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Freshwater Navigation Is Linked to Non‐Native Species Distributions Across Spatial Scales

Aaron N. Sexton Orcid Logo, Cybill Staentzel Orcid Logo, Alienor Jeliazkov Orcid Logo, Nicolas Casajus, Tom Buijse, Carlos Garcia De Leaniz Orcid Logo, Sonja Jähnig Orcid Logo, Vanesa Martínez‐Fernández, Astrid Schmidt‐Kloiber, Evelyne Tales Orcid Logo, Karl M. Wantzen, Christian Wolter, Jean‐Nicolas Beisel

Diversity and Distributions, Volume: 32, Issue: 6, Start page: e70204

Swansea University Author: Carlos Garcia De Leaniz Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1111/ddi.70204

Abstract

Aim: Invasive species are among the most important drivers of native species declines, and cause serious economic and ecological costs. Globally, Europe is a hotspot for freshwater non‐native species, especially among macroinvertebrates and fish, and inland navigation is thought to be a major driver...

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Published in: Diversity and Distributions
ISSN: 1366-9516 1472-4642
Published: Wiley 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa72124
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However, the degree to which different aspects of navigation (i.e., ship traffic vs. infrastructures) contribute to non&#x2010;native species spread, establishment and distribution has not yet been quantified. Our study set out to determine the role that navigation plays in the distribution of Western European freshwater established non&#x2010;native species, and which aspects of navigation are most responsible. Additionally, we aimed to identify the spatial scale at which these navigation pressures operate, and what ecological characteristics may influence species' response to navigation. Location: Europe. Methods: We extracted data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to identify occurrences of established non&#x2010;native species in Europe from the past 30 years. Using over 500,000 occurrences, we mapped the coverage of over 250 established non&#x2010;native species and paired this with pan&#x2010;European data on inland ship traffic, navigation infrastructure and environmental data. Results: We found that the greatest predictor of non&#x2010;native species richness and occurrences was the presence of a shipping canal in the subcatchment. This held true for both fish and macroinvertebrates at fine and large spatial scales. Temperature was also an important predictor of non&#x2010;native species distribution. We found these positive associations to be strongest for generalist fish species, molluscs and crustaceans. Main Conclusions: Freshwater navigation, especially canals, is an important vector for non&#x2010;native species establishment, and highlights the need for frequent monitoring and mitigation. 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spelling 2026-06-19T12:14:18.4800872 v2 72124 2026-06-19 Freshwater Navigation Is Linked to Non‐Native Species Distributions Across Spatial Scales 1c70acd0fd64edb0856b7cf34393ab02 0000-0003-1650-2729 Carlos Garcia De Leaniz Carlos Garcia De Leaniz true false 2026-06-19 BGPS Aim: Invasive species are among the most important drivers of native species declines, and cause serious economic and ecological costs. Globally, Europe is a hotspot for freshwater non‐native species, especially among macroinvertebrates and fish, and inland navigation is thought to be a major driver of their spread. However, the degree to which different aspects of navigation (i.e., ship traffic vs. infrastructures) contribute to non‐native species spread, establishment and distribution has not yet been quantified. Our study set out to determine the role that navigation plays in the distribution of Western European freshwater established non‐native species, and which aspects of navigation are most responsible. Additionally, we aimed to identify the spatial scale at which these navigation pressures operate, and what ecological characteristics may influence species' response to navigation. Location: Europe. Methods: We extracted data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to identify occurrences of established non‐native species in Europe from the past 30 years. Using over 500,000 occurrences, we mapped the coverage of over 250 established non‐native species and paired this with pan‐European data on inland ship traffic, navigation infrastructure and environmental data. Results: We found that the greatest predictor of non‐native species richness and occurrences was the presence of a shipping canal in the subcatchment. This held true for both fish and macroinvertebrates at fine and large spatial scales. Temperature was also an important predictor of non‐native species distribution. We found these positive associations to be strongest for generalist fish species, molluscs and crustaceans. Main Conclusions: Freshwater navigation, especially canals, is an important vector for non‐native species establishment, and highlights the need for frequent monitoring and mitigation. Given that increased temperatures are associated with establishment success, climate change may also play an increased role in non‐native species dispersal. Journal Article Diversity and Distributions 32 6 e70204 Wiley 1366-9516 1472-4642 canal, fish, freshwater shipping, macroecology, macroinvertebrate, navigation, non-native species, ports, spatial scale, waterway 30 6 2026 2026-06-30 10.1111/ddi.70204 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee This work was supported by Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversite and French National Research Program on Transport Infrastructure, Territories, Ecosystems and Landscapes. 