Microarthropod communities of industrially disturbed or imported soils in the High Arctic; the abandoned coal mining town of Pyramiden, Svalbard

Past Arctic aliens have passed away, current ones may stay

“…The majority of records of aliens were from currently or formerly inhabited settlements suggesting their introduction was associated with higher levels of human traffic (Chown et al 2012;Huiskes et al 2014;Ware et al 2012); animal husbandry and commerce practices in settlements (Coulson et al 2013(Coulson et al , 2015; and/or generally more favourable local climates. Data permitting the formal testing of the relative roles of these plausible introduction mechanisms are not available.…”

“…irrigata have persisted since then, both in high abundance. In Pyramiden, lawns were laid out c. 1983 using imported soils and regular fertilization by cattle dung (Coulson et al 2015). These lawns are still present, with scattered occurrences of the alien species Achillea millefolium, Festuca rubra ssp.…”

The alien terrestrial invertebrate fauna of the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard: potential implications for the native flora and fauna

“…Recently permission has been granted by the Governor of Svalbard after a risk assessment to import the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny 1826) as part of a composting project but with strict conditions to avoid accidental release into the natural environment. The majority of the introduced alien invertebrate species have been accidentally introduced along with imported soils for either the greenhouse in Barentsburg or as a part of the greening project in Pyramiden (Coulson et al 2013a;Coulson et al 2015) ( Fig. 1), including the only earthworms recorded in Svalbard (Coulson et al 2013a).…”

Distribution and population characteristics of the soil mites Diapterobates notatus and Svalbardia paludicola (Acari: Oribatida: Ceratozetidae) in High Arctic Svalbard (Norway)

“…The smaller body size may also influence the vertical distribution in the soil profile, which partly depends on the soil pores and interstitial spaces that get smaller with the soil depth (Seniczak 1978). The lack of suitable soil pores and cavities for oribatid mites to inhabits was suggested by Coulson et al (2015) as a possible explanation for the lack of oribatid mites in the imported soils at the abandoned mining settlement of Pyramided in Svalbard. Smaller individuals of D. notatus may penetrate deeper soil horizons and obtain access to additional resources, but this distribution limits their passive dispersal by the wind to surrounding areas.…”