Taming the terminological tempest in invasion science.

Standardised terminology in science is important for clarity of interpretation and communication. In invasion science - a dynamic and rapidly evolving discipline - the proliferation of technical terminology has lacked a standardised framework for its development. The result is a convoluted and inconsistent usage of terminology, with various discrepancies in descriptions of damage and interventions. A standardised framework is therefore needed for a clear, universally applicable, and consistent terminology to promote more effective communication across researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers. Inconsistencies in terminology stem from the exponential increase in scientific publications on the patterns and processes of biological invasions authored by experts from various disciplines and countries since the 1990s, as well as publications by legislators and policymakers focusing on practical applications, regulations, and management of resources. Aligning and standardising terminology across stakeholders remains a challenge in invasion science. Here, we review and evaluate the multiple terms used in invasion science (e.g. 'non-native', 'alien', 'invasive' or 'invader', 'exotic', 'non-indigenous', 'naturalised', 'pest') to propose a more simplified and standardised terminology. The streamlined framework we propose and translate into 28 other languages is based on the terms (i) 'non-native', denoting species transported beyond their natural biogeographic range, (ii) 'established non-native', i.e. those non-native species that have established self-sustaining populations in their new location(s) in the wild, and (iii) 'invasive non-native' - populations of established non-native species that have recently spread or are spreading rapidly in their invaded range actively or passively with or without human mediation. We also highlight the importance of conceptualising 'spread' for classifying invasiveness and 'impact' for management. Finally, we propose a protocol for classifying populations based on (i) dispersal mechanism, (ii) species origin, (iii) population status, and (iv) impact. Collectively and without introducing new terminology, the framework that we present aims to facilitate effective communication and collaboration in invasion science and management of non-native species.

Opposite and synergistic physiological responses to water acidity and predator cues in spadefoot toad tadpoles.

Organisms are exposed to multiple environmental factors simultaneously to which they often respond behaviorally, morphologically and/or physiologically. Amphibian larvae are quite plastic and efficiently adjust their phenotype and physiology to the reigning local conditions. Here we tested whether the combination of predator presence and low water pH induces alterations in the morphology and physiology of spadefoot toad tadpoles. We raised Pelobates cultripes tadpoles in the laboratory in water at either pH 4 or 7, and in the presence or absence of caged dragonfly nymphs, and determined their changes in shape through geometric morphometrics to assess whether predator recognition was impaired or not at low pH. We also measured levels of plasma corticosterone, activity of four antioxidant enzymes, as well as markers of oxidative damage and redox status. We found that tadpoles altered their body shape in response to predator cues even at low pH, indicating that predator recognition was not interfered by water acidity and developmental responses were robust even under abiotic stress. Water acidity was associated with increased corticosterone levels in tadpoles, whereas predator presence consistently reduced corticosterone levels. Predator presence was linked to reduced antioxidant enzyme activity, whereas the combination of both factors resulted in negative synergistic effects on lipid peroxidation and the antioxidant capacity of tadpoles. Here we show that tadpoles detect predators even at low pH but that the development of adaptive anti-predatory morphology can magnify physiological imbalances when other stressors co-occur. These results emphasize the need to understand how multiple environmental perturbations can affect animal homeostasis.

Annotated checklist of aquatic beetles (Coleoptera) and true bugs (Heteroptera) in the Azores Islands: new records and corrections of colonization status.

In comparison with other Macaronesian archipelagos, Azorean freshwater macroinvertebrates are characterized by a smaller list of species at the archipelago regional scale. Although knowledge of the freshwater fauna of the Azores has improved in recent years through the implementation of the "Water Framework Directive", we are still far from having a complete inventory and even further from knowing the precise distribution and biology of each species. The lack of knowledge about Azorean freshwater species is coupled with the vulnerability of their habitats to anthropogenic disturbances and the introduction of non-native species. In contributing to overcome Wallacean and Hutchinsonian biodiversity shortfalls, we here provide expanded knowledge on the distribution and biology of the freshwater species of Coleoptera and Heteroptera in the Azores. We compile data from various fieldwork performed between 2006 and 2014, encompassing four islands in the archipelago. We detected new records of two aquatic Heteroptera species (belonging to the families Corixidae and Notonectidae) and six of aquatic Coleoptera (belonging to the families Dytiscidae, Gyrinidae, Hydrophilidae and Hydraenidae) in these islands, and also a new record (Enochrus fuscipennis) for the Azorean archipelago. We also suggest that the introduced colonization status of three Coleoptera species of the family Hydrophilidae should be reformulated as possibly native, with implications for conservation.

