![]() ![]() However, not every species is able to overcome the barriers associated with each stage of the invasion process, and even if they do, such species can turn out to be benign (e.g., ). These species are then only considered invasive when they cause net harm to the environment, native biodiversity, economy, or human health. This process first involves a species being transported and introduced into an area outside of its native range, then surviving and reproducing to form an established or self-sustaining population before spreading to other habitats. īefore causing any substantial harmful effects in a new environment, introduced species must pass through several invasion stages and overcome anthropogenic, biological, and environmental barriers. Considering the greater ease of dispersal (resulting from the connectivity and flow of water within freshwater systems) and higher endemism, freshwater ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to biological invasions compared to terrestrial ecosystems. Such pathways have led to the establishment and spread of harmful aquatic invasive species through release of unwanted aquarium pets deliberate stocking of lakes for sport fishing or aquaculture, and unintentional introductions from ship ballast water. These effects are especially pronounced within freshwater ecosystems, owing to the intensive and extensive use of non-native species for recreation and food provisioning, and to accidental transport. Human health and economy have also been affected due to the transmission of diseases, reduction of crop yield, and costs to control invasive species. The human-mediated translocation of species outside of their native range has led to the proliferation of invasive species globally, causing widespread abiotic and biotic changes through the alteration of ecosystems and loss of native species. Considering a geographical bias in terms of having relatively less documentation of biological invasions in the tropics, particularly Asia, this study highlights the need to perform more of such risk assessments in other parts of the tropics. The findings could also potentially benefit the development of invasive species action plans and inform management decisions in the Southeast Asian region. To minimize invasive risk, incoming freshwater fishes could be screened in future for such traits, allowing lists of prohibited or regulated species to be updated. Species having a match in climate, prior invasion success, lower absolute fecundity, higher trophic level, and involvement in the aquarium trade were found to have higher establishment likelihood (as opposed to native distributional range and maximum size being among the commonly identified predictors in subtropical/temperate trait-based risk assessments). ![]() A quantitative trait-based risk assessment was performed using random forest to determine the relative importance of species attributes associated with the successful establishment of introduced freshwater fishes in Singapore. In tropical Southeast Asia, Singapore represents a suitable model site to perform an invasive species trait-based risk assessment for the tropical region given its susceptibility to the introduction and establishment of non-native freshwater fishes and lack of stringent fish import regulation. In view of this knowledge gap, this study aims to determine if a different set of traits are associated with successful establishment of non-native fishes within the tropics. ![]() However, such assessments have mostly been done in sub-temperate to temperate regions, with a general lack of such research in the tropics. ![]() Freshwater fishes are one of the most evaluated freshwater taxa to date. As non-native freshwater species include economically beneficial, but also harmful, species, trait-based risk assessments can be used to identify and prevent the import of potentially invasive species. Biological invasions have created detrimental impacts in freshwater ecosystems. ![]()
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