Among demons and killers: current and future potential distribution of two hyper successful invasive gammarids

Biological invasions represent one of the main contemporary pressures facing freshwater ecosystems, and a better understanding of invasive species potential distributions is essential to prepare for future stressors. Crustacean invaders contribute significantly to global invasions with the Ponto-Caspian region being one of the primary donor areas for the Palearctic. The amphipods Dikerogammarus villosus and Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, popularly known as “killer” and “demon” shrimps, are emblematic of successful Ponto-Caspian invaders of European freshwaters. However, the geographical areas in which the abiotic environment is potentially suitable for them have not been investigated. To address this gap, current and future potential distributions were studied for the European Western Palearctic considering two scenarios and time periods (2050 and 2070) as well as the association between anthropogenic activities and individual species habitat suitability. Results show large areas of centr...