In a recent article, Malaquias et al. (2016) use molecular tools to test the conspecificity of the aglajid sea slug Chelidonura fulvipunctata Baba, 1938 populations from two sites in the Mediterranean (Cyprus, Italy) and the Indo-West Pacific (Mozambique, Lizard Island, Australia, and Marshall Islands). The authors then postulate that the species has entered the Red Sea from the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal, the latter acting as a “revolving door” that can allow species of Indo-Pacific origin to enter the Mediterranean, and species established in the Mediterranean to move into the Red Sea. In this response evidence is offered that questions, if not refutes, the authors’ premises. The veracity and accuracy of the geographic origin and the pathways of introduction are of major importance for management of bioinvasions. For appropriate management measures to be prioritized, devised, and implemented, care should be taken to provide scientists, regulators and stakeholders with as accurate information as possible.

This study aimed to strengthen the knowledge of Didymosphenia geminata distribution in Spain, and to determine which environmental variables were related to its regional distribution and temporal changes in growth and production in two Ebro River tributary basins (Iregua and Najerilla¸ La Rioja Region). Living cells of D. geminata were present in 40% of the studied sites of both basins but only four of the sites developed massive growths. The diatom is widely distributed only in mountain areas of both basins (above 690 masl), which have low average annual air temperature (8.27 ± 0.28 ºC) and low water Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP) concentration (average value 0.024 ± 0.007 ppm). Massive growths occur in sites with high light intensity, hydrological regulation of river flow and the lowest measured SRP concentrations (below 0.018 ppm SRP). We carried out an intensive spatio-temporal survey in the Lumbreras River (Iregua basin), where the first massive growth was detected in La Rioja Region. The highest cell densities (1.6 × 105 cells cm⁻²) and biomass values (480 gDWm⁻²) were recorded in late summer. An increase in solar radiation and slight rise in water temperature were associated with an increase in biomass over time, but always in waters with low SRP concentration, the key factor that enhances massive growth development. The alteration of the natural streamflow in the Lumbreras River by the Pajares Reservoir and the fact that water is discharged from the hypolimnion (which decreases the summer river water temperature) are important factors in understanding why D. geminata shows such an increase in biomass in a Mediterranean river. This paper provides new insights into the importance of different factors controlling D. geminata massive proliferations in the Mediterranean climate zone, where it is assumed that the species should not develop such massive growths, compared to temperate zones where the majority of previous studies have been carried out. We suggest that changing the reservoir management strategy would be a very important contribution to the control of such significant developments.

During the summer of 2012, we first observed non-native flowering rush Butomus umbellatus (Linnaeus, 1753) in the upper Niagara River, NY, USA, where this species had previously been undocumented. In a 2013 study, Butomus was present at 33 of 161 (20%) submersed nearshore (≤ 3 m) sites surveyed. It was the species of greatest biomass at 27% of the sites where it was collected, and was observed growing at depths > 3 m. Butomus was disproportionately prevalent in the upper observed ranges of water depth and velocity. Butomus was also closely associated with coarse substrates, differing from canopy-forming species but not other linear-leaved species. Emergence of Butomus from the sediment generally occurred from late-May to early-June, with peak coverage and height occurring in mid- to late-July. Coverage was generally minimal by mid-September. Rhizome bulbil production occurred on specimens as small as 25 cm in length and was first observed in mid-August when water temperatures were about 22.5°C. Although we did not investigate the ploidy status of Butomus in the Niagara River, the presence of these vegetative reproductive structures is consistent with reports of genetically diploid Butomus populations in North America. No linear correlations between the biomasses of Butomus and other species were detected, although the data suggest a possible limiting effect on the biomasses of other species in dense Butomus stands. Even if emergent Butomus was eradicated from shorelines and wetlands, submersed areas would likely act as a refuge from which Butomus could continue to distribute viable bulbils and rhizome fragments into the nearshore. Submersed Butomus is a potential ecosystem engineer because it can colonize barren areas with coarse substrates, reach high densities, and grow to a considerable height in the water column. Subsequently, deposition and retention of fine sediments may occur, potentially allowing other species to expand into previously unsuitable areas.

