Agnese Marchini

University of Pavia | UNIPV · Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

The risk screening toolkit Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK), integrated with local experts’ ecological knowledge, was used to evaluate the level of invasiveness of two decapod species, namely Callinectes sapidus and Procambarus clarkii in three assessment areas in Southern Italy: Lesina lagoon, Acquatina lagoon (Apulia) and Stagn...

The impacts of marine species are underestimated or still completely unexplored because their negative effects on recipient ecosystems remain inadequately assessed. This is particularly true in the Mediterranean Sea where IAS management is often weak or absent: a clear example is the invasion of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun 1...

Ascidians are among the most abundant taxa in biofouling communities of ports and shellfish farming facilities and are among the best-known invaders of these habitats. Their population outbreaks can generate large biomasses, with impacts on biodiversity and the local economy. However, recent studies show that ascidians are potentially exploitable i...

Gli ecosistemi marino-costieri mediterranei comprese le lagune stanno subendo importanti trasformazioni a causa della diffusione di specie aliene invasive (IAS) favorite anche dalla crisi climatica in atto. Sono stati registrati impatti sulla biodiversità, sugli ecosistemi, sull’economia e sulla salute umana. E’ necessario identificare e testare in...

Settlement substrate and surface topography play a key role in larval settlement, influencing community composition. Two-dimensional artificial substrates are peculiar to harbors, where they have been shown to facilitate the settlement of opportunistic and non-indigenous species (NIS). In contrast, complex three-dimensional natural substrates are k...

The Working Group on Ballast and Other Ship Vectors under the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and Inter-national Maritime Organization (ICES/IOC/IMO WGBOSV) aims to provide scientific support to international decision-making to reduce the risk of spread and establishment of...

Aim Retrospective (pre‐ vs. post‐invasion) and cross‐sectional comparisons of ecosystems exposed to high and low bioinvasion pressure, provide an alternative approach to evaluate shifts in biological communities associated with non‐indigenous species (NIS) introductions. In this study, we aimed to examine general patterns of change in community com...

Microplastics are pervasive pollutants of freshwater environments across the globe. So far, research has mostly focused on the surface layer of lakes, while little is known about microplastics in the water column. Due to this information gap, the role of lakes along the plastic pathway remains uncertain. Here we present results from an ongoing stud...

The role of navigation in transporting and introducing non-indigenous species (NIS) in ports is globally acknowledged, and maritime traffic is correlated with increasing NIS introductions. On the other hand, different types of vessels can occur in a port (e.g., for commercial or recreational purposes) and the success of a NIS in a new area also dep...

Microplastics are ubiquitous pollutants in surface waters of freshwater environments across the globe. However, more information on microplastic distribution in the water column is needed to elucidate their behaviour and fate within lakes. We present results from an ongoing study promoted and funded by the International Commission for the Protecti...

Standardized terminology in science is important for clarity of interpretation and communication. In invasion science – a dynamic and rapidly evolving discipline – the proliferation of technical terminology has lacked a standardized framework for its development. The result is a convoluted and inconsistent usage of terminology, with various discrep...

The recreational boating sector is a major vector for the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) via biofouling. Despite applying control measures to prevent the growth of fouling communities, most vessels are NIS carriers. This study assessed the effectiveness of different antifouling strategies in a manipulative experiment by testing two co...

Marine habitat-forming species create structurally complex habitats that host macroinvertebrate communities characterized by remarkable abundance and species richness. These habitat-forming species also play a fundamental role in creating favourable environmental conditions that promote biodiversity. The deployment of artificial structures is becom...

Studies of non-indigenous species (NIS) often tend to focus on medium and large-sized taxa with potential for remarkable ecological and/or economic impact, whereas the early detection of small invertebrates is often delayed due to taxonomic challenge, lack of consistent, standardised monitoring efforts and limited funding. This study represents the...

Since the Industrial Revolution, tons of plastic waste have been dispersed into the environment, of which approximately 10% have ended up in rivers, lakes and oceans (Mora-Teddy & Matthaei, 2020). Long exposure to environmental factors (e.g. UV radiation, wind and wave action) eventually weathers and breaks up of large plastics into particles below...

This work focuses on the arenaceous reefs by the polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa and addresses microplastics pollution. The main aim is to assess microplastics amount in a bioconstruction located in the Adriatic coast of Italy (Mediterranean Sea) through a comparative approach: sea-floor sediment and bioconstruction samples were analysed to quantif...

Viene presentata la prima revisione della Checklist degli Anfipodi dei mari italiani, la cui ultima versione risale al 2010. Gli Anfipodi sono crostacei che si diversificano dal punto di vista ecologico e biologico, costituendo uno dei gruppi dominanti in habitat marini bentonici. Con la loro elevata ricchezza quali-quantitativa svolgono un ruolo c...

Standardized terminology in science is important for clarity of interpretation and communication. In invasion science — a dynamic and quickly evolving discipline — the rapid proliferation of technical terminology has lacked a standardized framework for its language development. The result is a convoluted and inconsistent usage of terminology, with...

