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Metamorphoses: Bioinvasions in the Mediterranean Sea

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The Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Six hundred and eighty alien marine multicellular species have been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, with many establishing viable populations and dispersing along its coastline. A brief history of bioinvasions research in the Mediterranean Sea is presented. Particular attention is paid to gelatinous invasive species: the temporal and spatial spread of four alien scyphozoans and two alien ctenophores is outlined. We highlight few of the discernible, and sometimes dramatic, physical alterations to habitats associated with invasive aliens in the Mediterranean littoral, as well as food web interactions of alien and native fish. The propagule pressure driving the Erythraean invasion is powerful in the establishment and spread of alien species in the eastern and central Mediterranean. The implications of the enlargement of Suez Canal, reflecting patterns in global trade and economy, are briefly discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was partly supported by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) for the projects Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors (VECTORS) and Options for Delivering Ecosystem-Based Marine Management (ODEMM).

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  1. National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, 8030, Haifa, 31080, Israel

    B. S. Galil

  2. Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel

    Menachem Goren

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Correspondence to B. S. Galil .

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  1. Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Stefano Goffredo

  2. Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

    Zvy Dubinsky

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Galil, B.S., Goren, M. (2014). Metamorphoses: Bioinvasions in the Mediterranean Sea. In: Goffredo, S., Dubinsky, Z. (eds) The Mediterranean Sea. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6704-1_27

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