Aquatic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to introductions of non-indigenous species, which potentially lead to major disruptions in the functioning of these invaluable habitats. Despite the significance of aquatic systems, there is no collated data available on the aquatic non-native plants in Serbia. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to provide a first overview of the aquatic alien plant species recorded in Serbia, their origins, current distribution, habitat preferences and invasiveness status. This study comprises the results of a comprehensive literature review and extensive field research on lake and river systems over a nine year period (2007–2015), with the addition of data from the IASV database and Joint Danube Surveys 2 & 3. The results of this study show the presence of seven non-indigenous aquatic plant species in Serbia which, despite being a relatively low number when compared to France and Germany, is in line with most of the countries of the region (e.g. Croatia, Bulgaria and FYR Macedonia). The majority of the species are native to the Americas, which concurs with the results of previous studies at the European level, with only one species of Asian origin. The most abundant of the registered non-natives is Vallisneria spiralis, followed by Azolla filiculoides and Elodea nuttallii, while Cabomba caroliniana, as the newest registered aquatic alien in Serbia, has the least number of records. All of the registered non-natives predominantly occur in running waters, including as much as 91% of the records for Elodea canadensis and 85% for Elodea nuttalli. Vallisneria spiralis is present in five different EUNIS habitat types, while Paspalum distichum was recorded predominantly along the River Danube, thereby highlighting it as P. distichum's main corridor of spread in Serbia. The distribution of all the recorded non-indigenous species is primarily linked to the northern, low-lying part of Serbia—i.e. Vojvodina Province. Such a distribution pattern is concordant with the presence of adequate habitat types, the courses of potential international invasion corridors in the Sava and Danube rivers and the position of the elaborate irrigation canal network of the Danube-Tisa-Danube Hydrosystem; but also with the frequency of studies carried out in this region over the years. Of the seven aquatic aliens present in Serbian waterbodies, three are considered to be highly invasive and one potentially invasive, while two have also been included in the list of 150 most widespread alien species in Europe.

The species composition and seasonal abundance patterns of gelatinous zooplankton are poorly known for many European coastal-zone waters. The seasonal abundance and distribution of the dominant species of hydromedusae along a salinity gradient within the Gironde Estuary, Atlantic coast of France, were evaluated based on monthly surveys, June 2013 to April 2014. The results confirmed the presence of three species considered to be introduced in many coastal ecosystems around the world: Nemopsis bachei (Agassiz, 1849), Blackfordia virginica (Mayer, 1910), and Maeotias marginata (Modeer, 1791). These species were found at salinities ranging from 0 to 22.9 and temperatures ranging from 14.5 to 26.6 ºC, demonstrating their tolerance to a wide range of estuarine environmental conditions. There was a clear succession of the three species that was influenced by temperature and salinity. Blackfordia virginica was the dominant hydromedusae during the warmest months and occurred at very high abundance (up to 634 individuals.m^-3 corresponding to 21.40 g.m^-3 as wet weight). The seasonal evolution of the size distribution indicated an extended period of release of medusae by hydroid polyps, and rapid growth, covering the whole period of occurrence for B. virginica. Nemopsis bachei also was present during the warmer months but only locally common. In contrast, Maeotias marginata only occurred in low numbers during autumn and had not been previously detected in the Gironde Estuary. Non-native jellyfishes clearly represent a prominent component of the Gironde Estuary, and additional work is needed to understand the potential impacts on the structure and functioning of entire zooplankton community.

