Invasions in aquatic systems: Patterns, mechanisms and management

Abstract

The 13th NEOBIOTA International Conference on Biological Invasions (NEOBIOTA 2024), held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 3–6 September 2024, brought together 421 participants from 47 countries for one of the most significant global gatherings in invasion science. Notably, this meeting featured the strongest representation of aquatic studies to date, spanning marine and freshwater systems across oral sessions, posters and workshops. This momentum contributed to the creation of a dedicated Special Issue, incorporating contributions from both conference participants and other aquatic researchers. This Special Issue on Invasions in Aquatic Systems comprises 23 papers — original research and reviews — organised into five themes: Responses to Environmental Stressors, Ecological Interactions and Invasion Impacts, Detection and Monitoring Tools, Management and Policy and Global and Regional Syntheses (Fig. 1). Collectively, these papers provide a data-rich snapshot of a rapidly evolving field and the challenges it faces.