| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of the study is to assess the diversity and distribution of non-indigenous species (NIS) and their impacts in the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The Mediterranean Sea is heavily affected by biological invasions and marine protected areas are not immune to NIS introductions and spread. However, the effects of MPAs on NIS establishment and spreading are generally unrecognized. In this study, the distribution of NIS and the effect of MPAs on NIS establishment and spread was assessed using rapid assessment, inside and outside some selected Mediterranean MPAs. Furthermore, trophic interactions between the indigenous benthic taxa and the non-indigenous species: the green alga Caulerpa cylindracea, the red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis, the crab Percnon gibbesi and the sea hare Aplysia dactylomela, were investigated using stable isotope rations and subsequent isotopic populations metrics in order to determine the role of NIS in invaded ecosystems and the possible impacts it has on indigenous taxa. |