Understanding the population dynamics of invasive species, such as the green mussel Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758), can aid in explaining the success of newly introduced populations and help predict the potential for spread. During a two-year field study of established populations in the invaded region of southwest Florida, year round gametogenesis and continuous spawning capabilities were observed through histological analysis of mussels collected monthly. This was supported by overall stable energetic reserves as measured through proximal biochemical composition (protein, glycogen and lipid content). However, egg outputs in the summer (6.4 × 106 ± 2.6 × 106 eggs / female) were significantly higher than egg outputs of winter-spawned mussels (7.7 × 104 ± 1.4 × 104 eggs / female). Stability in biochemical composition, suggests temperature and food availability were sufficient year round, allowing for the maintenance of reserves and active gametogenesis. Protein ranged from 409.0–628.0 mg g⁻¹, glycogen from 44.3–158.5 mg g⁻¹ and total lipids from 7.4–13.5 mg g⁻¹. Year-round reproductive capabilities supported by sufficient energy reserves may help explain the rapid colonization and high densities of green mussels along the southeastern United States and suggests the potential for competition with native species, particularly the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica.

Human activities have modified the chemical, physical and biological attributes of many of the world’s estuaries. Natural foreshores have been replaced by artificial habitats and non-indigenous species have been introduced by shipping, aquaculture, and as ornamental pets. In south east Australia, the native Sydney rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata is threatened by pollution, disease and competition from the invasive Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. This study assessed the abundance (as number m^-2), size, and distribution of both invasive and native oyster species at 32 sites in the heavily urbanised Port Jackson Estuary, Australia. We tested the hypotheses that there would be: (1) a difference in the proportion of C. gigas greater proportion of C. gigas on artificial compared to natural substrates; (3) a greater numbers of all oysters, with differing size characteristics, on artificial compared to natural substrates; and (4) that the abundance and size of all oysters would vary among locations along an environmental gradient. Environmental variables included distance from the estuary mouth and salinity. We found the abundance and size of all oysters differed among locations; smaller oysters occurred at greater abundances near the mouth of the estuary. Abundance was also higher on artificial, than on natural substrate. Habitat type, however, had no effect on which species of oyster was present. In contrast, distance from the estuary mouth strongly influenced the relative proportion of the two species. The invasive C. gigas comprised 16 % of the oysters sampled, and up to 85 % at some of the upper estuary sites. As predicted, C. gigas was more abundant at locations in the bay ends and upper channel of the estuary; it was also larger in size than the native S. glomerata. This is the first assessment of oyster distribution in Port Jackson and provides a solid base for monitoring changes in the estuarine distribution of a globally invasive pest.

Studying offshore natural and artificial hard substrates in the southern North Sea (51ºN–57ºN/1ºW–9ºE), the invasive introduced Japanese skeleton shrimp Caprella mutica Schurin, 1935 was found to co-exist with the native Caprella linearis (Linnaeus, 1767) only on near-shore locations that had an intertidal zone (e.g., wind farm foundations). In contrast, on far offshore and strictly subtidal locations, such as shipwrecks and rocky reefs, only C. linearis was found. Based on these exploratory observations, we hypothesised that artificial structures that are only subtidal are inhabited exclusively by C. linearis, and never by C. mutica. To test this hypothesis and understand factors driving each species’ habitat preferences, habitat suitability models were constructed using generalised additive models, based on samples collected in 2013–2015 from offshore gas platforms, buoys, shipwrecks, and rocky reefs and combined with data from other published and unpublished surveys (2001–2014). The models showed that the presence of C. mutica is explained by the availability of intertidal and floating hard substrates, suspended particulate matter density (SPM), mean annual sea surface temperature, salinity, and current velocity. The C. linearis model included subtidal hard substrates, SPM, salinity, temperature, and current velocity. The modelled distributions showed a significant difference, demonstrating that C. linearis’ habitat preference does not fully overlap with that of C. mutica. Thus, the native and alien Caprella species are likely to be able to co-exist in the North Sea.

