Applications of biosensors in non-native freshwater species: a systematic review

Abstract

Technological advances have boosted the ability to obtain large and high-quality ecological data. These new technological tools have the potential to rapidly develop knowledge on how species behave and interact in ecosystems at relevant spatial and temporal scales. Comprehensive time-series datasets on the in situ behaviour and dispersal of wild organisms are essential for addressing fundamental ecological and physiological questions regarding non-native freshwater species. In this review, we address how biosensors, hereby defined as a tool for electronic tagging and tracking, can be useful in assessing movement, internal states and behaviour in non-native freshwater species, plus information about the surrounding environment and discuss possibilities of future research. We performed a systematic review of the available literature and retrieved a total of 132 scientific studies (from 1996 to 2023) detailing 140 examples of sensor use. Most studies used radio telemetry (40%; n = 53) followed by acoustic telemetry (34%; n = 45) and PIT telemetry (20%; n = 26) to study non-native freshwater species. The taxonomic group most studied was fish (72%; n = 109), followed by crustaceans (14%; n = 21) and amphibians (5%; n = 8). The most addressed topics included species behaviour assessment (72%; n = 101), species physiology (10%; n = 14) and management (9%; n = 12). As expected, the number of studies noticeably increased since 2006, with the majority performed in North America (55%; n = 73), followed by Europe (30%; n = 40) and Oceania (7%; n = 9). Information provided by biosensors can be used to better understand the dynamics and impacts of cryptic non-native species and can be applied in the management of biological invasions. We also addressed future directions concerning the use of biosensors in non-native freshwater species (e.g. underwater internet systems, artificial intelligence, crittercams). Overall, these technologies provide unique possibilities in the field of biological invasions in freshwater ecosystems and the development of new technologies to address their limitations will increase the amount and reliability of the data gathered to provide information for management actions.