Emili García-Berthou

Impacts of biological invasions: what's what and the way forward

Study of the impacts of biological invasions, a pervasive component of global change, has generated remarkable understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of the spread of introduced populations. The growing field of invasion science, poised at a crossroads where ecology, social sciences, resource management, and public perception meet, is increasingly exposed to critical scrutiny from several perspectives. Although the rate of biological invasions, elucidation of their consequences, and knowledge about mitigation are growing rapidly, the very need for invasion science is disputed. Here, we highlight recent progress in understanding invasion impacts and management, and discuss the challenges that the discipline faces in its science and interactions with society.

Homogenization dynamics and introduction routes of invasive freshwater fish in the Iberian Peninsula

Nonnative invasive species are one of the main global threats to biodiversity. The understanding of the traits characterizing successful invaders and invasion-prone ecosystems is increasing, but our predictive ability is still limited. Quantitative information on biotic homogenization and particularly its temporal dynamics is even scarcer. We used freshwater fish distribution data in the Iberian Peninsula in four periods (before human intervention, 1991, 1995, and 2001) to assess the temporal dynamics of biotic homogenization among river basins. The percentage of introduced species among fish faunas has increased in recent times (from 41.8% in 1991 to 52.5% in 2001), leading to a clear increase in the similarity of community composition among basins. The mean Jaccards index increase (a measure of biotic homogenization) from the pristine situation to the present (17.1%) was similar to that for Californian fish but higher than for other studies. However, biotic homogenization was found to be a temporally dynamic process, with finer temporal grain analyses detecting transient stages of biotic differentiation. Introduced species assemblages were spatially structured along a latitudinal gradient in the Iberian Peninsula, with species related to sport fishing being characteristic of northern basins. Although the comparison of fish distributions in the Iberian Peninsula and France showed significant and generalized biotic homogenization, nonnative assemblages of northeastern Iberian basins were more similar to those of France than to those of the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, indicating a main introduction route. Species introduced to the Iberian Peninsula tended to be mainly piscivores or widely introduced species that previously had been introduced to France. Our results indicate that the simultaneous analysis of the spatial distribution of introduced assemblages (excluding native species that reflect other biogeographical patterns) and their specific traits can be an effective tool to detect introduction and invasion routes and to predict future invaders from donor regions.

Size- and depth-dependent variation in habitat and diet of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Abstract: The habitat and diet variation of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were studied in Lake Banyoles (Catalonia, Spain). Carp was the second most abundant species offshore and used more the littoral in spring and deep bottoms in winter. The diet of carp was based on detritus, amphipods (Echinogammarus sp.), phantom midge larvae (Chaoborus flavicans), diatom mucilages, and plant debris. Amphipods and phantom midge larvae were much more important in diet than previous studies found, because of their greater availability in this lake. Among the carp inhabiting deep waters, there was size-dependent variation in diet, with smaller carp selecting more meiobenthos (cladocerans, ostracods, and small chironomids) and larger carp preying on profundal macrobenthos (phantom midge larvae and large chironomids). Roach (Rutilus rutilus) and carp dominated in abundance the non-littoral zone of the lake and showed resource partitioning, with roach being a more efficient zooplanktivore and carp being more able to prey on hard material (plant seeds, mollusks, and ostracods).

Incongruence between test statistics and P values in medical papers

BackgroundGiven an observed test statistic and its degrees of freedom, one may compute the observed P value with most statistical packages. It is unknown to what extent test statistics and P values are congruent in published medical papers.MethodsWe checked the congruence of statistical results reported in all the papers of volumes 409–412 of Nature (2001) and a random sample of 63 results from volumes 322–323 of BMJ (2001). We also tested whether the frequencies of the last digit of a sample of 610 test statistics deviated from a uniform distribution (i.e., equally probable digits).Results11.6% (21 of 181) and 11.1% (7 of 63) of the statistical results published in Nature and BMJ respectively during 2001 were incongruent, probably mostly due to rounding, transcription, or type-setting errors. At least one such error appeared in 38% and 25% of the papers of Nature and BMJ, respectively. In 12% of the cases, the significance level might change one or more orders of magnitude. The frequencies of the last digit of statistics deviated from the uniform distribution and suggested digit preference in rounding and reporting.ConclusionsThis incongruence of test statistics and P values is another example that statistical practice is generally poor, even in the most renowned scientific journals, and that quality of papers should be more controlled and valued.

