Ismael Soto

University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice · Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters

Assessing actual and potential impacts of non-native species is necessary for prioritising their management. Traditional assessments often occur at the species level, potentially overlooking differences among populations. The recently developed Dispersal-Origin-Status-Impact (DOSI) assessment scheme addresses this by treating biological invasions a...

Numerous phytosanitary threats challenge global agriculture, ecosystems, and food security. These threats are exacerbated by non-native species and diseases that are projected to intensify in the future due to global warming and anthropogenic habitat alterations. Assessments of the ecological impacts of overlooked phytosanitary threats are urgently...

Freshwater crayfish are amongst the largest macroinvertebrates and play a keystone role in the ecosystems they occupy. Understanding the global distribution of these animals is often hindered due to a paucity of distributional data. Additionally, non-native crayfish introductions are becoming more frequent, which can cause severe environmental and...

Records count per crayfish taxa integrated in WoC platform.

Crayfish and A. astaci records integrated in WoC platform count per major hydrographic basins.

Crayfish and A. astaci records integrated in WoC platform count per country.

Biological invasions pose a major threat to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and human well-being. Non-native species can have severe ecological impacts that are transformative, affecting ecosystems across both short-term and long-term timescales. However, few studies have determined the temporal dynamics of impact between these scales, impedin...

Background. Biological invasions are a major threat to global biodiversity, with freshwater ecosystems being among the most susceptible to the successful establishment of non-native species and their respective potential impacts. In Poland, the introduction and spreading of non-native fish has led to biodiversity loss and ecosystem homogenisation....

Among reptiles, turtles are the most frequently traded species, and are often released in the wild once they become unwanted as pets. The common snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina and the alligator snapping turtle Macrochelys temminckii are freshwater turtles native to North America. Although their trade is regulated in some countries, they have b...

In today’s ever-evolving scientific landscape, invasion science faces a plethora of challenges, such as terminological inconsistency and the rapidly growing literature corpus with few or incomplete syntheses of knowledge, which may be perceived as a stagnation in scientific progress. We explore the concept of ‘competency’, which is extensively deba...

In the current anthropogenic era characterized by human-induced environmental changes, long-term biomonitoring is crucial for understanding ecological patterns and detecting shifts in biodiversity. However, spatiotemporal inconsistencies in biomonitoring efforts hinder transboundary progress in understanding and mitigating global environmental chan...

Trophic interactions are a critical component of ecosystem stability, governing prey-predator relationships. Crayfish are involved in numerous interactions within freshwater communities and, when non-native, they can negatively impact the structure and dynamics of ecosystems. During biotic interactions or unsuccessful molts, they are able to autoto...

Anthropogenic disturbances are having strong, negative effects on aquatic systems globally, altering ecological communities and potentially creating vacant niches for both native and non-native species (NNS). Globalization and new trade routes have amplified the spread and establishment of NNS by connecting disturbed areas worldwide. In this study,...

Rising global food demands have led to unprecedented aquaculture growth. Aquaculture has simultaneously become a major global pathway for biological invasions. Non-native farmed species, while highly productive, can undermine sustainability agendas because of their environmental and socio-economic damages when they escape. We analyse global non-nat...

Assessing the actual and potential impacts of non-native species is crucial for prioritizing their management. Traditional assessments often occur at the species level, potentially overlooking differences among populations. The recently developed Dispersal-Origin-Status-Impact (DOSI) assessment scheme addresses this by treating biological invasions...

Among reptiles, turtles are the most frequently traded species and often released in the wild once they become unwanted as pets. The common snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina and the alligator snapping turtle Macrochelys temminckii are freshwater turtles native to North America. Although their trade is regulated in some countries, they have been i...

Freshwater ecosystems provide essential services for human well-being, with their conservation success reliant on the precise quantification of biodiversity. Diplostraca (= Cladocera) and Copepoda are diverse groups of microcrustaceans in aquatic ecosystems, important for a multitude of these services. We examined biodiversity trends of these group...

