Evaluation of non-native species policy development and implementation within the Antarctic Treaty area

Antarctic non-native species legislation is contained within the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, with 2016 marking the 25th anniversary of its adoption. We take this opportunity to evaluate the Antarctic Treaty signatory Parties' collective development and implementation of non-native species policy. In general, scientific and policy outputs have increased in the past decade. However, data detailing Parties' current implementation of biosecurity practices are not readily available. Little widespread, internationally coordinated or systematic monitoring of non-native species establishment has occurred, but available data suggest that establishment of non-native micro-invertebrates may be greatly underestimated. Several recent small-scale plant eradications have been successful, although larger-scale eradications present a greater challenge due to seed bank formation. Invertebrate establishment within research station buildings presents an increasing problem, with mixed eradication success to date. The opportunity now exists to build on earlier successes, such as the ‘CEP Non-native Species Manual’, towards the development of a comprehensive response strategy based upon the principles of prevention, monitoring and response, and applicable to all Antarctic environments. To help facilitate this we identify areas requiring further research and policy development, such as to reduce anthropogenic transfer of indigenous Antarctic species between distinct biogeographic regions, avoid microbial contamination of pristine areas and limit introduction of non-native marine species. A response protocol is proposed for use following the discovery of a potential non-native species within the Antarctica Treaty area, which includes recommendations concerning Parties' initial response and any subsequent eradication or control measures

Opportunities for studying propagule pressure using gene flow reveal its role in accelerating biological invasions

When an alien species establishes at a new location, it must spread to become an invader. The extent to which propagule pressure promotes the spread of invaders, especially at local scales, is often difficult to quantify because it requires a reliable measure of, and variation in, rate of spread, and of propagule pressure across similar areas. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Mairal et al. (2022) make use an unique system of paired sub-Antarctic islands, one with very infrequent human activities, and another inhabited by scientists, to assess the role of propagule pressure and anthropogenic disturbance in the introduction and spread of a major global invader, Poa annua L., to and on the islands. Genetic admixture between different genetic clusters is virtually absent from the little-visited island, while the inhabited island experienced more introduction events, but also significant admixture between genetic clusters. Detailed distribution maps of P. annua spanning more than 50 years allowed the authors to link genetic diversity to residence time. The nature of the system, and the multifaceted approach used by the authors, allows for new insights into the mechanism by which propagule pressure results in the spread of invasive species.Biodiversa ASICS.http://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/mechj2023Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Sustainability leaders' perceptions on the drivers for and the barriers to the integration of sustainability in Latin American Higher Education Institutions

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have been steadily progressing towards the integration of sustainable practices in their structures and operations. Several studies have reported the variety of drivers of change and the barriers to change that universities have found in the integration process. The present investigation is aimed at further characterizing and ranking the drivers for, and barriers of, sustainability integration in HEIs within their structures and operating functions. Open-ended expert opinion interviews of key sustainability leaders appointed at 45 HEIs from 10 Latin-American countries were conducted in order to learn lessons from their diverse experiences of the process. Additionally, a thematic workshop on HEI sustainability was organized to facilitate further discussions between 23 sustainability scholars and/or national coordinators of university networks from 11 Latin American countries. As a result, 15 barriers were identified as hindering the institutionalization of sustainability in HEIs. This study also examined the relationship between these reported barriers with 13 main drivers that were identified to be facilitating the integration of sustainable practices within the organizational and academic structures at the universities. The strong correspondence between the several observed drivers for, and barriers to, change highlights the importance of strategic planning that offers integrated actions. The findings of this paper can serve as a reference to assist HEIs in identifying drivers of, and barriers to, sustainability, so that the former can be fostered and the latter addressed effectively. This can help identify and plan targeted actions to make the transition towards sustainability in HEIs more natural and effective

Biological invasions in terrestrial Antarctica: what is the current status and can we respond?

Until recently the Antarctic continent and Peninsula have been little impacted by non-native species, compared to other regions of the Earth. However, reports of species introductions are increasing as awareness of biological invasions as a major conservation threat, within the context of increased human activities and climate change scenarios, has grown within the Antarctic community. Given the recent increase in documented reports, here we provide an up-to-date inventory of known terrestrial non-native species introductions, including those subsequently removed since the 1990s, within the Antarctic Treaty area. This builds on earlier syntheses of records published in the mid-2000s, which focused largely on the sub-Antarctic islands, given the dearth of literature available at that time from the continental and maritime Antarctic regions. Reports of non-native species established in the natural environment (i.e. non-synanthropic) are mainly located within the Antarctic Peninsula region and Scotia Arc, with Deception Island, South Shetland Islands, the most impacted area. Non-native plants have generally been removed from sites of introduction, but no established invertebrates have yet been subject to any eradication attempt, despite a recent increase in reports. Legislation within the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty has not kept pace with environmental best practice, potentially presenting difficulties for the practical aspects of non-native species control and eradication. The success of any eradication attempt may be affected by management practices and the biology of the target species under polar conditions. Practical management action is only likely to succeed with greater co-operation and improved communication and engagement by nations and industries operating in the region

