Hydrological alterations enhance fish invasions: lessons from a Neotropical coastal river

Aquatic invasive species: introduction to the Special Issue and dynamics of public interest

“…Reservoirs increase establishment and dominance of AIS (e.g., Havel et al, 2015), and some types of artificial structures used to enhance fish habitat in reservoirs seem to preferentially benefit invasive fish (Frehse et al, 2021). A comparison of natural and anthropogenically modified (by damming, channelization and drained floodplains) stretches of a coastal river in Brazil found that non-native species occurred mainly in the disturbed stretches (Santos et al, 2021a). In contrast, several native species were found only in the natural stretches (Santos et al, 2021a), demonstrating the importance of preserving natural hydrologic regimes and the least modified aquatic ecosystems to reduce invasions and protect native fish biodiversity.…”