Contrasted aquatic invaders: Toward a generalization of processes
PROBIS focuses on three main biological models: a fish ectoparasite (Tracheliastes polycolpus), a freshwater fish (Pseudorasbora parva) and a dragonfly (Crocothemis erythraea). They are all invasive species in Europe with major ecological and economic impacts. The main introduction pathway is known for each model, which constitutes a key point for making PROBIS a successful project. The combined analysis of three biological model will generalize the outputs of PROBIS.
Tracheliastes polycolpus
T. polycolpus is a Copepod ectoparasite attaching to fish fins. Only females are parasitic, and feed on the epithelial cells and mucus, inflicting local lesions and the partial or total destruction of fins. This parasite has been recorded on many freshwater fish species belonging to the Cyprinids family. It originates from Eastern Europe and has recently invaded Western Europe. Being a generalist parasite, it can strongly affect freshwater fish biodiversity, but also ecosystem services such as recreational fishing and aquaculture.
Pseudorasbora parva
The topmouth gudgeon is a small freshwater fish species from the Cyprinids family that have evolved a reproductive strategy towards nest guarding, batch spawning and high reproductive input. The origin is the East coast of China. It now invaded 32 countries invaded from Central Asia to North Africa. The considerable plasticity and adaptability of this species allowed P. parva to colonized many environments. In addition, P. parva is a healthy carrier for the intracellular parasite Sphaerothecum destruens, which represents a major ecological risk as this pathogen has been responsible for mass mortality in fish.
Crocothermis erythraea
C. erythracea is a dragongly originated from mediterranean and naturally expanding its range northwards through Europe. The last three decades, this species became indigenous in France and South Germany and started expanding its range northwards reaching England 20 years ago and Denmark 5 years ago. Its expansion matches the increase in temperature. Still rarely studied, this expansion can have a strong impact on native odonates communities.