Meta-analysis of Antarctic phylogeography reveals strong sampling bias and critical knowledge gaps

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : This study used previously published genetic data from diverse studies. All metadata (GenBank accessions, paper references, geolocations etc.) for data used in this study are available from the Dryad Digital Repository: . This article contains no original data.Much of Antarctica's highly endemic terrestrial biodiversity is found in small ice-free patches. Substantial genetic differentiation has been detected among populations across spatial scales. Sampling is, however, often restricted to commonly-accessed sites and we therefore lack a comprehensive understanding of broad-scale biogeographic patterns, which could impede forecasts of the nature and impacts of future change. Here, we present a synthesis of published genetic studies across terrestrial Antarctica and the broader Antarctic region, aiming to identify current biogeographic patterns, environmental drivers of diversity and future research priorities. A database of all published genetic research from terrestrial fauna and flora (excl. microbes) across the Antarctic region was constructed. This database was then filtered to focus on the most well-represented taxa and markers (mitochondrial COI for fauna, and nuclear ITS for flora). The final dataset comprised 7222 records, spanning 153 studies of 335 different species. There was strong taxonomic bias towards flowering plants (52% of all floral data sets) and springtails (54% of all faunal data sets), and geographic bias towards the Antarctic Peninsula and Victoria Land. Recent connectivity between the Antarctic continent and neighbouring landmasses, such as South America and the Southern Ocean Islands (SOIs), was inferred for some groups, but patterns observed for most taxa were strongly influenced by sampling biases. Above-ground wind speed and habitat heterogeneity were positively correlated with genetic diversity indices overall though environment was a generally poor predictor of genetic diversity. The low resolution and variable coverage of data may also have reduced the power of our comparative inferences. In the future, higher-resolution data, such as genomic SNPs and environmental modelling, alongside targeting sampling of remote sites and under sampled taxa, will address current knowledge gaps and greatly advance our understanding of evolutionary processes across the Antarctic region.The New Zealand Antarctic Science Platform; a Royal Society of New Zealand Rutherford Discovery Fellowship via an Honours scholarship; a Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi Marsden Fund grant; Biodiversa ASICS funding (EU-Biodiversa ASICS project).http://www.ecography.orghj2023Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Southward migration of the zero-degree isotherm latitude over the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Peninsula : cryospheric, biotic and societal implications

DATA AVAILABILITY : ERA5 temperature datasets can be downloaded from https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu/. CMIP6 climate projections can be downloaded from https://esgf-node.llnl.gov/search/cmip6/. The dataset generated in this research with the precipitation extremes for each model at every grid point and for different durations are available via González-Herrero, Sergi. (2023). Zero-degree isotherm latitude (ZIL) position over Antarctica: Historical and Projections [Data set]. Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.10046608. The codes used in this study are available via Sergi González Herrero. (2023). sergigonzalezh/ZIL-Antarctica: Zero-degree isotherm latitude (ZIL) position over Antarctica [Code] (1.0). Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.10063849.DATA AVAILABILITY : All data and codes are available in open access repositories.Please read abstract in the article.The research group ANTALP (Antarctic, Arctic, Alpine Environments; 2021 SGR 00269) funded by the Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca of the Government of Catalonia; the project NEOGREEN (PID2020-113798GB-C31) funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; Agencia Estatal de Investigación; the ASICS-South Africa Biodiversa project and institutional funds from UKRI-NERC.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenvhj2024Plant Production and Soil ScienceSDG-15:Life on lan

Human-mediated dispersal of terrestrial species between Antarctic biogeographic regions: a preliminary risk assessment

The distribution of terrestrial biodiversity within Antarctica is complex, with 16 distinct biogeographic regions (Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions) currently recognised within the Antarctic continent, Peninsula and Scotia Arc archipelagos of the Antarctic Treaty area. Much of this diversity is endemic not only to Antarctica as a whole, but to specific regions within it. Further complexity is added by inclusion of the biodiversity found on the islands located in the Southern Ocean north of the Treaty area. Within Antarctica, scientific, logistic and tourism activities may inadvertently move organisms over potentially long distances, far beyond natural dispersal ranges. Such translocation can disrupt natural species distribution patterns and biogeography through: (1) movement of spatially restricted indigenous species to other areas of Antarctica; (2) movement of distinct populations of more generally distributed species from one area of Antarctica to another, leading to genetic homogenisation and loss of assumed local patterns of adaptation; and (3) further dispersal of introduced non-native species from one area of Antarctica to another. Species can be moved between regions in association with people and cargo, by ship, aircraft and overland travel. Movement of cargo and personnel by ship between stations located in different biogeographic regions is likely to present one of the greatest risks, particularly as coastal stations may experience similar climatic conditions, making establishment more likely. Recognising that reducing the risk of inter-regional transfer of species is a priority issue for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, we make practical recommendations aimed at reducing this risk, including the implementation of appropriate biosecurity procedures

