HELLAS-ALIENS. The invasive alien species of Greece: time trends, origin and pathways

The current paper presents the first effort to organize a comprehensive review of the Invasive Alien Species (IAS) of Greece. For this purpose, a database was developed with fields of information on the taxonomy, origin, ecology and pathways of introduction of terrestrial, freshwater and marine species. Our database includes a) taxa in the Union’s list that are present in Greece, b) taxa already present in Greece and considered to be invasive, and c) taxa highly likely to enter Greece in the next 10 years and become invasive. The Database served as the starting point for the compilation of the National List of Alien Invasive Species (HELLAS-ALIENS) in compliance with the EU Regulation 1143/2014. Overall, the HELLAS-ALIENS comprises 126 species, i.e. 32 terrestrial and freshwater plant species, 14 terrestrial invertebrates, 28 terrestrial vertebrates, 30 freshwater fishes and invertebrates and 22 marine species. Terrestrial invertebrates, birds and mammals are mainly of Asiatic origin. Most of the terrestrial plants have their native geographical distribution in the Americas (North and South). Most of the freshwater invertebrates and fishes are of North American origin, while the majority of the marine species are of Indo-Pacific origin. The first records of IAS concern terrestrial plant species, and date back to the 19th century, while those in freshwater and marine ecosystems seem to have been systematically recorded some decades later. Regarding the pathways of introduction, most of the taxa arrived in Greece or are expected to arrive through escape from confinement and unaided. The majority of the terrestrial, freshwater and marine species have been evaluated as of High-risk for the indigenous biodiversity and only 3% of the species listed have been evaluated of Low-risk. Our results provide an important baseline for management and action plans, as required by the priorities set by the European Union through the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

[1]  H. Roy,et al.  Establishment and spread of the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Greece: based on contributions from citizen scientists , 2022, Biological Invasions.

[2]  M. Lehtiniemi,et al.  Status and Trends in the Rate of Introduction of Marine Non-Indigenous Species in European Seas , 2022, Diversity.

[3]  K. Stergiou,et al.  Can Biological Traits Serve as Predictors for Fishes’ Introductions, Establishment, and Interactions? The Mediterranean Sea as a Case Study , 2022, Biology.

[4]  S. Olsen,et al.  Pathways of introduction of alien species in Norway: analyses of an exhaustive dataset to prioritise management efforts , 2022, Journal of Applied Ecology.

[5]  Simona R. Grădinaru,et al.  Distribution and pathways of introduction of invasive alien plant species in Romania , 2022, NeoBiota.

[6]  E. Fitoka,et al.  Τhe fish fauna in lentic ecosystems of Greece , 2021, Mediterranean Marine Science.

[7]  C. Georgiadis,et al.  Alientoma, a Dynamic Database for Alien Insects in Greece and Its Use by Citizen Scientists in Mapping Alien Species , 2021, Insects.

[8]  C. Rondinini,et al.  Introduction, spread, and impacts of invasive alien mammal species in Europe , 2021, Mammal review.

[9]  Antonia Galanaki,et al.  The distribution of American mink (Neovison vison) in Greece , 2021, Mammalia.

[10]  N. G. Taylor,et al.  Economic costs of invasive alien species across Europe , 2021, NeoBiota.

[11]  M. Arianoutsou,et al.  Alien plants of Europe: introduction pathways, gateways and time trends , 2021, PeerJ.

[12]  C. Georgiadis,et al.  Revisiting the non-native insect fauna of Greece: Current trends and an updated checklist , 2021, NeoBiota.

[13]  J. Pino,et al.  Impact of introduction pathways on the spread and geographical distribution of alien species: Implications for preventive management in mediterranean ecosystems , 2021, Diversity and Distributions.

[14]  P. Karachle,et al.  Is the trend in new introductions of marine non-indigenous species a reliable criterion for assessing good environmental status? Τhe case study of Greece , 2020 .

[15]  C. McGrannachan,et al.  A multiregional assessment of transnational pathways of introduction , 2020, bioRxiv.

[16]  M. Arianoutsou,et al.  Horizon Scanning to Predict and Prioritize Invasive Alien Species With the Potential to Threaten Human Health and Economies on Cyprus , 2020, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

[17]  M. Vilà,et al.  Applying the Convention on Biological Diversity Pathway Classification to alien species in Europe , 2020 .

[18]  Andrew M. Liebhold,et al.  Drivers of future alien species impacts: An expert‐based assessment , 2020, Global change biology.

[19]  Andrew M. Liebhold,et al.  Scientists' warning on invasive alien species , 2020, Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.