The colonisation of exotic species does not have to trigger faunal homogenisation: lessons from the assembly patterns of arthropods on oceanic islands.

Human-caused disturbances can lead to the extinction of indigenous (endemic and native) species, while facilitating and increasing the colonisation of exotic species; this increase can, in turn, promote the similarity of species compositions between sites if human-disturbed sites are consistently invaded by a regionally species-poor pool of exotic species. In this study, we analysed the extent to which epigean arthropod assemblages of four islands of the Azorean archipelago are characterised by nestedness according to a habitat-altered gradient. The degree of nestedness represents the extent to which less ubiquitous species occur in subsets of sites occupied by the more widespread species, resulting in an ordered loss/gain of species across environmental or ecological gradients. A predictable loss of species across communities while maintaining others may lead to more similar communities (i.e. lower beta-diversity). In contrast, anti-nestedness occurs when different species tend to occupy distinct sites, thus characterising a replacement of species across such gradients. Our results showed that an increase in exotic species does not promote assemblage homogenisation at the habitat level. On the contrary, exotic species were revealed as habitat specialists that constitute new and well-differentiated assemblages, even increasing the species compositional heterogeneity within human-altered landscapes. Therefore, contrary to expectations, our results show that both indigenous and exotic species established idiosyncratic assemblages within habitats and islands. We suggest that both the historical extinction of indigenous species in disturbed habitats and the habitat-specialised character of some exotic invasions have contributed to the construction of current assemblages.

Spatio-temporal nested patterns in macroinvertebrate assemblages across a pond network with a wide hydroperiod range.

Nestedness has been widely used to measure the structure of biological communities and occurs when species-poor sites contain subsets of species-rich ones. Here, we examine nested patterns across the macroinvertebrate assemblages of 91 ponds in Doñana National Park, Spain, and explore temporal variation of nestedness and species richness in 19 temporary ponds over 2 years with differing rainfall. Macroinvertebrate assemblages were significantly nested; both pond spatial arrangement and environmental variation being important in driving nested patterns. Despite the nested structure observed, a number of taxa and ponds deviate from this pattern (termed idiosyncratic), by occurring more frequently than expected in species-poor sites, or having assemblages dominated by species largely absent from species-rich sites. Aquatic adults of winged insects, capable of dispersal, were more highly nested than non-dispersing taxa and life-history stages. Idiosyncratic taxa were found in ponds spanning a wide range of hydroperiods, although nestedness was higher in more permanent waterbodies. Monthly sampling demonstrated a gradual increase of species richness and nestedness from pond filling to April-May, when the most temporary ponds started to dry. Although the degree of nestedness of individual pond assemblages varied from month to month, the overall degree of nestedness in the two study years was practically identical despite marked differences in hydroperiod. Our results suggest that differential colonization and environmental variation are key processes driving the nested structure of Doñana ponds, that macroinvertebrate assemblages change in a predictable manner each year in response to cycles of pond wetting and drying, and that connectivity and environmental variability maintain biodiversity in pond networks.

Falcaustra donanaensis sp. nov. (Nematoda: Kathlaniidae) a parasite of Mauremys leprosa (Testudines, Bataguridae) in Spain.

Falcaustra donanaensis sp. nov. (Nematoda, Kathlaniidae) from the large intestine of Mauremys leprosa (Testudines, Bataguridae) is described. By the absence of pseudosucker, arrangement of the male caudal papillae and the size of the spicules Falcaustra donanaensis sp. nov. resembles only to Falcaustra washingtonensis [Bursey and Aker (2001) J Parasitol 87:1082-1084], a species from Ambistoma tigrinum melanostictum in the Nearctic Region. Papillae pattern in the male of F. washingtonensis is similar to F. donanaensis, but differs by the presence of a median papilla in the American species, length of pharynx, spicule, and gubernacle in males, size of eggs, and number of eggs in female. This is the first species of Falcaustra reported in freshwater turtles in the Iberian Peninsula.