The Eastern Mediterranean Sea is an exceptional habitat. Its relative isolation and distinct characteristics create a unique ecosystem recognized as a marine biodiversity hot spot, where one-fifth of the species are endemic. Yet, native Mediterranean biodiversity is under increasing threat, mainly due to massive alien species invasions of Indo-Pacific origin. To date, more than 800 non-indigenous species have been reported in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, justifying its reputation as one of the most severely affected habitats in the world in terms of marine biological invasions. Here we summarized the Mediterranean invasion dynamics of the long-spined echinoid Diadema setosum (Leske, 1778), one of the most ubiquitous Indo-Pacific sea urchin species. We show an alarming exponential population growth of D. setosum throughout the Eastern Mediterranean since 2018, following more than a decade of ‘invasion lag’ since its first detection in 2006. Molecular analyses illustrate the presence of a single genetic D. setosum clade in the Mediterranean Sea – corresponding to the Arabian Peninsula clade of this species, reinforcing the notion of a Red Sea origin. Our data support the current working hypothesis that the initial introduction of D. setosum occurred in the Northern Levantine Basin from which it gradually expanded in both north-west and south-east trajectories – in contrast to a stepping-stone hypothesis of gradual advancement from the opening of the Suez Canal. Demographic data of D. setosum along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline reveals a well-established population of broad size distributions, from juveniles to adult individuals of remarkably large size. Additionally, we provide evidence of the reproductive capacity of D. setosum in its new environment. Due to the magnitude of Diadema’s ecological footprint, it poses a severe threat to the entire Eastern Mediterranean Sea, including the Levantine Basin and South Aegean Sea, calling for rapid and coordinated action at both national and regional scales.

中文翻译：

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获得（管）立足点——长刺类海胆 Diadema setosum（莱斯克，1778 年）入侵地中海二十年后的趋势和现状

东地中海是一个特殊的栖息地。它的相对孤立和鲜明的特征创造了一个独特的生态系统，被公认为海洋生物多样性热点，五分之一的物种是当地特有的。然而，地中海本土的生物多样性正受到越来越大的威胁，这主要是由于来自印度洋-太平洋地区的大量外来物种入侵。迄今为止，已在东地中海报告了 800 多种非本土物种，证明它是世界上受海洋生物入侵影响最严重的栖息地之一。在这里，我们总结了长刺海胆的地中海入侵动态刚毛(Leske, 1778)，是最普遍的印度洋-太平洋海胆物种之一。我们展示了惊人的人口指数增长D. setosum自 2018 年以来，在整个东地中海，自 2006 年首次检测到“入侵滞后”以来已有十多年。分子分析表明存在单一基因D. setosum地中海的分支——对应于该物种的阿拉伯半岛分支，强化了红海起源的概念。我们的数据支持当前的工作假设，即最初引入D. setosum发生在北黎凡特盆地，从那里它逐渐向西北和东南方向扩张——这与苏伊士运河开通后逐渐推进的垫脚石假说形成鲜明对比。的人口统计数据D. setosum沿着以色列地中海海岸线揭示了一个规模分布广泛的成熟种群，从青少年到规模非常大的成年个体。此外，我们提供了生殖能力的证据D. setosum在它的新环境中。由于规模王冠它的生态足迹，对包括黎凡特盆地和南爱琴海在内的整个东地中海构成严重威胁，需要在国家和区域范围内迅速采取协调一致的行动。