Protect global values of the Southern Ocean ecosystem

The Southern Ocean, which comprises ∼10% of the global ocean, is critically important to the homeostasis of the Earth system, exhibits distinctive marine biodiversity, and has tremendous scientific, diplomatic, and wilderness value. Yet, the region and its suite of global values are critically threatened by climate change, which is exacerbated by commercial fishing, an activity that provides value for relatively few industrial actors and compromises the greater values that the Southern Ocean ecosystem provides to the world. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the arm of the Antarctic Treaty System responsible for managing Southern Ocean marine living resources, meets in October–November 2022 and is under pressure to strengthen fisheries management, especially toward climate change resilience. We encourage improved management practices that account for the environmental externalities arising from trade-offs between fishing and the global contribution of the Southern Ocean ecosystem, including under a changing climate.The Pew Charitable Trusts; Biodiversa ASICS. U.R.S. and the University of British Columbia–based Solving Food-Climate-Biodiversity research partnership sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.http://www.sciencemag.orghj2023Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Multiple late-Pleistocene colonisation events of the Antarctic pearlwort Colobanthus quitensis (Caryophyllaceae) reveal the recent arrival of native Antarctic vascular flora

Aim: Antarctica's remote and extreme terrestrial environments are inhabited by only two species of native vascular plants. We assessed genetic connectivity amongst Antarctic and South American populations of one of these species, Colobanthus quitensis, to determine its origin and age in Antarctica. Location: Maritime Antarctic, sub‐Antarctic islands, South America. Taxon: Antarctic pearlwort Colobanthus quitensis (Caryophyllaceae). Methods: Four chloroplast markers and one nuclear marker were sequenced from 270 samples from a latitudinal transect spanning 21–68° S. Phylogeographic, population genetic and molecular dating analyses were used to assess the demographic history of C. quitensis and the age of the species in Antarctica. Results: Maritime Antarctic populations consisted of two different haplotype clusters, occupying the northern and southern Maritime Antarctic. Molecular dating analyses suggested C. quitensis to be a young (<1 Ma) species, with contemporary population structure derived since the late‐Pleistocene. Main conclusions: The Maritime Antarctic populations likely derived from two independent, late‐Pleistocene dispersal events. Both clusters shared haplotypes with sub‐Antarctic South Georgia, suggesting higher connectivity across the Southern Ocean than previously thought. The overall findings of multiple colonization events by a vascular plant species to Antarctica, and the recent timing of these events, are of significance with respect to future colonizations of the Antarctic Peninsula by vascular plants, particularly with predicted increases in ice‐free land in this area. This study fills a significant gap in our knowledge of the age of the contemporary Antarctic terrestrial biota. Adding to previous inferences on the other Antarctic vascular plant species (the grass Deschampsia antarctica), we suggest that both angiosperm species are likely to have arrived on a recent (late‐Pleistocene) time‐scale. While most major groups of Antarctic terrestrial biota include examples of much longer‐term Antarctic persistence, the vascular flora stands out as the first identified terrestrial group that appears to be of recent origin

Pollution and physiological variability in gentoo penguins at two rookeries with different levels of human visitation

Human activity and specifically tourism has been increasing in Antarctica over the last few years. Few studies have examined the indirect effects of human visits on Antarctic penguin rookeries. This work aims to study the differences between a highly visited (Hannah Point) and a rarely visited (Devil's Point, Byers Peninsula) gentoo penguin rookery on Livingston Island. Our results suggest that potential indirect effects of human impact are observed in gentoo penguins at Hannah Point, a colony heavily visited by tourists. Penguins at Hannah Point showed a higher presence of heavy metals such as Pb and Ni and a higher number of erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities than penguins at Devil's Point. Immunological parameters showed different results depending on whether we consider the cellular response -the number of lymphocytes being higher in penguins from Hannah Point- or the humoral response -the level of immunoglobulins being higher in penguins from Devil's Point. Measurements of corticosterone levels in feathers and heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio in blood showed lower levels in the heavily visited rookery than in the rarely visited rookery. Finally, we did not detect Campylobacter jejuni, a bacteria potentially transmitted by humans in either of the populations and we did not find any difference in the prevalence of Campylobacter lari between the populations.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore