The establishment of a new ecological guild of pollinating insects on sub-Antarctic South Georgia

• Published in: Antarctic Science
• Main Authors: Convey, Peter, Key, R.S., Key, R.J.D.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2010
• Subjects: Botany; Zoology; Ecology and Environment; Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Science
• Online Access: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11788/; https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11788/1/-ANS-ANS22_05-S095410201000057Xa.pdf

We report the establishment of two representatives of a new ecological functional group on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia - pollinating insects - in the form of the hoverfly Eristalis croceimaculata Jacobs (Diptera, Syrphidae) and the blowfly Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera, Calliphoridae). The floricolous adults of these two species provide a new ecological role, pollination, in the ecosystems of this island. The activity of their respectively saprophogous or necrophagous larvae will also augment that of the native insect and microarthropod soil fauna. We discuss the potential new synergy between this functional group and that of a number of established non-native plants, reliant on insect pollinators for successful seed-set and hence dispersal, that are currently of persistent status with very limited local distributions.