Description: In the past several decades, Ponto-Caspian species have established in freshwater and brackish habitats of the North and Baltic Sea and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River region in much higher numbers than expected based on introduction effort (i.e. shipping frequency) and environmental conditions between these regions. Several studies have suggested that Ponto-Caspian taxa are euryhaline and might be able to adapt rapidly to changing salinity conditions, and therefore may be more successful colonizers than species from other regions. To determine the realized niche in the native and introduced habitats of Ponto-Caspian invaders and to assess whether they have expanded their salinity tolerance during the invasion process, we conducted a literature search to assess the salinity ranges of 55 Ponto-Caspian species in their native and introduced ranges. Our results confirmed that the majority of those species occupied a wide range of salinity in their native and introduced habitats. Approximately 50% of species were reported from both freshwater and brackish habitats (0–18 PSU) in their native region, occupying a salinity range of at least 10 PSU difference. In general, the number of species tended to decline as salinity increased in both native and introduced habitats. More than 90% of Ponto-Caspian invaders occupied freshwater (〈 0–0.5 PSU) habitats, while 18% did not occur above 18 PSU. Overall, 46% of species were reported from a narrower salinity range in their introduced compared to their native region. Consequently, our study revealed significantly broader salinity ranges in native compared to introduced habitats. As our results suggest that the majority of Ponto-Caspian invaders occupy freshwater and brackish habitats in their native region, the recent numerous invasions of freshwater and brackish areas by these species should not be a surprise. Therefore, managers and policy makers should take into account that the majority of Ponto-Caspian invaders originate from fresh water or low salinities and develop new regulations to prevent future invasions from the Ponto-Caspian region, as well as from areas highly invaded by Ponto-Caspian taxa such as Northern Europe.

Description: The shore crab Hemigrapsus takanoi Asakura and Watanabe, 2005, native to the Northwest Pacific, was recorded in European waters about 25 years ago and it was first found in the Baltic Sea in 2014. Information on population structure of invaders and their new niche is needed in order to understand their biological impact. Over one year, we assessed temporal changes in relative abundance, size-class and sex ratio, as well as breeding season of H. takanoi in the Kiel Fjord (Western Baltic Sea). In addition, prey size preference and consumption rates on mussels (Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758) were experimentally assessed in spring, summer and autumn. A total of 596 individuals were collected with highest and lowest abundances in June and February, respectively. Females were dominant over males (sex ratio 1.4:1), but males grew to larger sizes. H. takanoi reproduced between June and August with ovigerous females representing 30% of the entire female abundance registered over the entire year. Males were able to open larger mussels (due to larger claws) and consumed twice as many mussels when compared to females of similar size. Consumption rates for males were 6 and 2 times higher in summer (seawater temperature of 19 °C) compared to spring (8 °C) and autumn (13 °C), respectively. Females consumed 3 times more mussels in autumn than in spring. H. takanoi is an active predator, capable of reproduction in stressful brackish water conditions. Due to large abundances and high feeding pressure, this recently introduced species could play a key role in structuring post-settlement population dynamics of the dominant habitat builder M. edulis.

Description: Invasive species continue to spread and alter ecological function and structure in natural systems. Invasive alien plant species can be particularly ecologically damaging and costly to control, yet their success might be influenced by key habitat characteristics which can be empirically measured. The present study employs field surveys and laboratory analyses to examine whether the abundance and key characteristics (i.e. height and number of stems) of the non-native balloon milkweed Gomphocarpus physocarpus E. Mey are influenced by wetland zonation (i.e. permanent, temporary and seasonal zones) and soil characteristics, within a designated Ramsar wetland. Significant site- and zonation-specific differences were observed in a range of soil parameters (e.g. pH, conductivity, Na, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe). Overall, milkweed numbers did not differ significantly according to wetland zonation, but differed significantly among sites. However, in turn, both plant heights and stem numbers related significantly to habitat zonation and sampling sites. Whilst unrelated to most soil properties, milkweed variables were found to relate significantly positively to Mn (abundance), negatively to Cu and positively to P (stem numbers). Furthermore, principal components analyses concerning milkweed abundances indicated clear patterning across sites, finding strong associations with soil variables (i.e. soluble S, Mn, pH, Na, SOM and conductivity). The present study illustrates distributions of a non-native plant species and assesses how its characteristics relate to environmental properties in an internationally recognised protected area. This information could be employed to help predict future distributions and better target management efforts towards sites at high-risk of invasion.