2026-06-19T12:14:18.4800872 2026-06-19T12:08:05.0872004 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Aaron N. Sexton 0000-0002-8926-3872 1 Cybill Staentzel 0000-0003-4360-0631 2 Alienor Jeliazkov 0000-0001-5765-3721 3 Nicolas Casajus 4 Tom Buijse 5 Carlos Garcia De Leaniz 0000-0003-1650-2729 6 Sonja Jähnig 0000-0002-6349-9561 7 Vanesa Martínez‐Fernández 8 Astrid Schmidt‐Kloiber 9 Evelyne Tales 0000-0001-8811-6830 10 Karl M. Wantzen 11 Christian Wolter 12 Jean‐Nicolas Beisel 13 72124__37011__093faee5e7c840be8c048224a208f9ce.pdf ddi.70204.pdf 2026-06-19T12:08:05.0504144 Output 3077181 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Freshwater Navigation Is Linked to Non‐Native Species Distributions Across Spatial Scales
spellingShingle Freshwater Navigation Is Linked to Non‐Native Species Distributions Across Spatial Scales
Carlos Garcia De Leaniz
title_short Freshwater Navigation Is Linked to Non‐Native Species Distributions Across Spatial Scales
title_full Freshwater Navigation Is Linked to Non‐Native Species Distributions Across Spatial Scales
title_fullStr Freshwater Navigation Is Linked to Non‐Native Species Distributions Across Spatial Scales
title_full_unstemmed Freshwater Navigation Is Linked to Non‐Native Species Distributions Across Spatial Scales
title_sort Freshwater Navigation Is Linked to Non‐Native Species Distributions Across Spatial Scales
author_id_str_mv 1c70acd0fd64edb0856b7cf34393ab02
author_id_fullname_str_mv 1c70acd0fd64edb0856b7cf34393ab02_***_Carlos Garcia De Leaniz
author Carlos Garcia De Leaniz
author2 Aaron N. Sexton
Cybill Staentzel
Alienor Jeliazkov
Nicolas Casajus
Tom Buijse
Carlos Garcia De Leaniz
Sonja Jähnig
Vanesa Martínez‐Fernández
Astrid Schmidt‐Kloiber
Evelyne Tales
Karl M. Wantzen
Christian Wolter
Jean‐Nicolas Beisel
format Journal article
container_title Diversity and Distributions
container_volume 32
container_issue 6
container_start_page e70204
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 1366-9516
1472-4642
doi_str_mv 10.1111/ddi.70204
publisher Wiley
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Aim: Invasive species are among the most important drivers of native species declines, and cause serious economic and ecological costs. Globally, Europe is a hotspot for freshwater non‐native species, especially among macroinvertebrates and fish, and inland navigation is thought to be a major driver of their spread. However, the degree to which different aspects of navigation (i.e., ship traffic vs. infrastructures) contribute to non‐native species spread, establishment and distribution has not yet been quantified. Our study set out to determine the role that navigation plays in the distribution of Western European freshwater established non‐native species, and which aspects of navigation are most responsible. Additionally, we aimed to identify the spatial scale at which these navigation pressures operate, and what ecological characteristics may influence species' response to navigation. Location: Europe. Methods: We extracted data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to identify occurrences of established non‐native species in Europe from the past 30 years. Using over 500,000 occurrences, we mapped the coverage of over 250 established non‐native species and paired this with pan‐European data on inland ship traffic, navigation infrastructure and environmental data. Results: We found that the greatest predictor of non‐native species richness and occurrences was the presence of a shipping canal in the subcatchment. This held true for both fish and macroinvertebrates at fine and large spatial scales. Temperature was also an important predictor of non‐native species distribution. We found these positive associations to be strongest for generalist fish species, molluscs and crustaceans. Main Conclusions: Freshwater navigation, especially canals, is an important vector for non‐native species establishment, and highlights the need for frequent monitoring and mitigation. Given that increased temperatures are associated with establishment success, climate change may also play an increased role in non‐native species dispersal.
published_date 2026-06-30T06:03:12Z
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