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Abstract(s)
Invasive species are recognized as a major cause of biodiversity decline. Legal regulations
relating to the prevention, control, or eradication of invasive species should always be up-to-date, as
the failure to recognize the problem, lack of adequate scientific information, or long legal intervals
required to prepare the legislation may result in irreversible, possibly catastrophic, outcomes. This
implies constant monitoring of the species distribution and levels of establishment, as well as detailed
knowledge about its biology to predict dissemination and viability under changing environmental
conditions. Pre-screening kits for potential invasive species are valuable tools for policy makers, as
they provide information about if and how management measures should be taken. The Freshwater
Fish Invasiveness Scoring Kit (FISK) and the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK)
have been suggested as reliable tools to assess the potential risk of a species becoming invasive. The
present study highlights the spread of the non-native chameleon cichlid Australoheros facetus in several
streams of the major river drainages in southern Portugal and compares the fish assemblages and
ecological indices in two selected sites in the Vascão and Odelouca rivers. We reviewed the current
knowledge on the distribution, physiology, and behavior of A. facetus, and applied the toolkits FISK
v2 and AS-ISK to this species to evaluate whether the species should be classified as invasive in
Portugal. Field data show high abundance of the species in most streams and dominance in specific
hotspots. The scores reached by the kits (FISK v2: 23; AS-ISK: 37) places A. facetus as a species with
high potential of invasiveness and support the recent inclusion of this species in the invasive species
list in Portugal (Decree-Law 92/2019), but, most of all, highlights the importance of frequent updates
in both the field monitoring and the legal regulation and watch lists of invasive organisms.
Description
Keywords
Freshwater Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit (FISK) Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK) Mediterranean-type rivers Iberian Peninsula Environmental monitoring Geographical distribution Invasive species Freshwater fish Biodiversity
Citation
Publisher
MDPI