the most diverse groups. A total of 258 bibliographical sources were used to answer the
AS-ISK questions. The taxa with higher risk of invasion included mobile predators
(decapods) and filter-feeder invertebrates, including ecosystem engineers (Tab. 1).
Discussion and conclusions
The present study constitutes the first AS-ISK study for coastal non-indigenous marine
species (NIS) in North Africa. These results will help inform managerial decisions and
resource allocation for the early eradication of those NIS and cryptogenic species with a
higher risk of causing environmental and economic problems (SPA/RAC - ONU
Environment/PAM, 2017).
Fig. 1: Sampled marinas in Tunisia.
Tab. 1: Top-ten high-risk species according to AS-ISK for the Basic Risk Assessment (BRA)
and BRA plus climate change assessment (BRA+CCA)
Taxa
BRA BRA+CCA
Taxa
BRA BRA+CCA
Portunus segnis
42
50
Bugula neritina
38
48
Callinectes sapidus
40.5
48.5
Balanus trigonus
37
45
Ficopomatus enigmaticus
40
48
Tricellaria inopinata
36
46
Percnon gibbesi
39.5
45
Amathia verticillata
34
44
Botrylloides spp.
39
47
Pinctada imbricata
33
41
Aknowledgements
This work was financially supported by SPA/RAC, Tunisia, and the MAVA Foundation,
Switzerland. JSV was supported by a FPI Grant (PRE2018-086266, Project CGL 2017-82739-P)
co-financed by ERDF European Union and Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Gobierno de
España, and SC by a pre-doctoral grant in the framework of the 2015 ARDITI Grant Programme
Madeira 14-20 (Project M1420-09-5369-FSE-000002).
Bibliography
COPP G.H., VILIZZI L., TIDBURY H., STEBBING P.D., TARKAN A.S., MILOSSEC L.,
GOULLETQUER P. (2016) - Development of a generic decision-support tool for identifying
potentially invasive aquatic taxa: AS-ISK. Management of Biological Invasions, 7: 343-350.
MOLNAR J.L., GAMBOA R.L., REVENGA C., SPALDING M.D. (2008) - Assessing the global
threat of invasive species to marine biodiversity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment,
6: 485-492.
SPA/RAC - ONU Environnement/PAM. (2017) - Programme National de surveillance pour la
biodiversité marine en Tunisie. Ben Haj, S. (Ed.). SPA/RAC, Projet EcAp-MEDII. Tunis.
2nd Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species (Genoa, Italy, 22-23 September 2022)
88
AS-ISK questions. The taxa with higher risk of invasion included mobile predators
(decapods) and filter-feeder invertebrates, including ecosystem engineers (Tab. 1).
Discussion and conclusions
The present study constitutes the first AS-ISK study for coastal non-indigenous marine
species (NIS) in North Africa. These results will help inform managerial decisions and
resource allocation for the early eradication of those NIS and cryptogenic species with a
higher risk of causing environmental and economic problems (SPA/RAC - ONU
Environment/PAM, 2017).
Fig. 1: Sampled marinas in Tunisia.
Tab. 1: Top-ten high-risk species according to AS-ISK for the Basic Risk Assessment (BRA)
and BRA plus climate change assessment (BRA+CCA)
Taxa
BRA BRA+CCA
Taxa
BRA BRA+CCA
Portunus segnis
42
50
Bugula neritina
38
48
Callinectes sapidus
40.5
48.5
Balanus trigonus
37
45
Ficopomatus enigmaticus
40
48
Tricellaria inopinata
36
46
Percnon gibbesi
39.5
45
Amathia verticillata
34
44
Botrylloides spp.
39
47
Pinctada imbricata
33
41
Aknowledgements
This work was financially supported by SPA/RAC, Tunisia, and the MAVA Foundation,
Switzerland. JSV was supported by a FPI Grant (PRE2018-086266, Project CGL 2017-82739-P)
co-financed by ERDF European Union and Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Gobierno de
España, and SC by a pre-doctoral grant in the framework of the 2015 ARDITI Grant Programme
Madeira 14-20 (Project M1420-09-5369-FSE-000002).
Bibliography
COPP G.H., VILIZZI L., TIDBURY H., STEBBING P.D., TARKAN A.S., MILOSSEC L.,
GOULLETQUER P. (2016) - Development of a generic decision-support tool for identifying
potentially invasive aquatic taxa: AS-ISK. Management of Biological Invasions, 7: 343-350.
MOLNAR J.L., GAMBOA R.L., REVENGA C., SPALDING M.D. (2008) - Assessing the global
threat of invasive species to marine biodiversity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment,
6: 485-492.
SPA/RAC - ONU Environnement/PAM. (2017) - Programme National de surveillance pour la
biodiversité marine en Tunisie. Ben Haj, S. (Ed.). SPA/RAC, Projet EcAp-MEDII. Tunis.
2nd Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species (Genoa, Italy, 22-23 September 2022)
88