Ecology and Biogeography of Aquatic Alien Invasive Species

Dear Colleagues,

Aquatic alien invasive species (AIS) are increasingly threatening ecosystems globally, causing substantial biodiversity imbalances and relevant changes in the biogeographic distribution patterns of many species. In the aquatic ecosystems, AIS are among the leading threats to native wildlife, potentially leading to their extinction. These impacts can arise from direct biotic interactions with the resident community, such as competition and predation, as well as indirect changes in habitat conditions. Among the greatest challenges we currently face is knowing the scope of the expansion of the AIS and their impact, essential for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. Impacts of AIS on the biota of aquatic ecosystems are broad, from genes to whole community structures, which may contribute to a process known as biotic homogenization. The spread of alien fish species is a complex phenomenon emerging at the global, regional, and local scales that requires a significant effort from the scientific community to increase the necessary knowledge about these species that makes it possible to adopt measures aimed at mitigating their effects and preventing their expansion. Although the number of studies that show the ecological impact of AIS introductions has grown, the real impact of most species and introductions has hardly been studied and is surely much greater than is known for many of these species; we still lack essential knowledge about their ecology and current distribution. The actual understanding of invasive aquatic species ecology and distribution is a pivotal requirement for conservation management.

This Special Issue deals with the ecology and biogeography of aquatic alien invasive species in ecosystems. Review and research papers are invited from scientists working on diverse branches of aquatic conservation sciences to collect the most recent studies on both marine and freshwater invasive species. Topics such as feeding habits, the behavior of the species, life cycle, demography, expansion, changes in their biogeographic patterns, ecological and economic consequences of their introduction, early detection protocols, application of non-intrusive tools for the assessment of the species, such as hydroacoustic or eDNA and DNA barcoding and metabarcoding applications, management plants, strategies, and control proposals, as well as studies on their natural environment, are welcome for this Special Issue.

Dr. Lourdes Encina
Guest Editor

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• invasive alien species
• ecology
• biogeography
• feeding habits
• behavior
• life cycle
• distribution
• detection
• hydroacoustic
• eDNA
• management
• plants