• Energy Research

La menace posée par les espèces exotiques envahissantes dans le monde nécessite une approche globale pour identifier les espèces introduites qui sont susceptibles de présenter un risque élevé d'impact sur les espèces et les écosystèmes indigènes. Pour éclairer les politiques, les parties prenantes et les décisions de gestion sur les menaces mondiales pour les écosystèmes aquatiques, 195 évaluateurs représentant 120 zones d'évaluation des risques sur les six continents habités ont examiné 819 espèces non indigènes de 15 groupes d'organismes aquatiques (eau douce, saumâtre, plantes et animaux marins) à l'aide du kit de dépistage invasif des espèces aquatiques. Cet outil multilingue d'aide à la décision pour le dépistage des risques des organismes aquatiques fournit aux évaluateurs des scores de risque pour une espèce dans les conditions actuelles et futures du changement climatique qui, après un étalonnage statistique, permet la classification précise des espèces en catégories de risque élevé, moyen et faible dans les conditions climatiques actuelles et prévues. Les 1730 projections entreprises englobaient de vastes zones géographiques (régions, entités politiques, parties de celles-ci, plans d'eau, bassins hydrographiques, bassins de drainage des lacs et régions marines), ce qui a permis d'identifier des seuils pour presque tous les groupes d'organismes aquatiques examinés ainsi que pour les classes de climat tropical, tempéré et continental, et pour les écorégions marines tropicales et tempérées. Au total, 33 espèces ont été identifiées comme présentant un « risque très élevé » d'être ou de devenir envahissantes, et les scores de plusieurs de ces espèces sous le climat actuel ont augmenté dans les conditions climatiques futures, principalement en raison de leurs larges tolérances thermiques. Les seuils de risque déterminés pour les groupes taxonomiques et les zones climatiques fournissent une base par rapport à laquelle les seuils calibrés spécifiques à une zone ou basés sur le climat peuvent être interprétés. À leur tour, les classements de risque aident les décideurs à identifier les espèces qui nécessitent une action de gestion « rapide » immédiate (par exemple, éradication, contrôle) pour éviter ou atténuer les impacts négatifs, qui nécessitent une évaluation complète des risques et qui doivent être restreintes ou interdites en ce qui concerne l'importation et/ou la vente en tant qu'amélioration ornementale ou aquarium/pêcherie. La amenaza que representan las especies no nativas invasoras en todo el mundo requiere un enfoque global para identificar qué especies introducidas probablemente representen un riesgo elevado de impacto para las especies nativas y los ecosistemas. Para informar las políticas, las partes interesadas y las decisiones de gestión sobre las amenazas globales a los ecosistemas acuáticos, 195 evaluadores que representan 120 áreas de evaluación de riesgos en los seis continentes habitados examinaron 819 especies no nativas de 15 grupos de organismos acuáticos (agua dulce, salobre, plantas y animales marinos) utilizando el Kit de detección de invasividad de especies acuáticas. Esta herramienta multilingüe de apoyo a la toma de decisiones para la detección de riesgos de organismos acuáticos proporciona a los evaluadores puntuaciones de riesgo para una especie en condiciones de cambio climático actuales y futuras que, después de una calibración basada en estadísticas, permite la clasificación precisa de especies en categorías de riesgo alto, medio y bajo en condiciones climáticas actuales y previstas. Los exámenes de 1730 abarcaron amplias áreas geográficas (regiones, entidades políticas, partes de las mismas, cuerpos de agua, cuencas fluviales, cuencas de drenaje de lagos y regiones marinas), lo que permitió identificar umbrales para casi todos los grupos de organismos acuáticos examinados, así como para las clases de clima tropical, templado y continental, y para las ecorregiones marinas tropicales y templadas. En total, se identificaron 33 especies con un "riesgo muy alto" de ser o convertirse en invasoras, y las puntuaciones de varias de estas especies en el clima actual aumentaron en condiciones climáticas futuras, principalmente debido a sus amplias tolerancias térmicas. Los umbrales de riesgo determinados para los grupos taxonómicos y las zonas climáticas proporcionan una base contra la cual se pueden interpretar los umbrales calibrados específicos de la zona o basados en el clima. A su vez, las clasificaciones de riesgo ayudan a los responsables de la toma de decisiones a identificar qué especies requieren una acción de gestión "rápida" inmediata (por ejemplo, erradicación, control) para evitar o mitigar los impactos adversos, que requieren una evaluación completa del riesgo y que deben restringirse o prohibirse con respecto a la importación y/o venta como mejora ornamental o de acuario/pesquería. The threat posed by invasive non-native species worldwide requires a global approach to identify which introduced species are likely to pose an elevated risk of impact to native species and ecosystems. To inform policy, stakeholders and management decisions on global threats to aquatic ecosystems, 195 assessors representing 120 risk assessment areas across all six inhabited continents screened 819 non-native species from 15 groups of aquatic organisms (freshwater, brackish, marine plants and animals) using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit. This multi-lingual decision-support tool for the risk screening of aquatic organisms provides assessors with risk scores for a species under current and future climate change conditions that, following a statistically based calibration, permits the accurate classification of species into high-, medium- and low-risk categories under current and predicted climate conditions. The 1730 screenings undertaken encompassed wide geographical areas (regions, political entities, parts thereof, water bodies, river basins, lake drainage basins, and marine regions), which permitted thresholds to be identified for almost all aquatic organismal groups screened as well as for tropical, temperate and continental climate classes, and for tropical and temperate marine ecoregions. In total, 33 species were identified as posing a 'very high risk' of being or becoming invasive, and the scores of several of these species under current climate increased under future climate conditions, primarily due to their wide thermal tolerances. The risk thresholds determined for taxonomic groups and climate zones provide a basis against which area-specific or climate-based calibrated thresholds may be interpreted. In turn, the risk rankings help decision-makers identify which species require an immediate 'rapid' management action (e.g. eradication, control) to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts, which require a full risk assessment, and which are to be restricted or banned with regard to importation and/or sale as ornamental or aquarium/fishery enhancement. يتطلب التهديد الذي تشكله الأنواع غير الأصلية الغازية في جميع أنحاء العالم نهجًا عالميًا لتحديد الأنواع المدخلة التي من المحتمل أن تشكل خطرًا كبيرًا للتأثير على الأنواع والنظم الإيكولوجية المحلية. لإبلاغ السياسات وأصحاب المصلحة وقرارات الإدارة بشأن التهديدات العالمية للنظم الإيكولوجية المائية، قام 195 مقيماً يمثلون 120 منطقة لتقييم المخاطر في جميع القارات الست المأهولة بالسكان بفحص 819 نوعاً غير أصلي من 15 مجموعة من الكائنات المائية (المياه العذبة والمالحة والنباتات والحيوانات البحرية) باستخدام مجموعة فحص غزو الأنواع المائية. توفر أداة دعم القرار متعددة اللغات لفحص مخاطر الكائنات الحية المائية للمقيمين درجات مخاطر للأنواع في ظل ظروف تغير المناخ الحالية والمستقبلية التي تسمح، بعد المعايرة القائمة على الإحصاء، بالتصنيف الدقيق للأنواع إلى فئات عالية ومتوسطة ومنخفضة المخاطر في ظل الظروف المناخية الحالية والمتوقعة. وشملت عمليات الفحص التي أجريت عام 1730 مناطق جغرافية واسعة (المناطق والكيانات السياسية وأجزاء منها والمسطحات المائية وأحواض الأنهار وأحواض تصريف البحيرات والمناطق البحرية)، مما سمح بتحديد عتبات لجميع المجموعات العضوية المائية التي تم فحصها تقريبًا وكذلك لفئات المناخ الاستوائية والمعتدلة والقارية، وللمناطق الإيكولوجية البحرية الاستوائية والمعتدلة. في المجموع، تم تحديد 33 نوعًا على أنها تشكل "خطرًا كبيرًا جدًا" من أن تكون أو تصبح غازية، وزادت درجات العديد من هذه الأنواع في ظل المناخ الحالي في ظل الظروف المناخية المستقبلية، ويرجع ذلك أساسًا إلى تفاوتاتها الحرارية الواسعة. توفر عتبات المخاطر المحددة للمجموعات التصنيفية والمناطق المناخية أساسًا يمكن على أساسه تفسير عتبات المعايرة الخاصة بالمناطق أو القائمة على المناخ. في المقابل، تساعد تصنيفات المخاطر صانعي القرار على تحديد الأنواع التي تتطلب إجراءً إداريًا "سريعًا" فوريًا (مثل الاستئصال والمكافحة) لتجنب أو تخفيف الآثار السلبية، والتي تتطلب تقييمًا كاملاً للمخاطر، والتي يجب تقييدها أو حظرها فيما يتعلق بالاستيراد و/أو البيع كزينة أو تحسين حوض السمك/مصايد الأسماك.