This study investigates the temporal and spatial distribution of species richness in the Turkish portions of the Euphrates and Tigris catchments in Mesopotamia, aiming to identify areas lacking sufficient research and inform future conservation and management efforts. Data from 153 fish assemblages in the Euphrates catchment and 100 in the Tigris c...

Biological invasions are increasingly recognised as a major global change that erodes ecosystems, societal well-being, and economies. However, comprehensive analyses of their economic ramifications are missing for most national economies, despite rapidly escalating costs globally. Türkiye is highly vulnerable to biological invasions owing to its ex...

Climate change and invasive species represent two intertwined global environmental challenges profoundly affecting freshwater ecosystems. This study uses Ecological Niche Modeling along with risk screening to delve into the preferences and potential distribution of Potamopyrgus antipodarum, an invasive species, in relation to climate zones and habi...

Biological invasions pose a rapidly expanding threat to the persistence, functioning, and service provisioning of ecosystems globally, and to socio-economic interests. The stages of successful invasions progress driven by the same mechanism that underlies adaptive changes across species in general—via natural selection on intraspecific variation in...

Ambiguous terminology plagues many science disciplines, sometimes hindering effective communication and scientific advancement. Invasion science is one of the disciplines criticised for ‘unclear’ terminology, especially considering that it evolved in recent decades from various disciplines and therefore incorporated a wide range of synonymous and p...

Background Long-term biomonitoring of macroinvertebrates is a popular and valuable approach for assessing the status of freshwater ecosystems, identifying the impact of stressors, and evaluating ecosystem health. Although macroinvertebrate-based biomonitoring can be effective in detecting changes in distribution patterns and community trends over t...

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 rapid acceleration of human-mediated translocation of species has led to the introduction of thousands of species outside their native range with severe consequences for global biodiversity. Freshwater crayfish are a particularly successful group of invasive species as exemplified by the increasingly widespread marbled crayfish Procambarus virg...

Phytosanitary threats can pose substantial risks to global agriculture and ecological systems, affecting biodiversity, human well-being, and food security. Meanwhile, global warming is projected to exacerbate these threats in the future. One in Europe already widely distributed potential phytosanitary threat that may benefit from global warming is...

The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha is one of the most successful, notorious, and detrimental aquatic invasive non-native species worldwide, having invaded Europe and North America while causing substantial ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Here, we investigated the spatiotemporal trends in this species' invasion success using 178 macroinvert...

A dominant syndrome of the Anthropocene is the rapid worldwide spread of invasive species with devastating environmental and socio-economic impacts. However, the dynamics underlying the impacts of biological invasions remain contested. A hypothesis posits that the richness of impactful invasive species increases proportionally with the richness of...

Invasive non-native species are a growing burden to economies worldwide. While domesticated animals (i.e., livestock, beasts of burden or pets) have enabled our ways of life and provide sustenance for countless individuals, they may cause substantial impacts when they escape or are released (i.e., become feral) and then become invasive with impacts...

The rapid acceleration of human-mediated translocation of species has led to the introduction of thousands of species outside their native range with severe consequences for global biodiversity. Freshwater cray sh are a particularly successful group of invasive species as exempli ed by the increasingly widespread marbled cray sh. A signi cant porti...

Over recent centuries, invasive species with devastating environmental and socio-economic impacts have rapidly spread worldwide. A hypothesis posits that the number of impactful invasive species increases proportionally with the number of non-native species more generally. A competing hypothesis suggests that certain features (e.g., demographic res...

Biological invasions pose a growing threat to ecosystems, biodiversity, and socio-economic interests. In the European Union, the introduction of non-native species through trade, tourism, and other pathways has led to unintended consequences. Among these non-native species, a subset exhibits negative impacts and is commonly referred to as ‘invasive...

Despite the potential ecological and economic impacts of invasive species, there is a dearth of data on the presence, impacts, and management implications of potentially invasive Orthoptera species. This lack of research and inconsistent data, including risk screenings and impact assessments, is especially evident in Europe. Consequently, assessing...

Biological invasions pose a significant threat to biodiversity, planetary health and socio‐economies worldwide. Prioritizing invasive species for management is crucial, given the limited economic resources available. While global invasive species risk scoring systems exist, they currently do not incorporate fully quantitative impact metrics. Howeve...

