Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island
The introduction of species to areas beyond the limits of their natural distributions has a major homogenizing influence, making previously distinct biotas more similar. The scale of introductions has frequently been commented on, but their rate and spatial pervasiveness have been less well quantifi...
Published in: | Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences |
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11691 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2003.2332 |
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ftunstellenbosch:oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/11691 2023-11-12T04:26:41+01:00 Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island Gaston K.J. Jones A.G. Hanel C. Chown S.L. 2003 http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11691 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2003.2332 unknown Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 270 1519 9628452 doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2332 http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11691 insect introduced species island biogeography zoogeography article blattodea Coleoptera fly Hemiptera Hymenoptera Lepidoptera native species nonhuman oceanic regions priority journal Psocoptera pterygote species introduction thysanoptera Animals Atlantic Islands Ecosystem Insects Population Dynamics Species Specificity Time Factors Atlantic Ocean Arachnida Blattaria Hexapoda Insecta Article 2003 ftunstellenbosch https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2003.2332 2023-10-22T07:32:39Z The introduction of species to areas beyond the limits of their natural distributions has a major homogenizing influence, making previously distinct biotas more similar. The scale of introductions has frequently been commented on, but their rate and spatial pervasiveness have been less well quantified. Here, we report the findings of a detailed study of pterygote insect introductions to Gough Island, one of the most remote and supposedly pristine temperate oceanic islands, and estimate the rate at which introduced species have successfully established. Out of 99 species recorded from Gough Island, 71 are established introductions, the highest proportion documented for any Southern Ocean island. Estimating a total of approximately 233 landings on Gough Island since first human landfall, this equates to one successful establishment for every three to four landings. Generalizations drawn from other areas suggest that this may be only one-tenth of the number of pterygote species that have arrived at the island, implying that most landings may lead to the arrival of at least one alien. These rates of introduction of new species are estimated to be two to three orders of magnitude greater than background levels for Gough Island, an increase comparable to that estimated for global species extinctions (many of which occur on islands) as a consequence of human activities. Article Article in Journal/Newspaper Southern Ocean Ocean Island Stellenbosch University: SUNScholar Research Repository Gough ENVELOPE(159.367,159.367,-81.633,-81.633) Southern Ocean Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 270 1519 1091 1098 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Stellenbosch University: SUNScholar Research Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunstellenbosch |
language |
unknown |
topic |
insect introduced species island biogeography zoogeography article blattodea Coleoptera fly Hemiptera Hymenoptera Lepidoptera native species nonhuman oceanic regions priority journal Psocoptera pterygote species introduction thysanoptera Animals Atlantic Islands Ecosystem Insects Population Dynamics Species Specificity Time Factors Atlantic Ocean Arachnida Blattaria Hexapoda Insecta |
spellingShingle |
insect introduced species island biogeography zoogeography article blattodea Coleoptera fly Hemiptera Hymenoptera Lepidoptera native species nonhuman oceanic regions priority journal Psocoptera pterygote species introduction thysanoptera Animals Atlantic Islands Ecosystem Insects Population Dynamics Species Specificity Time Factors Atlantic Ocean Arachnida Blattaria Hexapoda Insecta Gaston K.J. Jones A.G. Hanel C. Chown S.L. Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island |
topic_facet |
insect introduced species island biogeography zoogeography article blattodea Coleoptera fly Hemiptera Hymenoptera Lepidoptera native species nonhuman oceanic regions priority journal Psocoptera pterygote species introduction thysanoptera Animals Atlantic Islands Ecosystem Insects Population Dynamics Species Specificity Time Factors Atlantic Ocean Arachnida Blattaria Hexapoda Insecta |
description |
The introduction of species to areas beyond the limits of their natural distributions has a major homogenizing influence, making previously distinct biotas more similar. The scale of introductions has frequently been commented on, but their rate and spatial pervasiveness have been less well quantified. Here, we report the findings of a detailed study of pterygote insect introductions to Gough Island, one of the most remote and supposedly pristine temperate oceanic islands, and estimate the rate at which introduced species have successfully established. Out of 99 species recorded from Gough Island, 71 are established introductions, the highest proportion documented for any Southern Ocean island. Estimating a total of approximately 233 landings on Gough Island since first human landfall, this equates to one successful establishment for every three to four landings. Generalizations drawn from other areas suggest that this may be only one-tenth of the number of pterygote species that have arrived at the island, implying that most landings may lead to the arrival of at least one alien. These rates of introduction of new species are estimated to be two to three orders of magnitude greater than background levels for Gough Island, an increase comparable to that estimated for global species extinctions (many of which occur on islands) as a consequence of human activities. Article |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gaston K.J. Jones A.G. Hanel C. Chown S.L. |
author_facet |
Gaston K.J. Jones A.G. Hanel C. Chown S.L. |
author_sort |
Gaston K.J. |
title |
Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island |
title_short |
Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island |
title_full |
Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island |
title_fullStr |
Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island |
title_sort |
rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island |
publishDate |
2003 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11691 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2003.2332 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(159.367,159.367,-81.633,-81.633) |
geographic |
Gough Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Gough Southern Ocean |
genre |
Southern Ocean Ocean Island |
genre_facet |
Southern Ocean Ocean Island |
op_relation |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 270 1519 9628452 doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2332 http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11691 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2003.2332 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
270 |
container_issue |
1519 |
container_start_page |
1091 |
op_container_end_page |
1098 |
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1782340579201384448 |