The clinging jellyfish (Goniomoenus Vertens) is a small jellyfish that is not native to european waters. Its venom is potent, causing a strong burning sensation if it comes into contact with the skin.
Recently, it was discovered in Saltenfjorden in Nordland. Photo: Vsevolod Rudyi.
Invasive species can cause significant damage to ecosystems and can also pose a threat to public health. Now, the Faculty of Aquaculture and Biosciences at Nord University will contribute to an international collaboration to control invasive alien species (IAS) in European waters, both in the sea and in lakes. The project is named GuardIAS.
"The GuardIAS project will develop new technologies to aid early detection of the arrival and spread of human-introduced marine and freshwater species throughout Europe" says project leader at Nord University, Mark Costello.
Nord University recently received nearly ten million NOK from the EU for participation in the project. The funds will be used, among other things, to build a genetic reference library.
"We have the methodology to analyse genetic material in water samples and thus identify which species are present. However, it requires that we already have data for the species in the reference library. There is still much work to be done here," says Nord University’s Professor Joost Raeymaekers who leads this part of the project.
In addition, artificial intelligence will be used to develop a mobile phone app.
"We will use artificial intelligence and build a photo library for at least one hundred species, which will be used by the iNaturalist platform," says Costello.
iNaturalist is an online social network where citizens can share information about biodiversity. With the help of an app, you can use your smart phone to identify plants and animals and simultaneously contribute data to research and management.
“Any photographs of suspected IAS will be notified to experts to validate the identification, allowing for example, fish farmers and harbour managers, to detect and respond to introductions which may be a threat to their facilities and ecosystems”, Costello adds.
Early warning
Researchers from 19 institutions are participating in the project from 14 countries, including three from New Zealand and Australia. The GuardIAS has a total budget of 6.4 million euros and is led by the University of the Aegean in Greece.
"Being a research project, it is likely that some of the methods we look at will prove more applicable than others, either due to their reliability, reproducibility, cost and combinations of reasons. Together these approaches will be used to develop an Early-Warning System for marine and freshwater IAS in Europe", Costello says.
Nord University will employ two postdoc researchers for a period of 24 to 30 months each for the project.
"Some invasive species may be considered harmless or even beneficial, e.g., creating a new fishery, while others may be worth investing millions of euros to prevent them harming native species and resources“, Costello says.
Nord University will coordinate the work package on “Early Detection and Monitoring” and lead tasks on eDNA, including:
- developing DNA reference library and testing its use to detect IAS.
- building the photograph database of IAS for use by AI on smartphones to identify species using the iNaturalist SEEK app.
- a study on how to predict which species will become IAS from their biogeography and ecological traits.
- desk studies on the risk posed by two Pacific IAS, the Red King Crab Paralithodes camtschaticus and humpback (pink) salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha which have already begun invading Norwegian waters.
- fostering collaborations outside of Europe.
- Benefit-Cost Analysis model to guide prioritisation of IAS eradication.
According to the UN's nature panel (IPBES), over 3500 invasive species now pose a threat to global biodiversity, economy, and health. These species play a role in more than 60 percent of global plant and animal extinctions and cost the global community over 400 billion dollars annually, mainly due to the loss of nature's contributions to human well-being. In Europe, more than 2000 invasive species in marine and freshwater environments have been reported to cause serious damage to ecosystems.
The EU has committed to reducing the negative impact of invasive species. However, few countries have established legislation aimed at this task.
Facts about GuardIAS
The project comprises a total of 12 different tasks, distributed among the 19 participating organisations:
- Compiling information from multiple databases and the literature using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to better predict the spread and impacts of invasive alien species (IAS).
- Building a photograph library of IAS for use by the citizen science platform iNaturalist to use a smartphone app to automatically identify and report suspected IAS. This can be used by customs officers at border control inspections, citizens examining their boats, and field observations.
- Building an environmental DNA (eDNA) reference library of IAS so that water samples can be tested for recently arrived species.
- Predicting the likelihood of a species becoming an IAS based on its biogeography and ecology to predict the risks of arrival, spread, and impact of IAS.
- Developing Benefit-Cost Analysis models to quantify the ecological and economic risks posed by IAS.
- Assessing the risk of IAS to threatened native species to enable the prioritization of resources to prevent the arrival and spread of IAS, and to remove IAS where they are likely to increase the risk of extinction of native species.
- Testing nanotechnology-based coverings (paints) to prevent IAS from growing on (and then spreading from) boats.
- Exploring the role of listening devices (hydrophones) to detect IAS which make distinctive sounds (including some freshwater fish).
- Testing underwater robots’ ability to detect and map the distribution of underwater IAS.
- Developing satellite systems to detect and map IAS plants.
- Using case studies on selected IAS to assess if and how they can be eradicated.
- Engaging with the public and authorities (including games and fieldwork) to aid efforts in IAS eradication.
Nord University will be responsible for points 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 11.
The project is led by the University of the Aegean, Greece. Other participating countries include Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Those responsible for the project at Nord University are Professor Mark John Costello (ecology, Bodø campus), Joost Raeymaekers (genomics, Bodø campus), and Rakel Blaalid (ecology, Steinkjer campus).
The project is funded by Horizon Europe, the EU's central funding program for research and innovation, with a budget of 95.5 billion euros.
Facts about Invasive Species
Invasive species are considered one of the greatest threats to biodiversity both in Norway and worldwide. An invasive species is an organism that does not naturally occur in Norway or in a specific location in Norway. Such organisms may lack natural predators and can thus displace other species and habitats when they arrive at a new location. They can reduce biodiversity in the area and bring diseases and parasites. Examples of species that have established themselves in Norway and have negative effects on biodiversity include mink, the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris, Sitka spruce, American lobster, king crab, Canada goose, signal crayfish, waterweed, garden lupine, and giant hogweed.
Source: Regjeringen.no: Invasive Species in Norwegian Nature
Facts about Invasive Species
Invasive species are considered one of the greatest threats to biodiversity both in Norway and worldwide. An invasive species is an organism that does not naturally occur in Norway or in a specific location in Norway. Such organisms may lack natural predators and can thus displace other species and habitats when they arrive at a new location. They can reduce biodiversity in the area and bring diseases and parasites. Examples of species that have established themselves in Norway and have negative effects on biodiversity include mink, the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris, Sitka spruce, American lobster, king crab, Canada goose, signal crayfish, waterweed, garden lupine, and giant hogweed.
Source: Regjeringen.no: Invasive Species in Norwegian Nature