Despite the extreme diversity of crayfish in the Southeastern United States, many taxa are threatened with extinction due to invasive counterparts. Invasive crayfish alter invaded habitats causing community and population level impacts due to competition, predation and transmission of diseases. We experimentally evaluated the potential impacts of invasive red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) and virile crayfish (Orconectes virilis) on native Piedmont crayfish (Cambarus sp. C) using size-matched pairs. We tested 1) species-specific aggressive behavior with aggression assays, and 2) survival in sympatry with survival analysis. Both invasive crayfish species tended to express higher levels of aggression compared to the native counterpart. However, we failed to detect any statistically significant differences. During survival experiments, the proportional survival of native Cambarus sp. C in sympatry with invasive O. virilis was significantly lower than that of invasive O. virilis. However, we did not find a significant difference in the proportional survival between invasive P. clarkii and native Cambarus sp. C. These experiments demonstrate inconsistent and limited negative impacts of two invasive crayfish species on a native species, when size-matched. Therefore, in order to make novel and effective decisions in managing these invasive species, it is critical to understand species-specific invasion dynamics and size-dependent potential impacts of invasive crayfish on native taxa.

Transmission of the crayfish plague pathogen Aphanomyces astaci endangers native European crayfish. This pathogen, spread mainly by its natural hosts, North American crayfish, has also been detected in the aquarium trade in Europe. As the trade in ornamental crayfish is nowadays considered a key introduction pathway of non-European crayfish, it may contribute to crayfish plague spread. Non-American crayfish have been assessed as highly susceptible to the pathogen, and thus unlikely to participate in A. astaci spread from aquarium facilities. However, moderate resistance to this disease has been suggested for the Australian yabby Cherax destructor. This widely traded crayfish species exhibits high potential to establish in Central Europe, and has been assessed as a high-risk species with regards to its invasiveness. We investigated resistance of juvenile C. destructor towards three A. astaci strains differing in virulence (representing genotype groups A, B and E), present in Central European waters. Cherax destructor was exposed to two doses of A. astaci zoospores (10 and 100 spores ml^-1) and its mortality was further compared with that of the juvenile European noble crayfish Astacus astacus. While some survival among C. destructor individuals was observed after exposure to the least virulent A. astaci strain (genotype group A), total mortality of Australian crayfish was noted after infection with the two more virulent strains. However, in contrast to A. astacus, the mortality of C. destructor was significantly delayed. These results suggest that under favourable conditions C. destructor may contribute to crayfish plague spread in Central Europe.

Across-ecoregion analyses showed that the recruitment of common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus 1758), a globally invasive fish, is strongly influenced by lake productivity: while recruitment was frequent in hypereutrophic lakes, it was invariably absent in oligotrophic lakes. This led to a hypothesis that common carp larvae might have faster growth rates in productive lakes that allow them to outgrow native predators, whereas larvae might encounter nutritional bottlenecks in oligotrophic lakes. We shed some light on this hypothesis by documenting how zooplankton communities found in oligo-, meso-, and eutrophic lakes in Minnesota, USA affected larval carp survival, growth and diet composition. We cultured larval carp in tanks fed zooplankton at naturally occurring densities from three lakes of varying trophic states for 20 days during two consecutive springs. The growth rates were significantly higher (up to 5 times) among larvae fed zooplankton from the eutrophic lake and lowest in larvae fed zooplankton from the oligotrophic lake. Despite their small size (~6 mm), carp larvae selected large zooplankton (0.3–0.6 mm), primarily Bosmina spp., even on the first day of exogenous feeding. This pattern was consistent across all treatments. Rotifers were generally not found in the stomachs of larval carp, despite their high abundance, even if other food items were scarce. The densities of cladocera were highest in the productive lake, especially during one of the two years when larval carp showed very rapid growth rates. Our study shows that larval carp have well defined dietary preferences and that common carp recruitment might be especially likely to occur in productive systems with abundant cladocera populations in which carp larvae are expected to be more likely to escape gape-limited, native predators.