marine habitat