Safe harbours for the intruders of the sea: Greater abundance of invasive species on artificial structures and management implications

• Artificial structures (AS) and natural reefs (NRs) have similar richness of invasives. • AS support significantly higher abundance of invasive species than NRs. • Inadequate study designs and scarce data create persistent knowledge gaps. • Anticipating invasions through planning and monitoring is the best strategy. Artificial structures, both coastal (e.g. piers, seawalls) and offshore (e.g. platforms), have been hypothesised to support greater abundance and diversity of invasive species, incl