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Abstract: The Workshop on ‘Establishing thresholds: workshop on the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Newly Introduced Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) (D2C1)’ took place online on the 24th November 2022, aiming at discussing and making progress towards establishing threshold values for the criterion D2C1. The workshop was organised by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), in collaboration with representatives of the Regional Sea Conventions (RSCs), under the MSFD Descriptor 2 Core Group, in the context of the MSFD Common Implementation Strategy Good Environmental Status Working Group. The participants to the workshop included academic and public authorities’ experts on MSFD NIS, RSCs representatives, the European Environment Agency (EEA), and Commission services. The workshop enabled sharing information on the state-of-the-art approaches on monitoring and assessment of D2C1 within Regional Seas and on the application of the time series analysis as a follow-up to Tsiamis et al. (2021) recommendations for setting threshold values. The discussion focused on ensuring comparability of approaches, how to account for uncertainties, and on areas for improvement. It was acknowledged that activities of RSCs are instrumental in coordinating the science and management of marine NIS. The various levels of monitoring across the North-East Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea and the EU Countries explain different methodological approaches for setting thresholds, while the limited monitoring restrict the application of these methodologies in the Black Sea. The workshop identified four main areas for improvements: i) establishment of acknowledged baselines for NIS introductions, ii) make further progress in monitoring and analysis methods, iii) agree on thresholds for new NIS introductions and, iv) ensure coherence and consistency between national and regional reports. The JRC will seek for opportunities to discuss and advance on identified areas for improvement with the MSFD national appointed NIS experts The MSFD Descriptor 2 (D2) Core Group will contribute to the discussions.
Keywords: Marine Strategy Framework Directive, MSFD, non-indigenous species, NIS, descriptor 2, marine biology, European Commission
Published in DiRROS: 02.09.2024; Views: 106; Downloads: 84
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Abstract: To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).
Keywords: non-native species, non-indigenous, distribution, invasive alien species, geo-referenced records, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea
Published in DiRROS: 06.08.2024; Views: 205; Downloads: 503
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Abstract: The phylum Bryozoa is one of the less studied macroinvertebrate groups in the Slovenian coastal sea. However, these animals play an important role in marine coastal ecosystems, especially as bioconstructors and filter feeders. Non indigenous species represent five to ten percent of all Mediterranean bryozoan species. In this paper, we present an updated list of non-indigenous or cryptogenic bryozoan species recorded in Slovenia. The list includes six species: Amathia verticillata, Bugula neritina s.l., Celleporaria brunnea, Tricellaria inopinata, Watersipora arcuata and Watersipora subtorquata with comments on their morphology, ecology and distribution in the Slovenian coastal sea. Introduction vectors and possible dispersal mechanisms are discussed, as well as methodological approaches and problematic areas as regards the study of non-indigenous bryozoans. Three species reported here, A. verticillata, C. brunnea and W. subtorquata, represent the first confirmed record from the Slovenian Sea
Keywords: non-indigenous species, Bryozoa, northern Adriatic Sea, harbour habitats, mussel farms, experimental plates
Published in DiRROS: 31.07.2024; Views: 194; Downloads: 167
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Abstract: Marine hard-bottom communities are undergoing severe change under the influence of multiple drivers, notably climate change, extraction of natural resources, pollution and eutrophication, habitat degradation, and invasive species. Monitoring marine biodiversity in such habitats is, however, challenging as it typically involves expensive, non-standardized, and often destructive sampling methods that limit its scalability. Differences in monitoring approaches furthermore hinders inter-comparison among monitoring programs. Here, we announce a Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) consisting of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) with the aim to assess the status and changes in benthic fauna with genomic-based methods, notably DNA metabarcoding, in combination with image-based identifications. This article presents the results of a 30-month pilot phase in which we established an operational and geographically expansive ARMS-MBON. The network currently consists of 20 observatories distributed across European coastal waters and the polar regions, in which 134 ARMS have been deployed to date. Sampling takes place annually, either as short-term deployments during the summer or as long-term deployments starting in spring. The pilot phase was used to establish a common set of standards for field sampling, genetic analysis, data management, and legal compliance, which are presented here. We also tested the potential of ARMS for combining genetic and image-based identification methods in comparative studies of benthic diversity, as well as for detecting non-indigenous species. Results show that ARMS are suitable for monitoring hard-bottom environments as they provide genetic data that can be continuously enriched, re-analyzed, and integrated with conventional data to document benthic community composition and detect non-indigenous species. Finally, we provide guidelines to expand the network and present a sustainability plan as part of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (www.embrc.eu).
Keywords: benthic invertebrates, Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC), non-indigenous species (NIS), genomic observatories, marine biodiversity assessment
Published in DiRROS: 22.07.2024; Views: 226; Downloads: 174
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Abstract: nvasive alien species are a major worldwide driver of biodiversity change. The current study lists verified records of non-indigenous species (NIS) in European marine waters until 2020, with the purpose of establishing a baseline, assessing trends, and discussing appropriate threshold values for good environmental status (GES) according to the relevant European legislation. All NIS records were verified by national experts and trends are presented in six-year assessment periods from 1970 to 2020 according to the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Altogether, 874 NIS have been introduced to European marine waters until 2020 with the Mediterranean Sea and North-East Atlantic Ocean hosting most of the introductions. Overall, the number of new introductions has steadily increased since 2000. The annual rate of new introductions reached 21 new NIS in European seas within the last six-year assessment period (2012–2017). This increase is likely due to increased human activities and research efforts that have intensified during the early 21st century within European Seas. As Europe seas are not environmentally, nor geographically homogenous, the setting of threshold values for assessing GES requires regional expertise. Further, once management measures are operational, pathway-specific threshold values would enable assessing the effectiveness of such measures.
Keywords: non-indigenous species, European seas, regional seas, MSFD, good environmental status, validation, uncertainties
Published in DiRROS: 18.07.2024; Views: 220; Downloads: 245
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