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The threat posed by invasive non-native species worldwide requires a global approach to identify which introduced species are likely to pose an elevated risk of impact to native species and ecosystems. To inform policy, stakeholders and management decisions on global threats to aquatic ecosystems, 195 assessors representing 120 risk assessment areas across all six inhabited continents screened 819 non-native species from 15 groups of aquatic organisms (freshwater, brackish, marine plants and animals) using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit. This multi-lingual decision-support tool for the risk screening of aquatic organisms provides assessors with risk scores for a species under current and future climate change conditions that, following a statistically based calibration, permits the accurate classification of species into high-, medium- and low-risk categories under current and predicted climate conditions. The 1730 screenings undertaken encompassed wide geographical areas (regions, political entities, parts thereof, water bodies, river basins, lake drainage basins, and marine regions), which permitted thresholds to be identified for almost all aquatic organismal groups screened as well as for tropical, temperate and continental climate classes, and for tropical and temperate marine ecoregions. In total, 33 species were identified as posing a ‘very high risk’ of being or becoming invasive, and the scores of several of these species under current climate increased under future climate conditions, primarily due to their wide thermal tolerances. The risk thresholds determined for taxonomic groups and climate zones provide a basis against which area-specific or climate-based calibrated thresholds may be interpreted. In turn, the risk rankings help decision-makers identify which species require an immediate ‘rapid’ management action (e.g. eradication, control) to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts, which require a full risk assessment, and which are to be r

Invasive non‐native species (NNS) are internationally recognized as posing a serious threat to global biodiversity, economies and human health. The identification of invasive NNS is already established, those that may arrive in the future, their vectors and pathways of introduction and spread, and hotspots of invasion are important for a targeted approach to managing introductions and impacts at local, regional and global scales. The aim of this study was to identify which marine and brackish NNS are already present in marine systems of the northeastern Arabia area (Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman) and of these which ones are potentially invasive, and which species have a high likelihood of being introduced in the future and negatively affect biodiversity. Overall, 136 NNS were identified, of which 56 are already present in the region and a further 80 were identified as likely to arrive in the future, including fish, tunicates, invertebrates, plants and protists. The Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS‐ISK) was used to identify the risk of NNS being (or becoming) invasive within the region. Based on the AS‐ISK basic risk assessment (BRA) thresholds, 36 extant and 37 horizon species (53.7% of all species) were identified as high risk. When the impact of climate change on the overall assessment was considered, the combined risk score (BRA+CCA) increased for 38.2% of all species, suggesting higher risk under warmer conditions, including the highest‐risk horizon NNS the green crab Carcinus maenas, and the extant macro‐alga Hypnea musciformis. This is the first horizon‐scanning exercise for NNS in the region, thus providing a vital baseline for future management. The outcome of this study is the prioritization of NNS to inform decision‐making for the targeted monitoring and management in the region to prevent new bio‐invasions and to control existing species, including their potential for spread.

Low-grade platinum-group element mineralisation in the Volspruit Sulphide Zone is sulphide-poor (%), distributed over a ~60 m-thick horizon in the lowermost cumulates of the northern limb of the Bushveld Complex. Unlike any other platinum-group element (PGE) deposit of the Bushveld Complex, the Volspruit Sulphide Zone is hosted exclusively within harzburgitic and dunitic cumulates in the Lower Zone of the Rustenburg Layered Suite. Here, we present a petrological investigation on the distribution of PGEs and chalcophile metals in mineralised pyroxenite cumulates from the Volspruit Sulphide Zone, to determine the origin of the PGE mineralisation in ultramafic cumulates and evaluate whether Volspruit-style mineralisation could occur in the stratigraphically lowest, ultramafic portions of other layered intrusions.

The concept of compositional bimodality in carbonatites has become widely accepted and has been used to impose restrictions on the composition of carbonatite magmas. We agree that mineralogical bimodality exists in carbonatites (most are either calcitic or dolomitic/ankeritic), but we argue that there is no compositional bimodality. The idea of bimodality is based on the interpretation of a variety of element distribution diagrams which were compiled only from chemical analyses in which SiO2 is < 10 wt.%. All others were rejected. Even with such a restricted data set the case for compositional bimodality is extremely weak, but the inclusion of analyses with higher SiO2 content destroys it completely. Yet these more siliceous compositions must be included, for many carbonatites contain substantial amounts of Fe–Mg silicates which are an essential part of the magmatic mineralogy of the rocks. They account for much of the Mg in carbonatites that are otherwise calcitic. Many such carbonatites contain well in excess of 10 wt.% SiO2. Supporters of the bimodality concept argue that liquids having compositions between calcite and dolomite can precipitate neither calcite nor dolomite because the minimum on the solid solution loops in the system calcite–dolomite permits only a carbonate of intermediate composition. Therefore, it is argued, liquids of such intermediate composition cannot be parental to calcitic and dolomitic carbonatites; their parent magmas must be calcitic and dolomitic. This deduction is incorrect. It is well established that dolomitic liquids have calcite as the liquidus phase over substantial temperature intervals, and that this is followed by dolomite precipitation. Mixed calcite–dolomite carbonatites are explicable in this way. Therefore, dolomitic liquids can be parental to calcitic carbonatites. However, dolomitic carbonatites cannot crystallize from a calcitic liquid. We suggest that intermediate composition carbonatite magmas are probably common. Bi

We present the results of a field, geochemical and geochronological study of a ∼5000 km2 area of the Sirwa Window of the Anti-Atlas Orogen of Morocco. The region includes the northern edge of the Palaeoproterozoic (Eburnean) West African Craton (Zenaga