According to a report published at the magazine “Frontiers in Marine Science” by a research team led by Stelios Katsanevakis, member of the Environment Institute of Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Union, the Mediterranean Sea’s biodiversity is endangered by a large-scale invasion of alien species.
More specifically, the report explains how human activities, such as shipping, aquaculture, have led to the introduction of nearly 1000 alien species into the Mediterranean Sea, of which more than half are considered to be established and spreading.
The report argues that these biological invasions are threatening Mediterranean Sea’s biodiversity, which boasts of 17,000 reported marine species, of which approximately one fifth are considered to be endemic.
“Marine alien species may become invasive and displace native species, cause the loss of native genotypes, modify habitats, change community structure, affect food-web properties and ecosystem processes, impede the provision of ecosystem services, impact human health, and cause substantial economic losses,” the report states, adding that “the biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is changing, and further research is needed to better understand how the new biodiversity patterns shaped by human activities will affect the Mediterranean food webs, ecosystem functioning, and the provision of ecosystem services.