1. Pitfall traps are frequently used to capture ground-dwelling arthropods, particularly beetles, ants and spiders. The capture efficiency of a pitfall trapping system strongly depends on the number and opening size of traps, how traps are distributed over the sampling area (spatial arrangement) and the movement characteristics of arthropods. 2. We...

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...

Non-native species introductions have been acknowledged as one of the main drivers of freshwater biodiversity decline worldwide, compromising provided ecosystem services and functioning. Despite growing introduction numbers of non-native species, their impacts in conjunction with anthropogenic stressors remain poorly documented. To fill this gap, w...

Biological invasions are a global challenge that has received insufficient attention. Recently available cost syntheses have provided policy and decision makers with reliable and up-to-date information on the economic impacts of biological invasions, aiming to motivate effective management. The resultant InvaCost database is now publicly and freely...

Healthy populations of salmonids are integral for the functioning of ecosystems and a valuable part of the socio‐cultural identity of locals. Past declines were attributed to anthropogenic stressors, raising concern about the sustainability of populations. Accordingly, many salmonids are listed on red lists and protected by national legislation. On...

Multisensory stimuli provide organisms with information to assess the threat present in the surroundings. Olfactory cues show dominance over other sensory modalities in the aquatic environment. The impact of chemical predator cues combined with experiences gained (learning) in species without previous contact is not fully understood. We investigate...

The use of long-term datasets is crucial in ecology because it provides a comprehensive understanding of natural fluctuations, changes in ecosystems over extended periods of time, and robust comparisons across geographical scales. This information is critical in detecting and analysing trends and patterns in species populations, community dynamics,...

Climate change and invasive species are two major global environmental challenges affecting freshwater ecosystems. This study investigates the preferences and potential distribution of Potamopyrgus antipodarum , an invasive species, in relation to climate zones and habitat types. It highlights the importance of coastal wetlands and high soil organi...

Background Biological invasions threaten the functioning of ecosystems, biodiversity, and human well-being by degrading ecosystem services and eliciting massive economic costs. The European Union has historically been a hub for cultural development and global trade, and thus, has extensive opportunities for the introduction and spread of alien spec...

Pharmaceutically active compounds are common and increasing in the aquatic environment. Evidence suggests they have adverse effects on non-target organisms, and they are classified as emerging pollutants for a variety of aquatic organisms. To determine the effects of environmentally relevant levels of psychoactive compounds on non-target organisms,...

Invasive species pose a significant threat to global biodiversity and human well-being. Despite the widespread use of long-term biomonitoring data in many natural science fields, the analysis of long-term time series with a focus on biological invasions is uncommon. To address this gap, we used twenty macroinvertebrate time series from the highly a...

Rates of biological invasion have increased over recent centuries and are expected to increase in the future. Whereas increasing rates of non-native species incursions across realms, taxonomic groups, and regions are well-reported, trends in abundances within these contexts have lacked analysis due to a paucity of long-term data at large spatiotemp...

Non-native Orthoptera species in Europe can pose a phytosanitary threat, and their number is likely to increase due to a paucity of assessments and climate warming, which can endanger human well-being. It is important to monitor and study the invasiveness and impacts of these species to develop efficient management or preventive mitigation strategi...

As alien invasive species are a key driver of biodiversity loss, understanding patterns of rapidly changing global species compositions depends upon knowledge of invasive species population dynamics and trends at large scales. Within this context, the Ponto-Caspian region is among the most notable donor regions for aquatic invasive species in Europ...

Orthoptera encompasses 29,000 species. Due to their ability to migrate long-distances through hitchhiking or active dispersal but also due to their wide dietary spectrum, several orthoptera species can pose a phytosanitary threat. Despite information being scarce and contrasting among sources, we compiled literature on non-native Orthoptera species...

Alien fish substantially impact aquatic communities. However, their effects on trait composition remain poorly understood, especially at large spatiotemporal scales. Here, we used long-term biomonitoring data (1984–2018) from 31 fish communities of the Rhine river in Germany to investigate compositional and functional changes over time. Average tot...

