Marine bioinvasions in the Anthropocene: Challenges and opportunities

The global spread of nonindigenous species is recognized as a potent driver of change in the sea with no sign of saturation. Interest in this topic has exponentially increased among ecologists, environmental managers, and policy makers during the past years. However, knowledge about marine bioinvasions processes is still scarce, especially when compared with terrestrial or freshwater ecosystems. This, coupled with the complex eco-evolutionary context of global environmental and social change, hinders our predictive capacity on these processes. Along this chapter, we have addressed advances made on the causes and consequences of marine invasion processes, their synergies with other drivers of change, their vectors and introduction pathways, and the strategies used for their early detection, long-term monitoring and efficient management. In doing this, significant challenges and knowledge gaps have emerged. We have compiled these issues and provided future directions for advancing marine invasions science and improve the predictability of this growing threat.