[20]  Mark P. Johnson,et al.  Horizon scan of invasive alien species for the island of Ireland , 2020, Management of Biological Invasions.

[21]  E. Kalogianni,et al.  Impacts of the alien mosquitofish on the abundance and condition of two Mediterranean native fish , 2019, Mediterranean Marine Science.

[22]  M. Vilà,et al.  InvasiBES: Understanding and managing the impacts of Invasive alien species on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services , 2019, NeoBiota.

[23]  A. Cardoso,et al.  Time lags in reporting of biological invasions: the case of Mediterranean Sea , 2019, Mediterranean Marine Science.

[24]  Pim Edelaar,et al.  Assessing the ecological and societal impacts of alien parrots in Europe using a transparent and inclusive evidence-mapping scheme , 2019, NeoBiota.

[25]  Alexander N. G. Kirschel,et al.  Horizon scanning for invasive alien species with the potential to threaten biodiversity and human health on a Mediterranean island , 2019, Biological Invasions.

[26]  A. Weiserbs,et al.  Mediterranean versus Atlantic monk parakeets Myiopsitta monachus: towards differentiated management at the European scale. , 2019, Pest management science.

[27]  M. Carrete,et al.  The European trade ban on wild birds reduced invasion risks , 2019, Conservation Letters.

[28]  Stefan Schindler,et al.  Developing a list of invasive alien species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the European Union , 2018, Global change biology.

[29]  Klement Tockner,et al.  Emerging threats and persistent conservation challenges for freshwater biodiversity , 2018, Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.

[30]  D. Tilman,et al.  Introduced species that overcome life history tradeoffs can cause native extinctions , 2018, Nature Communications.

[31]  Nina Dzhembekova,et al.  Setting-up a billboard of marine invasive species in the ESENIAS area: current situation and future expectancies , 2018 .

[32]  B. Rinkevich,et al.  Foul play? On the rapid spread of the brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus Ives, 1891 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Penaeidae) in the Mediterranean, with new records from the Gulf of Lion and the southern Levant , 2017, Marine Biodiversity.

[33]  D. Zlatanova,et al.  The invasive raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides, gray) – an update of its distribution on the Balkans , 2017 .

[34]  Helen E. Roy,et al.  Assessing patterns in introduction pathways of alien species by linking major invasion data bases , 2017 .

[35]  M. Vilà,et al.  Troubling travellers: are ecologically harmful alien species associated with particular introduction pathways? , 2017 .

[36]  Ingolf Kühn,et al.  No saturation in the accumulation of alien species worldwide , 2017, Nature Communications.

[37]  M. Vinarski.  The history of an invasion: phases of the explosive spread of the physid snail Physella acuta through Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia , 2017, Biological Invasions.

[38]  Tim M. Blackburn,et al.  Descriptor : The global avian invasions atlas , a database of alien bird distributions worldwide , 2017 .

[39]  C. Miaud,et al.  Invasive North American bullfrogs transmit lethal fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infections to native amphibian host species , 2016, Biological Invasions.

[40]  G. Copp,et al.  Risk screening of non‐native, translocated and traded aquarium freshwater fishes in Greece using Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit , 2016 .

[41]  I. Kowarik,et al.  Impacts of invasive plants on resident animals across ecosystems, taxa, and feeding types: a global assessment , 2016, Global change biology.

[42]  Tim M. Blackburn,et al.  Alien species as a driver of recent extinctions , 2016, Biology Letters.

[43]  G. Copp,et al.  Risk screening of non-native freshwater fishes in Croatia and Slovenia using the Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit. , 2016 .

[44]  P. Bellingham,et al.  Prioritizing species, pathways, and sites to achieve conservation targets for biological invasion , 2016, Biological Invasions.

[45]  P. Hulme.  Invasion pathways at a crossroad: policy and research challenges for managing alien species introductions , 2015 .

[46]  Wolfgang Nentwig,et al.  Crossing Frontiers in Tackling Pathways of Biological Invasions , 2015 .

[47]  Elizabeth Cook,et al.  Horizon scanning for invasive alien species with the potential to threaten biodiversity in Great Britain , 2014, Global change biology.

[48]  A. Apostolou,et al.  Risk assessment of non-native fishes in the Balkans Region using FISK, the invasiveness screening tool for non-native freshwater fishes , 2013 .

[49]  T. Nikolić,et al.  Invasive alien plants in Croatia as a threat to biodiversity of South-Eastern Europe: distributional patterns and range size. , 2013, Comptes rendus biologies.

[50]  A. Sfriso,et al.  Alien species in the Mediterranean Sea by 2012. A contribution to the application of European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Part 2. Introduction trends and pathways , 2012 .

