GASPAR | A general approach to Species-Abundance relationships in a context of global change, reef fish species as a model

The invasion of non-native species is considered one of the main threats to biodiversity, leading to major changes in the structure and functioning of ecosystems. In the context of globalization, research on invasive species has become increasingly important due to the growing number of species being relocated through human activities—such as transport, trade, and others. Invasive species often cause significant problems as they compete with local flora and fauna, frequently disrupting the abundance and quality of native species. This results in a loss of biodiversity which, in the long term, can lead to substantial reductions in ecosystem services, such as lower fishery yields. Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the Eastern Mediterranean has undergone an unprecedented transformation in species composition, with the massive arrival of non-native species—known as Lessepsian migrants—from the Red Sea. These species already account for more than a quarter of total catches in the Eastern Mediterranean, and sometimes even more. Some of them are now spreading as far as the Western Mediterranean.

The FRB–Cesab Gaspar project specifically investigated the mechanisms that enable a species to adapt to a new environment, in the context of biological invasions and species adaptation to climate and global change. For the first time, the Gaspar project conducted a comprehensive study of all species inhabiting adjacent systems, in order to identify the processes that determine which ones become invasive. Such information is rarely available, and this approach had never been applied before.

 
This document summarizes, in just a few pages, the project’s context and objectives, the methods and approaches used, the main findings, and the impacts on science, society, and both public and private decision-making.