Alien species in the Mediterranean Sea by 2010. A contribution to the application of European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Part I. Spatial distribution (original) (raw)

A. ZENETOS

Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources, Agios Kosmas, P.C. 16610, Elliniko, Athens

M. VERLAQUE

UMR 6540, DIMAR, COM, CNRS, Université de la Méditerranée F13288 Marseille

M.E. CINAR

Ege University, Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Hydrobiology, 35100 Bornova, Izmir

J.E. GARCIA RASO

Departamento de Biologia Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Malaga, E-29071 Malaga

C.N. BIANCHI

DipTeRis (Dipartimento per lo studio del Territorio e della sue Risorse), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova

C. MORRI

DipTeRis (Dipartimento per lo studio del Territorio e della sue Risorse), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova

E. AZZURRO

Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, E-08003 Barcelona

M. BILECENOGLU

Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Department of Biology, 09010 Aydin

C. FROGLIA

c\o CNR-ISMAR, Sede Ancona, Largo Fiera della Pesca, 60125 Ancona

I. SIOKOU

Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 712, P.C. 19013, Anavyssos, Attiki

D. VIOLANTI

Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, University of Turin, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125 Torino

A. SFRISO

Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Venice, Calle Larga 2137, 30123 Venice

G. SAN MARTIN

Departamento de Biologia (Zoologia), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Auto’noma de Madrid, calle Darwin, 2, 28049 Madrid

A. GIANGRANDE

Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Lecce, Complesso Ecotekne, Via Prov. le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce

T. KATAGAN

Ege University, Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Hydrobiology, 35100 Bornova, Izmir

E. BALLESTEROS

Centre d’Estudis Avanη ats de Blanes (CSIC), Acc. Cala, Sant Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona

A.A. RAMOS-ESPLA

Centro de Investigación Marina de Santa Pola, Universidad de Alicante-Ayuntamiento de Santa Pola, 03080 Alicante

F. MASTROTOTARO

Department of Biology, University of Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari

O. OCANA

Departamento Oceanografia Biolo’gica y Biodiversidad, Fundacio’n Museo del Mar Muelle Can~onero Dato S/N 51001, Ceuta

A. ZINGONE

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples

M.C. GAMBI

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples

N. STREFTARIS

Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 712, P.C. 19013, Anavyssos, Attiki

Abstract

The state-of-art on alien species in the Mediterranean Sea is presented, making distinctions among the four subregions defined in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive: (i) the Western Mediterranean Sea (WMED); (ii) the Central Mediterranean Sea (CMED); (iii) the Adriatic Sea (ADRIA); and (iv) the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMED). The updated checklist (December 2010) of marine alien species within each subregion, along with their acclimatization status and origin, is provided. A total of 955 alien species is known in the Mediterranean, the vast majority of them having being introduced in the EMED (718), less in the WMED (328) and CMED (267) and least in the Adriatic (171). Of these, 535 species (56%) are established in at least one area.
Despite the collective effort of experts who attempted in this work, the number of introduced species remains probably underestimated. Excluding microalgae, for which knowledge is still insufficient, aliens have increased the total species richness of the Mediterranean Sea by 5.9%. This figure should not be directly read as an indication of higher biodiversity, as spreading of so many aliens within the basin is possibly causing biotic homogenization. Thermophilic species, i.e. Indo-Pacific, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Tropical Atlantic, Tropical Pacific, and circum(sub)tropical, account for 88.4% of the introduced species in the EMED, 72.8% in the CMED, 59.3% in the WMED and 56.1% in the Adriatic. Cold water species, i.e. circumboreal, N Atlantic, and N Pacific, make up a small percentage of the introduced species, ranging between 4.2% and 21.6% and being more numerous in the Adriatic and less so in the EMED.
Species that are classified as invasive or potentially invasive are 134 in the whole of the Mediterranean: 108 are present in the EMED, 76 in the CMED, 53 in the Adriatic and 64 in the WMED. The WMED hosts most invasive macrophytes, whereas the EMED has the lion’s share in polychaetes, crustaceans, molluscs and fish.

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