Managing marine nonindigenous species (mNIS) is challenging, because marine environments are highly connected, allowing the dispersal of species across large spatial scales, including geopolitical borders. Cross-border inconsistencies in biosecurity management can promote the spread of mNIS across geopolitical borders, and incursions often go unnot...

The composition of fouling community was evaluated in two sites in the sea stretch between Porto Venere and the Palmaria Island (Ligurian Sea, Italy), which is subject to marine protection, in order to estimate patterns of presence of non-indigenous species (NIS). Image analysis was applied to assess the percent cover of the fouling species monitor...

Microplastics (MPs) have been found in lakes across the globe, often in high concentrations. However, research has focussed on MPs floating on the surface. In contrast, little is known about MP occurrence in subsurface layers and sediments, even though these compartments make up most lake volume and host most aquatic life. In addition, information...

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 12,64...

Information on early invasion stages, whether successful or not, is often lacking because most invaders are only discovered once they have become abundant enough to be casually detected or have caused appreciable changes to the recipient environment. Moreover, when newcomers fail to establish self-sustaining populations, they are often not even doc...

In 2016, Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) (Crustacea, Amphipoda) was recorded for the first time in the River Adda, one of the main tributaries of the major Italian river, river Po. Here we investigate its distribution, population density and size classes distribution in the main course of the river, in the territory of the South Adda Regio...

The goal of the ICES Working Group on the Introduction and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) is to contribute to the ICES vision and mission by addressing specific science objectives related to the introduction, spread and impacts of non-indigenous marine species (NIS). The expert working group provides information and advice on the impacts of...

Information on early invasion stages, whether successful or not, is often lacking because most invaders are discovered only once they have become abundant or have caused appreciable changes to the recipient environment. Moreover, when newcomers fail to establish self sustaining populations, they are often not even documented. Here we report an earl...

Bioconstructions of Sabellaria alveolata (Polychaeta Sabellariidae) from southern Sicily (Central Mediterranean) were sampled and analysed through a multidisciplinary approach in order to unravel the construction pattern of arenaceous tubes and explore possible analogies existing between the worm tubes and the agglutinated tests of benthic foramini...

This work investigates whether the honeycomb worm Sabellaria alveolata (Polychaeta) actively selects foraminiferal tests to build its arenaceous bioconstructions and if the tests are chosen based on a defined criterion. To this purpose, both foraminiferal content and structure of communities were compared across samples of bioconstructions and samp...

Human-induced biological introductions pose a major threat to global biodiversity, and this is especially frequent in the eastern Mediterranean region, which is a globally important biodiversity hotspot area of high conservation value. To predict at which level introduced species in this region might become invasive under current and projected clim...

Baseline port monitoring for fouling communities is an essential tool to assess non-indigenous species (NIS) introduction and spread, but a standardized and coordinated method among Mediterranean and European countries has not yet been adopted. In this context, it is important to test monitoring protocols that allow for the collection of standardiz...

http://www.marinespecies.org/introduced

Invasive alien species threaten biodiversity and ecosystem structure and functioning, but incomplete assessments of their origins and temporal trends impair our ability to understand the relative importance of different factors driving invasion success. Continuous time-series are needed to assess invasion dynamics, but such data are usually difficu...

Most of marine non-indigenous species still suffers of large gaps in knowledge even regarding the most basic life history traits. The present study aims to understand the biology and ecology of the pacific isopod Paranthura japonica in a newly invaded site in the Central Mediterranean Sea, specifically focusing on its population dynamics in respons...

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 area...

In coastal marine ecosystems coralline algae often create biogenic reefs. These calcareous algal reefs affect their associated invertebrate communities via diurnal oscillations in photosynthesis, respiration and calcification processes. Little is known about how these biogenic reefs function and how they will be affected by climate change. We inves...

Fouling communities occurring in sites lightly or no affected by anthropogenic impacts are usually composed by an array of native species, in contrast with areas highly impacted (e.g. ports and marinas), where alien species often dominate these communities. The “biotic resistance” hypothesis, i.e. the capability of highly bio-diverse native communi...

Environmental changes due to non-native species introductions and translocations are a global concern. Whilst understanding the causes of bioinvasions is important, there is need for decision-support tools that facilitate effective communication of the potential risks of invasive non-native species to stakeholders. Decision-support tools have been...

Environmental changes due to non-native species introductions and translocations are a global concern. Whilst understanding the causes of bioinvasions is important, there is need for decision-support tools that facilitate effective communication of the potential risks of invasive non-native species to stakeholders. Decision-support tools have been...

Aim The introduction of aquatic non‐indigenous species (ANS) has become a major driver for global changes in species biogeography. We examined spatial patterns and temporal trends of ANS detections since 1965 to inform conservation policy and management. Location Global. Methods We assembled an extensive dataset of first records of detection of A...

Detection of new non-indigenous species is often delayed when taxonomically challenging taxa are involved, such as small-sized marine organisms. The present study highlights the relevance of scientific cooperation in the early detection of the invader amphipod Stenothoe georgiana. Originally described from North Carolina (USA), the species was rece...

