Past Arctic aliens have passed away, current ones may stay
Increased human activity and climatechange are expected to increase the numbers andimpact of alien species in the Arctic, but knowledge ofalien species is poor in most Arctic regions. Throughfield investigations over the last 10 years, and reviewof alien vascular plant records for the high ArcticArc...
| Published in: | Biological Invasions |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Netherlands
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-015-0937-9 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/105730 |
| Summary: | Increased human activity and climatechange are expected to increase the numbers andimpact of alien species in the Arctic, but knowledge ofalien species is poor in most Arctic regions. Throughfield investigations over the last 10 years, and reviewof alien vascular plant records for the high ArcticArchipelago Svalbard over the past 130 years, weexplored long term trends in persistence and phenology.In total, 448 observations of 105 taxa have beenrecorded from 28 sites. Recent surveys at 18 of thesesites revealed that alien species had disappeared at halfof them. Investigations at a further 49 sites characterisedby former human activity and/or current touristlanding sites did not reveal any alien species. Patternsof alien species distribution suggest that greater alienspecies richness is more likely to be aligned withongoing human inhabitation than sites of transient use.The probability of an alien species being in a moreadvanced phenological stage increased with highermean July temperatures. As higher mean July temperaturesare positively correlated with more recentyear, the latter finding suggests a clear warming effecton the increased reproductive potential of alien plants,and thus an increased potential for spread in Svalbard.Given that both human activity and temperatures areexpected to increase in the future, there is need torespond in policy and action to reduce the potential forfurther alien species introduction and spread in theArctic. |
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