Minor harbours as dispersal hubs in the Mediterranean Sea: The case of non–indigenous species in an Italian port

Articles > Article · 2026

Authors: Antonina Badalucco, Fabio Bozzeda, Fabio Crocetta, Andrea Desiderato, Cengiz KOÇAK, Joachim Langeneck, Emanuele Mancini, Caterina Martino, Francesco Mastrototaro, Serena Mucciolo, Luigi Musco, Maria Giovanna Parisi, Antonietta Rosso, Yann Toso, Sabrina Lo Brutto

REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE, Journal Indexed in SCI Expanded, International, 2026, vol 100, pp 1-17

DOI: 10.1016/j.rsma.2026.105169

Summary

<p>The&nbsp;Mediterranean&nbsp;Sea&nbsp;is&nbsp;one&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;regions&nbsp;most&nbsp;severely&nbsp;affected&nbsp;by&nbsp;marine&nbsp;biological&nbsp;invasions,&nbsp;with&nbsp;maritime&nbsp;transport&nbsp;representing&nbsp;the&nbsp;principal&nbsp;pathway&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;introduction&nbsp;and&nbsp;secondary&nbsp;spread&nbsp;of&nbsp;non-indigenous&nbsp;species&nbsp;(NIS).&nbsp;In&nbsp;this&nbsp;context,&nbsp;ports&nbsp;act&nbsp;as&nbsp;key&nbsp;nodes&nbsp;facilitating&nbsp;the&nbsp;establishment&nbsp;and&nbsp;dispersal&nbsp;of&nbsp;foulingassociated&nbsp;taxa.&nbsp;Nevertheless,&nbsp;small&nbsp;and&nbsp;medium-sized&nbsp;harbours&nbsp;remain&nbsp;poorly&nbsp;investigated.&nbsp;This&nbsp;study&nbsp;provides&nbsp;the&nbsp;first&nbsp;comprehensive&nbsp;assessment&nbsp;of&nbsp;NIS&nbsp;and&nbsp;cryptogenic&nbsp;invertebrates&nbsp;associated&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;fouling&nbsp;communities&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;port&nbsp;of&nbsp;Trapani&nbsp;(north-western&nbsp;Sicily,&nbsp;central&nbsp;Mediterranean&nbsp;Sea),&nbsp;a&nbsp;harbour&nbsp;directly&nbsp;connected&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;Egadi&nbsp;Islands&nbsp;Marine&nbsp;Protected&nbsp;Area&nbsp;(MPA).&nbsp;The&nbsp;survey&nbsp;identified&nbsp;27&nbsp;taxa,&nbsp;with&nbsp;Peracarida&nbsp;and&nbsp;Polychaeta&nbsp;representing&nbsp;the&nbsp;most&nbsp;diverse&nbsp;components.&nbsp;To&nbsp;contextualise&nbsp;the&nbsp;findings,&nbsp;a&nbsp;Mediterranean-wide&nbsp;occurrence&nbsp;dataset&nbsp;was&nbsp;reconstructed&nbsp;through&nbsp;an&nbsp;extensive&nbsp;literature&nbsp;review.&nbsp;Species&nbsp;distributions&nbsp;were&nbsp;analysed&nbsp;across&nbsp;four&nbsp;Mediterranean&nbsp;biogeographical&nbsp;sectors,&nbsp;revealing&nbsp;strong&nbsp;spatial&nbsp;heterogeneity&nbsp;and&nbsp;marked&nbsp;geographical&nbsp;gaps&nbsp;in&nbsp;sampling&nbsp;effort,&nbsp;particularly&nbsp;along&nbsp;the&nbsp;North&nbsp;African&nbsp;coast.&nbsp;In&nbsp;parallel,&nbsp;maritime&nbsp;traffic&nbsp;data&nbsp;from&nbsp;the&nbsp;port&nbsp;of&nbsp;Trapani&nbsp;were&nbsp;analysed&nbsp;to&nbsp;evaluate&nbsp;potential&nbsp;pathways&nbsp;of&nbsp;dispersal.&nbsp;Results&nbsp;revealed&nbsp;intense&nbsp;liner&nbsp;and&nbsp;cruise&nbsp;vessel&nbsp;traffic&nbsp;connecting&nbsp;Trapani&nbsp;with&nbsp;several&nbsp;Mediterranean&nbsp;ports&nbsp;and&nbsp;transoceanic&nbsp;routes.&nbsp;The&nbsp;strategic&nbsp;position&nbsp;of&nbsp;Trapani,&nbsp;located&nbsp;between&nbsp;the&nbsp;Strait&nbsp;of&nbsp;Gibraltar&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;Suez&nbsp;Canal,&nbsp;together&nbsp;with&nbsp;its&nbsp;proximity&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;Egadi&nbsp;Islands&nbsp;MPA,&nbsp;highlights&nbsp;its&nbsp;importance&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;potential&nbsp;stepping-stone&nbsp;hub&nbsp;for&nbsp;NIS&nbsp;dispersal&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;central&nbsp;Mediterranean.&nbsp;Considering&nbsp;the&nbsp;ecological&nbsp;vulnerability&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;neighbouring&nbsp;MPA,&nbsp;the&nbsp;high&nbsp;density&nbsp;of&nbsp;NIS&nbsp;recorded&nbsp;suggests&nbsp;a&nbsp;significant&nbsp;risk&nbsp;of&nbsp;spillover.&nbsp;Therefore,&nbsp;we&nbsp;recommend&nbsp;the&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;of&nbsp;earlydetection&nbsp;protocols&nbsp;and&nbsp;a&nbsp;data-sharing&nbsp;system&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;port&nbsp;authorities.&nbsp;Such&nbsp;management&nbsp;strategies&nbsp;are&nbsp;crucial&nbsp;to&nbsp;evaluate&nbsp;the&nbsp;progression&nbsp;of&nbsp;invasions&nbsp;from&nbsp;and&nbsp;towards&nbsp;this&nbsp;Mediterranean&nbsp;port&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;mitigate&nbsp;the&nbsp;socio-economic&nbsp;and&nbsp;ecological&nbsp;impacts&nbsp;of&nbsp;NIS.</p>

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