[51]  E. Kalogianni,et al.  Recent contributions to the distribution of the freshwater ichthyofauna in Greece , 2012 .

[52]  P. Genovesi,et al.  Alien mammals in Europe: updated numbers and trends, and assessment of the effects on biodiversity. , 2012, Integrative zoology.

[53]  C. Perdikaris,et al.  Carassiusgibelio in Greece: the dominant naturalised invader of freshwaters , 2012, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries.

[54]  A. Apostolou,et al.  First record of Pontian Monkey Goby, Neogobius fluviatilis (Pallas, 1814) in the Evros River (Greece); Is it an alien species? , 2011 .

[55]  Sabrina Lo Brutto,et al.  Cryptic invasion in Southern Europe: The case of Ferrissia fragilis (Pulmonata: Ancylidae) Mediterranean populations , 2011, Biologia.

[56]  J. Ehrenfeld.  Ecosystem Consequences of Biological Invasions , 2010 .

[57]  C. Perdikaris,et al.  Alien fish and crayfish species in Hellenic freshwaters and aquaculture , 2010 .

[58]  M. Arianoutsou,et al.  The alien flora of Greece: taxonomy, life traits and habitat preferences , 2010, Biological Invasions.

[59]  G. Beaugrand,et al.  Global climate change amplifies the entry of tropical species into the eastern Mediterranean Sea , 2010 .

[60]  D. Andow,et al.  Conundrums of a complex vector for invasive species control: a detailed examination of the horticultural industry , 2010, Biological Invasions.

[61]  Brian L. Sullivan,et al.  eBird: A citizen-based bird observation network in the biological sciences , 2009 .

[62]  L. Viegi,et al.  Inventory of the non‐native flora of Italy , 2009 .

[63]  W. Greuter,et al.  Med-Checklist Notulae, 27 , 2008 .

[64]  M. Carrete,et al.  Wild-bird trade and exotic invasions: a new link of conservation concern? , 2008 .

[65]  Wolfgang Nentwig,et al.  Grasping at the routes of biological invasions: a framework for integrating pathways into policy , 2008 .

[66]  S. Zogaris,et al.  The freshwater ichthyofauna of Greece - an update based on a hydrographic basin survey , 2007 .

[67]  E. Randi,et al.  Detecting introgressive hybridisation in rock partridge populations (Alectoris graeca) in Greece through Bayesian admixture analyses of multilocus genotypes , 2007, Conservation Genetics.

[68]  S. Kark,et al.  Amassing Efforts against Alien Invasive Species in Europe , 2006, PLoS biology.

[69]  D. Ćirović.  First record of the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides Gray, 1834) in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia , 2006, Zeitschrift f\ ur Jagdwissenschaft.

[70]  M. Heinrich.  Handbook of the Convention on Biological Diversity , 2002 .

[71]  E. Froufe,et al.  Rival at the gate: first record of the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea Müller, 1774 (Bivalvia: Corbiculidae) in Greece , 2020, Knowledge & Management of Aquatic Ecosystems.

[72]  T. Konstantinos,et al.  The native distribution range of the European marine non-indigenous species , 2018 .

[73]  A. Apostolou,et al.  Alien freshwater fish species in the Balkans—Vectors and pathways of introduction , 2018 .

[74]  A. Marchini,et al.  The enlargement of the Suez Canal – Erythraean introductions and management challenges , 2017 .

[75]  F. Crocetta,et al.  Local ecological knowledge versus published literature: a review of non-indigenous Mollusca in Greek marine waters , 2017 .

[76]  A. Legakis,et al.  First account on the occurrence of selected invasive alien vertebrates in Greece , 2016 .

[77]  Cardoso Ana,et al.  European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN): supporting European policies and scientific research , 2015 .

[78]  Katsanevakis Stylianos Marios,et al.  ELNAIS: a collaborative network on Aquatic Alien Species in Hellas (Greece). , 2015 .

[79]  L. Vardakas,et al.  Enemy at the gates: introduction potential of non-indigenous freshwater crayfish in Greece via the aquarium trade , 2013, Central European Journal of Biology.

[80]  J. Aronson,et al.  Impacts of biological invasions: what's what and the way forward. , 2013, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[81]  C. Chucholl.  Invaders for sale: trade and determinants of introduction of ornamental freshwater crayfish , 2012, Biological Invasions.

[82]  E. Papastergiadou,et al.  Aquatic alien species in Greece (2009): tracking sources, patterns and effects on the ecosystem. , 2009 .

[83]  M. Capula.  Genetic evidence of natural hybridization between Podarcis sicula and Podarcis tiliguerta (Reptilia: Lacertidae) , 2002 .