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Beyond one bone: Interdisciplinarity to assess nativeness of the tench ( Tinca tinca ) in Spain

2019; Wiley; Volume: 29; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/aqc.3184

1099-0755

Miguel Clavero,

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Abstract The native or non‐native status of a species can be difficult to discern when it has been present in a territory for a long time. To solve these conflicting cases it is often important to integrate the knowledge from multiple disciplines, because narrow‐focused approaches can produce misleading perceptions around nativeness. The tench ( Tinca tinca ) is thought to be native in Spain, and officially considered so, only because of putative Bronze Age remains of the species from a single archaeological site. This putative prehistoric record is here revisited and put into context using evidence from other approaches and disciplines, to show that the native status of the tench in Spain is solely based on an arguably erroneous identification of the remains of a single bone. Biogeographical and genetic patterns solidly support the non‐native status of the tench, and historical documents contain explicit records of the importation of the species to Spain in the sixteenth century. The tench must thus be considered a non‐native species in Spain and managed as such. This review shows how weak observations and errors can be entrenched in the scientific literature as established truths through repeated uncritical citations, with pervasive effects both for knowledge building and for the management of natural resources.