Global distribution and diversity of alien Ponto-Caspian amphipods

The Ponto-Caspian region is an important donor of aquatic alien species throughout the Northern Hemisphere, many of which are amphipod crustaceans. Despite decades of ongoing spread and negative effects on native biota, a complete picture of the global diversity and distribution of these amphipods has yet to emerge, hampering efficient monitoring and predictions of future invasion pathways. Herein, we provide a comprehensive summary of alien species taxonomic and ecomorphological diversity, as well as high-resolution distribution maps and biogeographical patterns based on > 8000 global records. We find that up to 39 species in 19 genera and five families, belonging to all four currently recognized ecomorphs, are potentially alien, their diversity gradually decreasing with distance from the native region. Most species (62%) have limited distributions, 15% are widespread, and 23% exhibit intermediate ranges. We also find that regions adjacent to the native range are comparatively less well-sampled than more distant regions. Biogeographical clustering revealed three faunal provinces that largely correspond with the Southern, Central and Northern invasion corridors. We conclude that (1) alien amphipods are a representative subsample of the native Ponto-Caspian phylogenetic and ecomorphological diversity, and (2) that their biogeographical patterns are driven by anthropogenic factors acting on taxonomically distinct native regional species pools.

Automated summary

The Ponto-Caspian region is a significant source of aquatic alien species in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly amphipod crustaceans. This study provides a comprehensive summary of the taxonomic and ecomorphological diversity of these alien species, as well as their distribution patterns based on global records. The findings reveal a gradual decrease in diversity with distance from the native region and highlight the influence of anthropogenic factors on the biogeographical patterns.