title: External morphology explains the success of biological invasions.
abstract: Biological invasions have become major players in the current biodiversity crisis, but realistic tools to predict which species will establish successful populations are still unavailable. Here we present a novel approach that requires only a morphometric characterisation of the species. Using fish invasions of the Mediterranean, we show that the abundance of non-indigenous fishes correlates with the location and relative size of occupied morphological space within the receiving pool of species. Those invaders that established abundant populations tended to be added outside or at the margins of the receiving morphospace, whereas non-indigenous species morphologically similar to resident ones failed to develop large populations or even to establish themselves, probably because the available ecological niches were already occupied. Accepting that morphology is a proxy for a species' ecological position in a community, our findings are consistent with ideas advanced since Darwin's naturalisation hypothesis and provide a new warning signal to identify invaders and to recognise vulnerable communities.
authors.affiliation: ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Piazzale dei Marmi 2, Livorno, 57123, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azzurro
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Tuset
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lombarte
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maynou
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simberloff
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Pérez
authors.forename: Ricard V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Solé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D005399:Fishes / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D058865:Introduced Species; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D011157:Population Dynamics
keywords: Abundance; Lessepsian fish; Mediterranean Sea; biological invasions; geometric morphology; limiting similarity; morphological niche; species coexistence