Detection of new non-indigenous species is often delayed when taxonomically challenging taxa are involved, such as small-sized marine organisms. The present study highlights the relevance of scientific cooperation in the early detection of the invader amphipod Stenothoe georgiana. Originally described from North Carolina (USA), the species was rece...

The amphipod Ericthonius didymus Krapp-Schickel, 2013 is reported for the first time outside its type locality in European waters, from the French Atlantic coast and from the Azores, Portugal. In particular, a large population was recorded in Arcachon, France. Molecular analyses were made to confirm the validity of three closely related Ericthonius...

Good datasets of geo-referenced records of alien species are a prerequisite for assessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of biological invasions, their invasive potential, and the magnitude of their impacts. However, with the exception of first records on a country level or wider regions, observations of species presence tend to remain unpublished, b...

Good datasets of geo-referenced records of alien species are a prerequisite for assessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of biological invasions, their invasive potential, and the magnitude of their impacts. However, with the exception of first records on a country level or wider regions, observations of species presence tend to remain unpublished, b...

1. The disproportionately low presence of marine species in the list of invasive alien species (IAS) of Union concern of the European Union (EU) Regulation 1143/2014 does not fully acknowledge the threat they pose to the EU marine environment. 2. In this study, the first EU-scale Horizon Scanning (HS) focusing on marine alien species was performed,...

The detection of marine non-indigenous species (NIS) continues to increase worldwide, and this is also the case in the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira. Considering that the major vector of NIS introductions in these archipelagos is marine traffic and given the absence of legislation on hull biofouling management, the number of NIS intr...

Living specimens of the Tree oyster Isognomon legumen are here reported from fouling samples taken in the marinas of Ashqelon, Ashdod and Tel Aviv in June 2019. It appears that this Lessepsian migrant has to be considered a well established species along the Mediterranean coast of Israel.

Despite the Mediterranean being both a hotspot for recreational boating and for non‐indigenous species (NIS), no data currently exists on the recreational boating sector's contribution to the spread of NIS in this Sea. To improve the basis for management decisions, a wide‐scale sampling study on the biofouling communities of recreational vessels an...

The Working Group on the Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) has contributed several major achievements to the ICES vision, including the first ICES Viewpoint on Biofouling and its source document, two Cooperative Research Reports, and numerous pub-lications related to ToRs, and the continued population of the AquaNIS database....

• Factors shaping non-indigenous species (NIS) richness are tested in the Mediterranean. • There is a higher trend of NIS richness going from east to west in the Mediterranean. • NIS richness in marinas is mainly influenced by proximity to other major vectors. • NIS similarities between marinas are more influenced by environmental factors. • The Su...

The precise number of Okenia taxa inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, as well as their general taxonomy, varies according to different specialists. So far, eight valid species have been reported from the area: Okenia aspersa (Alder & Hancock, 1845), Okenia cupella (Vogel & Schultz, 1970), Okenia elegans (Leuckart, 1828), Okenia hispanica Valdés & Ort...

Abstract: This study updates the current distribution, range expansion and establishment status of the non-indigenous species Amphistegina lobifera Larsen, 1976 and other foraminifera that are cryptogenic in the Sicily Channel. Prior to this study, amphisteginids were reported from the Levantine Basin, the Central Mediterranean (Tunisia, Malta, Pe...

Coralline algae represent the most important bioconstructors in the Mediterranean Sea and are currently impaired by the effects of climate change (CC), particularly by global warming and ocean acidification (OA). We studied the effects of these two drivers on Ellisolandia elongata, an intertidal coralline algae that is known to host a rich biodiver...

The highly invasive Amphistegina lobifera Larsen, 1976, a benthic foraminiferal species native to the Red Sea, has colonized the Eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and altered the native community structure. More recently, it has been reported from Malta and the Pelagian Islands within the Sicily channel. Here, we report new records from...

Gammarus roeselii is one of the successful non-indigenous species recently established in the Ticino River basin (Northern Italy). G. roeselii is not usually considered to be a real threat to native gammarids because no evidence has been reported so far on its effects on biodiversity and habitats. In this study, we assessed the spatial distribution...

A large-scale analysis of fouling assemblages from 367 recreational boat hulls was carried out in 2015-2016 in 20 Mediterranean marinas from France, Italy, Malta, Greece and Turkey. A total of 155 species, including native, cryptogenic and non-indigenous species (NIS), were identified. On the average, 2.5±1.9 NIS were collected from boat hulls, and...

An international standardized monitoring protocol for sessile fouling species was employed for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. Native and non-indigenous species (NIS) composition was assessed in five ports in the Gulf of La Spezia (Ligurian Sea, Italy). Significant differences in mean NIS percentage cover was observed among ports, and the...

The EU regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (IAS) is based on the core concept of "IAS of EU concern": species to be targeted for action. Besides the existing, and continuously being updated, European list, Italy is developing its own national list. Here we describe the process of deve...