Open AccessRestructuring the S ea: profound shifts in the world's most invaded marine ecosystem
Author(s) -
Edelist Dor,
Rilov Gil,
Golani Daniel,
Carlton James T.,
Spanier Ehud
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
diversity and distributions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.918
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1472-4642
pISSN - 1366-9516
DOI - 10.1111/ddi.12002
Subject(s) - abundance (ecology) , overexploitation , ecology , ecosystem , marine ecosystem , biomass (ecology) , habitat , fishery , marine protected area , geography , trophic level , estuary , biology
Aim We examine fish invasions in the south‐eastern M editerranean as a model system for the invasibility of open coasts and provide perspectives through a review of global marine fish invasions. Location South‐eastern M editerranean ( L evant S ea). Methods We compare historical (1990–1994) and modern (2008–2011) trawl surveys from the M editerranean continental shelf and upper slope of Israel to evaluate the relative abundance and biomass of I ndo‐ P acific fishes and their impact on diversity and trophic level ( T r L ). We examine resultant changes in community composition by both univariate and multivariate analyses, and compliment this study with a critical global review of open coast marine fish invasions. Results A staggering 55 I ndo‐ P acific fish species have established permanent populations in the M editerranean in the last 142 years, more than any other marine ecosystem. This process is accelerating with 13 of 27 new arrivals having established in the 21st century alone. Invasive fish biomass and abundance proportions in the shallow open coast have doubled in just two decades and today the L evantine ecosystem is dominated by non‐native species. This proliferation has resulted in significant declines of some indigenous species, some to near extirpation levels. Main conclusions Here, we show that non‐estuarine ecosystems are much more susceptible to large‐scale invasion pressures than previously thought. Our results place invasion in the same category with overexploitation, habitat destruction and pollution, processes normally considered as much more critical perturbations to coastal fish communities. We propose that despite these irreversible alterations, invasions have masked overall T r L changes and diversity declines by replacing native fish with invasives of similar ecological position. As species extirpations increase, we anticipate further declines in indigenous biomass, abundance and diversity in the M editerranean S ea.