Marine Biological Invasions: Experimental Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

Biological invasions are recognized as one of the major threats for the biodiversity conservation and its prevention, eradication and control are currently major environmental, political and economic challenges. In the marine environment, coasts and estuaries are particularly vulnerable as these systems are under the permanent income of new colonizers mainly through marine traffic connectivity. In this sense, marinas and harbors are the hotspots for the introduction and accumulation of non-indigenous species (NIS), and potential sources from where some of these NIS can eventually spread and invade the surrounding natural coastal habitats, including marine protected areas (MPAs). Ecological experimentation is fundamental for a better understanding on the factors determining the failure or success of the invasion, and also contributes to make appropriate assessments of NIS introductions and better predict the risks of invasion. The aim of the invited Special Issue is to search and publish experimental research focused on marine invasion ecology, with the goal to make a compendium that can serve as a specific update in this research area. All types of contributions are welcome, although experimental studies focused on the following topics are particularly welcome:

• Control and management of introduction vectors in the marine environment.
• Coastal monitoring of NIS and innovation in methods for early detection.
• Experiments on ecology and/or biology of marine invasions.
• Evaluation of the impacts of marine invasions.
• Marine invasions and other global change threats.

Dr. Ignacio Gestoso
Guest Editor

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