Aquatic invasions are one of the major threats for freshwater ecosystems. However, in developing countries, knowledge of biological invasions, essential for the implementation of appropriate legislation, is often limited if not entirely lacking. In this regard, the identification of potentially invasive non-native species by risk screening, followed by a full risk assessment of the species ranked as higher risk, enables decision-makers to be informed about the extent of the threats posed to the recipient (risk assessment) area. In this study, 32 non-native extant and horizon fish species were screened for their risk of invasiveness under current and predicted climate conditions for the South Caucasus – a biodiversity and geopolitical hotspot that includes the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Overall, the number of very high-risk species increased from four (12.5%) under current climate conditions to 12 (37.5%) under predicted climate conditions. The highest-risk species under both conditions included the already established gibel carp Carassius gibelio and topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva, the locally translocated pikeperch Sander lucioperca and the horizon North African catfish Clarias gariepinus. Under predicted climate conditions, a very high risk of invasiveness was predicted also for the translocated three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus and Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis, for the already established eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki, ruffe Gymnocephalus cernua, sharpbelly Hemiculter leucisculus and Nile tilapia Orechromis niloticus, and for the horizon pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus and largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. Future research on the non-native species in the South Caucasus should be conducted both country- and region-wide and should account not only for the high biodiversity, but also for the critical geopolitical situation affecting the study area.