Description: One of the most dominant concepts in invasion ecology is the stage-based invasion model, consisting of transport, introduction, establishment and spread. Many species fail at one of the stages, with propagule pressure (i.e. number of introduced individuals) identified as a principal factor affecting establishment success. Population characteristics such as phenotypic plasticity and beneficial life history traits may facilitate successful transition of species through different stages of the process; however, studies on the latter are not so common and most of those studies focus on terrestrial taxa. In this study, we hypothesized seven life history traits that may be beneficial for invasion success of aquatic species, and determined those traits for established non-indigenous species (NIS) in the North and Baltic Seas (i.e. marine environment) and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River regions (i.e. freshwater environment). This is the first study that examined certain life history traits of all NIS established in particular regions, as well as compared those traits between marine and freshwater habitats. Our study determined some differences in life history traits between NIS in the marine and freshwater habitats. Those differences were connected to different taxonomic groups that were dominant NIS in these two types of habitats. Furthermore, species originating from different donor regions had also different life history traits. The majority of NIS in both regions were r-strategists. There was a significantly higher number of NIS that were able to reproduce both asexually and sexually and to produce dormant stages in the freshwater than in marine habitat. Finally, as r-strategy, asexual reproduction and dormancy were dominant traits of NIS in the freshwater habitat, freshwater ecosystems may be under greater invasion risk than marine ones, as those traits reduce both demographic and environmental stochasticity during the invasion process.

Description: Tolerance to fluctuating environmental conditions is regarded as a key trait of successful marine invasive species as it presumably promotes survival in recipient habitats, which are often anthropogenically impacted systems such as harbours. Little is known, however, about how transport of fouling organisms on ship hulls influences the condition of the transported individuals and how this is related to their tolerance to environmental stress. We investigated the influence of transport on a ship hull on the ability of Asian green mussels, Perna viridis, to survive low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (0.5 and 1 mg/l DO). This was done by comparing the performance under stress in mussels from a eutrophic habitat in Jakarta Bay to that of mussels that had spent their lifetime on a passenger ferry crossing the Indonesian Archipelago from Jakarta in the west to West Papua in the east. We found that the mussels that came from the eutrophic habitat survived twice as long as mussels from the ferry when exposed to low oxygen concentrations. Mussels collected from the ferry, however, had a generally higher byssus production under experimental conditions, which can be attributed to their life on a moving object where they are exposed to drag. We suggest that Jakarta Bay mussels survived oxygen stress longer because they had higher Body Condition Indices than their conspecifics from the ship hull and thus had more energy available for stress compensation. These results show that transport on ship hulls can weaken the robustness of P. viridis, if the journey leads the ship through areas of low food supply for mussels, if the stopovers in eutrophic coastal ecosystems are short and if the sailing times are long (several weeks). This finding might explain the lack of establishments of P. viridis in tropical areas of Australia, from where repeated incursions have been reported.

Description: Invasive, submerged macrophytes negatively alter aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity through disruption of ecological structure and functioning. These plants are especially challenging and costly to control, with relatively few successful eradications. We examine the efficacy of dye treatments to control three invasive, submerged macrophyte species: Elodea canadensis Michx., Elodea nuttallii (Planchon) H. St. John and Lagarosiphon major (Ridley). Using an experimental mesocosm approach, growth rates of each species were monitored in relation to five light treatment groups: light, 1×, 2×, 3× dye dosage, and complete darkness (range: 270 to 0 μmol·m-2·s-1). Dye presence did not negate growth in any of the tested species, but the effects of treatments on invasive macrophyte growth rates differed across species. In dyed conditions, E. canadensis exhibited significantly greater increases in length compared to E. nuttallii and L. major, whilst E. nuttallii and L. major were lower and statistically similar. However, L. major significantly increased length relative to Elodea spp. in dark conditions. Similarly, for biomass changes, Elodea spp. gained significantly more biomass than L. major under light and dyed conditions, but not in the dark. Our findings suggest that the tested dye concentrations are not sufficient to halt the growth of these plants. However, under certain conditions, they could potentially help to reduce densities of invasive macrophytes by slowing growth rates and reducing biomass in select species. Differential responses to light could also help explain species replacement dynamics under varying environmental contexts. Overall, while further empirical research is required, management actions that reduce light could help control aquatic macrophytes in combination with other actions, but could also simultaneously mediate shifts in community assembly.

Description: While part of a single country, the Indonesian archipelago covers several biogeographic regions, and the high levels of national shipping likely facilitate transfer of non-native organisms between the different regions. Two vessels of a domestic shipping line appear to have served as a transport vector for the Asian green mussel Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) between regions. This species is indigenous in the western but not in the eastern part of the archipelago, separated historically by the Sunda Shelf. The green mussels collected from the hulls of the ferries when in eastern Indonesia showed a significantly lower body condition index than similar-sized individuals from three different western-Indonesian mussel populations. This was presumably due to reduced food supply during the ships’ voyages. Although this transport-induced food shortage may initially limit the invasive potential (through reduced reproductive rate) of the translocated individuals, the risk that the species will extend its distributional range further into eastern Indonesia is high. If the species becomes widely established in eastern Indonesia, there will then be an increased risk of incursions to Australia, where the mussel is listed as a high-priority pest species.