Europe has experienced a substantial increase in non-indigenous crayfish species (NICS) since the mid-20th century due to their extensive use in fisheries, aquaculture and, more recently, pet trade. Despite relatively long invasion histories of some NICS and negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystemfunctioning, large spatio-temporal analyses o...

Background: Biological invasions threaten the functioning of ecosystems, biodiversity, and human well-being by degrading ecosystem services and eliciting massive economic costs. The European Union, as the world’s third-largest economy, has historically been a hub for cultural development and global trade, and thus, has extensive opportunities for t...

Biological invasions are a global challenge that has received insufficient attention. Recently available cost syntheses have provided policy and decision makers with reliable and up-to-date information on the economic impacts of invasive alien species, aiming to motivate effective management. The resultant InvaCost database is now publicly and free...

Identifying general patterns and trends underlying the impacts and dynamics of biological invasions has proven elusive for scientists. Recently, the impact curve was proposed as a means to predict temporal impacts of invasive alien species, characterised by a sigmoidal growth pattern with an initial exponential increase, followed by a subsequent ra...

Healthy populations of salmonids are integral for the functioning of ecosystems and valuable for the socio-cultural well-being of humans. Past declines were attributed to anthropogenic stressors, raising concern about the sustainability of populations. Accordingly, many salmonids are listed on red lists and protected by national legislation. One re...

Canals provide wide-ranging economic benefits, while also serving as corridors for the introduction and spread of aquatic alien species, potentially leading to negative ecological and economic impacts. However, to date, no comprehensive quantifications of the reported economic costs of these species have been done. Here, we used the InvaCost databa...

ECO, Environment Coastal & Offshore https://www.ecomagazine.com/magazine http://digital.ecomagazine.com/publication/?i=767474&p=44&view=issueViewer

Aim Invasive alien species are a growing problem worldwide due to their ecological, economic and human health impacts. The “killer shrimp” Dikerogammarus villosus is a notorious invasive alien amphipod from the Ponto‐Caspian region that has invaded many fresh and brackish waters across Europe. Understandings of large‐scale population dynamics of hi...

Identifying general patterns and trends underlying biological invasion population dynamics and impacts has proven elusive for scientists. Recently, the impact curve was proposed as a means to predict impacts over time from invasive alien species, characterized by a sigmoidal growth pattern in cumulative abundances. While the impact curve has been e...

Invasive alien gastropods are a particularly pervasive taxonomic group worldwide, often causing substantial impacts on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Yet, much remains unknown about this invasive group’s economic costs to human society. Here, we used the InvaCost database to evaluate the taxonomic, spatial, and temporal patterns of economic co...

Abstract Biological invasions by amphibian and reptile species (i.e. herpetofauna) are numerous and widespread, having caused severe impacts on ecosystems, the economy and human health. However, there remains no synthesised assessment of the economic costs of these invasions. Therefore, using the most comprehensive database on the economic costs of...

As alien invasive species are a key driver of biodiversity loss, understanding patterns of rapidly changing global species compositions depends upon knowledge of biological invasion dynamics and trends. The Ponto-Caspian region is among the most notable donor regions for aquatic invasive species in Europe. Using macroinvertebrate time series collec...

Globalization has led to the introduction of thousands of alien species worldwide. With growing impacts by invasive species, understanding the invasion process remains critical for predicting adverse effects and informing efficient management. Theoretically, invasion dynamics have been assumed to follow an “invasion curve” (S-shaped curve of availa...

As strategic transport infrastructures, canals provide wide-ranging economic benefits as well as save energy and reduce CO2 emissions. At the same time, by connecting previously biogeographically-isolated systems, they serve as corridors for the introduction and spread of aquatic alien species, potentially leading to unforeseen ecological and econo...

Biological invasions by amphibian and reptile species (i.e. herpetofauna) are numerous and widespread and have caused severe impacts on ecosystems, the economy and human health. However, there remains no synthesised assessment of the economic costs of these invasions. Therefore, using the most comprehensive database on the economic costs of invasiv...