Over five hundred non-native ant species have spread worldwide, including many that have severe effects on biodiversity, are serious economic pests, or threaten human health and agriculture. The number of species in the Mediterranean is steadily increasing, with Italy being a prominent example. We provide risk screenings for non-native ant species in Italy using a Terrestrial Species Invasiveness Screening Kit using current climate conditions and future predictions. The screened species consist of 15 established and 12 horizon taxa. The results highlight the threat posed by Linepithema humile and Solenopsis invicta, followed by Wasmannia auropunctata, Brachyponera chinensis, and Solenopsis geminata. The threat posed by other tropical invaders such as Anoplolepis gracilipes and Pheidole megacephala depends on climate change scenarios. The Palearctic non-native Lasius neglectus and Tetramorium immigrans species are recognized as intermediate threats, while most screened species are far less threatening. The biology and ecology of most non-native ant species remain scarcely documented. Among the established species, B. chinensis, L. humile, and S. invicta deserve the most attention, while W. auropunctata is rapidly spreading in neighboring countries. Detection is still often accidental and late compared to establishment. Most species first establish around urban areas, making citizen science a promising tool for biosurveillance.

The threat posed by invasive non-native species worldwide requires a global approach to identify which introduced species are likely to pose an elevated risk of impact to native species and ecosystems. To inform policy, stakeholders and management decisions on global threats to aquatic ecosystems, 195 assessors representing 120 risk assessment areas across all six inhabited continents screened 819 non-native species from 15 groups of aquatic organisms (freshwater, brackish, marine plants and animals) using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit. This multi-lingual decision-support tool for the risk screening of aquatic organisms provides assessors with risk scores for a species under current and future climate change conditions that, following a statistically based calibration, permits the accurate classification of species into high-, medium- and low-risk categories under current and predicted climate conditions. The 1730 screenings undertaken encompassed wide geographical areas (regions, political entities, parts thereof, water bodies, river basins, lake drainage basins, and marine regions), which permitted thresholds to be identified for almost all aquatic organismal groups screened as well as for tropical, temperate and continental climate classes, and for tropical and temperate marine ecoregions. In total, 33 species were identified as posing a 'very high risk' of being or becoming invasive, and the scores of several of these species under current climate increased under future climate conditions, primarily due to their wide thermal tolerances. The risk thresholds determined for taxonomic groups and climate zones provide a basis against which area-specific or climate-based calibrated thresholds may be interpreted. In turn, the risk rankings help decision-makers identify which species require an immediate 'rapid' management action (e.g. eradication, control) to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts, which require a full risk assessment, and which are to be restricted or banned with regard to importation and/or sale as ornamental or aquarium/fishery enhancement.

Abstract In the context of biological invasions, freshwater aquatic invertebrates represent one of the most successful groups of organisms. At the same time, the secondary hydrographic system of a river catchment acts as a preferential pathway for the dispersion of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) to nearby ecosystems. The present study investigates the macrozoobenthos assemblage inhabiting 13 representative semi-natural streams of the secondary hydrographic system of the southern course of the River Ticino (Lombardy, Northern Italy). The level of biocontamination of the habitats under study was assessed by the Site-specific BioContamination Index (SBCI), which was paired with a preliminary screening of the NIS that may cause ecological and economic impacts at the sites under study using the recently-developed Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK) tool. The SBCI classified one stream as ‘high class’, one as ‘good class’, two as ‘moderate class’, seven as ‘poor class’, and the remaining two as ‘bad class’. Six macrozoobenthic NIS were identified, namely the amphipod Gammarus roeselii, the gastropods Physella acuta, Potamopyrgus antipodarum and Pseudosuccinea columella, the bivalve Corbicula fluminea and the limpet Ferrissia fragilis. Based on the AS-ISK outcomes, the most potentially invasive species were C. fluminea followed by P. columella, both of which were categorised as ‘high risk’. Also, the potential invasiveness of the above species increased after accounting for climate change predictions, as did that for all other species assessed, hence regardless of their corresponding risk level. By combining the results of the SBCI index with those from AS-ISK, a first step is provided towards the identification and refinement of potential management strategies aimed to reduce the impacts of NIS in the RAA, whilst accounting for predicted effects of climate change.