Keeping the coastlines of the Southern Ocean pest-free : hazards, risks and management of non-indigenous species in high latitude marine environments ...

• Main Author: Lewis, PN
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Antarctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23231168; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Keeping_the_coastlines_of_the_Southern_Ocean_pest-free_hazards_risks_and_management_of_non-indigenous_species_in_high_latitude_marine_environments/23231168

Invasive species are a prominent threat to global biodiversity. In the marine environment of the Southern Ocean, the rate of delivery, establishment and the subsequent impacts of non-indigenous species remains poorly understood. Furthermore, the absence of dedicated monitoring and effective baselines makes it difficult to recognize the presence of invasive populations. It is now understood that several introduction pathways capable of delivering marine species operate in this region, and the first introduced marine species in the Antarctic continent was recently reported. By analysing various stages in the transport pathway, this work provides key information to supplement our current understanding of this threat. In the Southern Ocean, the natural transport mechanism for shallow-water marine organisms provided by kelp rafts is being augmented by plastic debris and shipping activity. Plastic debris provides additional opportunities for dispersal of invasive organisms, but these dispersal routes are passive, ...