Life-history traits of invasive fish in small Mediterranean streams

We compared the life-history traits of native and invasive fish species from Catalan streams in order to identify the characters of successful invasive fish species. Most of the exotic fish species were characterized by large size, long longevity, late maturity, high fecundity, few spawnings per year, and short reproductive span, whereas Iberian native species exhibited predominantly the opposite suite of traits. Species native to the southeastern Pyrenees watershed were also significantly different from species native to the rest of the Iberian Peninsula but not native to this watershed. Iberian exotic species come predominantly from large river basins, whereas Catalan streams (and other small, coastal river basins) correspond to basins and streams of a smaller size and different hydrology, with differences in species composition and life-history traits of fish. The occurrence and spread of invasive species was not significantly related to life-history traits but to introduction date. The successful prediction of future invasive species is limited due to small differences in life-history and ecological traits between native and exotic species. Fecundity, age at maturity, water quality flexibility, tolerance to pollution and habitat seem the most discriminating life-history variables.

Salinity mediates the competitive interactions between invasive mosquitofish and an endangered fish

The interplay of abiotic factors and competition has a long history in ecology, although there are very few studies on the interaction of salinity and competition in fish. Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) are among the most invasive fish worldwide, with well documented ecological impacts on several taxa such as amphibians and small native fish. It has been previously hypothesized, based on field observations, that salinity limits the invasive success of mosquitofish and provides a competitive refuge for Mediterranean cyprinodonts. We experimentally tested this hypothesis by examining the agonistic behaviour and food competition between mosquitofish and an endangered native cyprinodont (Aphanius fasciatus) at three salinities (0, 15, 25‰). Intraspecific aggressive behaviour for both species was not significantly affected by salinity. As salinity increased, mosquitofish decreased their aggressive behaviour towards cyprinodonts and captured less prey. In contrast, the cyprinodonts did not change their behaviour with different salinity treatments, with the possible exception of increased defensive acts in higher salinities, but captured more prey with increasing salinity because of the reduced efficiency of mosquitofish. Our study confirms previous field observations that salinity limits the invasive success of mosquitofish and provides one of the few experimental demonstrations that it may mediate behavioural and competitive interactions between fish species. Condition-specific competition of mosquitofish might be expected with other species and ecosystems worldwide and illustrates the importance of integrating biotic and abiotic factors in the study of interspecific interactions.

Gradients of life-history variation: an intercontinental comparison of fishes

Multivariate analysis identified atwo-dimensional continuum of life-historyvariation among 301 fish species from Europe,North America, South America and the Atlanticand Pacific coasts of North America. The firstaxis was associated with larger body size,higher fecundity, delayed maturation, fewerreproductive events, and shorter breedingseason on one end and small size, lowfecundity, early maturity, multiplereproductive events per year, and prolongedbreeding season on the other. The second axiscontrasted fishes having larger eggs and moreparental care against fishes with the oppositesuite of traits.Phylogenetic affiliations of species wereapparent in the general patterns of ordinationof species within orders, indicatingevolutionary divergences in life-historypatterns. In fact, partitioning the variance oflife-history traits showed that taxonomic orderand latitude were the most important factorsand geographic region and habitat the least.Despite phylogenetic constraints, basiclife-history patterns showed consistencybetween distantly geographical regions,latitudinal ranges and basic adult habitats,indicating convergences in life-historypatterns. Although the basic life-historypatterns seemed repeatable among distantlyrelated taxa, geographical and latitudinalaffiliations were apparent. Species from SouthAmerica are skewed toward the opportunisticendpoint, whereas North American marine speciesare skewed toward the periodic endpoint of thetrilateral continuum model. Most of the fishspecies from South American data set came fromfluctuating environments, so an opportunisticstrategy of early maturation and continuousspawning permits efficient recolonization ofhabitats over small spatial scales. Incontrast, most species in the North Americanand European data sets came from seasonalhabitats that are nonetheless more hydrologicalstable, so a periodic strategy of delayingmaturation to attain large clutches enhancesadult survivorship during suboptimalenvironmental conditions and recruitment whenearly life stages encounter suitableenvironmental conditions. Similarly,latitudinal affiliations were also observed:opportunistic strategists more common intropical latitudes and periodic strategistsmore common in temperate and Arctic latitudes.

Fish zonation in a Mediterranean stream: Effects of human disturbances

Abstract. The fish assemblage and limnological features along twelve sites from the Terri River basin (Catalonia, Spain) were sampled quarterly from August 1999 to May 2000. Twelve fish species were captured, of which four were native and eight exotic. Correspondence analysis revealed that spatial variation accounted for most of the variation (73.7%) in fish species composition. The upstream, urban area was dominated by chub (Leuciscus cephalus) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) with some exotic species coming from nearby Lake Banyoles, whereas Mediterranean barbel (Barbus meridionalis) predominated in the rest of the Terri River. Along the longitudinal gradient, fish assemblage displayed discontinuous variation and disappearance in more polluted areas. Fish abundance was significantly correlated with summer oxygen concentration and decreased in downstream sampling sites. Species richness was higher in downstream sampling sites due to the proximity of the Ter River. Common carp size increased progressively along the course of the Terri River, whereas the pattern for the eel was the opposite, with the smallest found in downstream sampling sites and a gradual increase in size in the upper reaches. The natural zonation in the fish assemblage of the Terri River is presently altered to a high degree by habitat degradations, pollution, and dispersal of exotic species.

Origin and genetic diversity of mosquitofish ( Gambusia holbrooki ) introduced to Europe

We provide mitochondrial sequence variation of the invasive fish Gambusiaholbrooki from 24 European populations, from Portugal to Greece. Phylogeographic structure in Europe was compared with genetic data from native samples (USA) and historical records were reviewed to identify introduction routes. Overall, data agree with records of historical introductions and translocations, and indicate that the most abundant haplotype throughout Europe originated from North Carolina and corresponded to the first introduction in 1921 to Spain, being transferred to Italy in 1922 and to many countries afterwards. Our results also show that at least another independent introduction occurred first in France and subsequently from France to Greece. Haplotypes of G. affinis were not detected in our European sampling effort but historical records and other data suggest that this species was introduced to Italy in 1927 and it might be present. At the continental scale, there is less diversity in Europe than in North America, in agreement with the low number of introduced fish. At the local scale, some European populations gained diversity from multiple introductions and from “de novo” mutations.

Assessing fish metrics and biotic indices in a Mediterranean stream: Effects of uncertain native status of fish

Implementation of the Water Framework Directive requires tools for measuring and monitoring the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. Several indices are in use in the Iberian Peninsula, although there has been little comparison among them. We sampled the fish assemblage and limnological features of the Tordera stream (NE Spain) quarterly from September 2001 to May 2003 to evaluate the usefulness of several fish metrics and to compare habitat quality and biotic indices currently in use. Data for eight biotic and abiotic indices for this and three other Catalan river basins were also compiled in order to analyse the relationships among indices. In the Tordera stream, fish abundance and richness increased with stream order except in the last sampling site that had the lowest fish abundance owing to the effects of drought and water abstraction. Although most indices were positively correlated, some displayed low or null correlations particularly for the Tordera basin which is more affected by water abstraction and less by pollution; a commonly used physico-chemical index (ISQA) was the least correlated. In a regional fish index (IBICAT) under development, the brown trout (Salmo trutta) has been previously considered as introduced in the Tordera basin. Here, we report an old published record that demonstrates that trout was present before 1845 and we argue that its status should be considered as uncertain given the current information available. Whether brown trout is treated as native or introduced to this river basin has profound effects on the results of fish metrics because of its dominance in the upper reaches. We briefly discuss the role of introduced species, particularly in headwater streams, in the development of fish indices. Our study exemplifies the need for careful, basin-specific assessment of native/introduced status in the development of fish metrics.