First detailed insights into the life‐history traits of the alien shrimp Athanas nitescens (Decapoda: Alpheidae) in the western Atlantic

Abstract

Human activities have contributed to the dispersal of many marine species throughout oceans and continents (Carlton & Ruiz, 2005). Despite the natural dispersion by oceanic currents, larvae and adults of marine and estuarine species are transported along with the plankton in large volumes of ship ballast water, which have caused a global distribution of non-native species in the most varied marine environments (Carlton & Geller, 1993).Alien species may bring severe ecological consequences into their new environments, leading to changes in native biological diversity (Carlton & Geller, 1993). The impacts on the introduction area could be either direct (e.g., the displacement of native species or predation upon native species) or indirect (e.g., the transmission of pathogens; Tavares & Amouroux, 2003). Therefore, the knowledge about the population structure and reproductive potential of alien species is crucial to understand their possible impacts on native populations and serves as a baseline to management strategies.