The role of the soil seed store in the survival of an invasive population of Poa annua at Point Thomas Oasis, King George Island, maritime Antarctica

Galera, Halina; Rudak, Agnieszka; Czyż, Ewa A.; Chwedorzewska, Katarzyna J.; Znój, Anna; Wódkiewicz, Maciej

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00679

Cited by 18 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Plants that have established, however, have mostly been weedy cosmopolitan species, with species from the genus Poa dominating (Cuba‐Diaz, Troncoso, Cordero, Finot, & Rondanelli‐Reyes, ; Galera et al, ; Molina‐Montenegro, Bergstrom, Chwedorzewska, Convey, & Chown, ; Molina‐Montenegro et al, ; Peter, Buesser, Mustafa, & Pfeiffer, ; Smith & Richardson, ). Recent efforts have removed P. annua from several affected APR locations (Malfasi, Convey, Zaccara, & Cannone, ; Molina‐Montenegro et al, , ); however, the presence of high numbers of P. annua plants and its persistent seed banks around Admiralty Bay, King George Island, remain a management issue despite on‐going eradication efforts (Galera et al, ; ; Wódkiewicz, Ziemiański, Kwiecień, Chwedorzewska, & Galera, ). In 2015, Poa pratensis was successfully eradicated from the APR, but the grass scored highly on our horizon scanning list as previously present species are highly likely to reoccur, either from seedbanks or through rearrival as a contaminant of people, vehicles and cargo, and their establishment and impact potential has already been proven (Molina‐Montenegro et al, , ; Pertierra, Hughes, Tejedo, et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent and ongoing eradications of introduced plants (Galera et al, 2017(Galera et al, , 2019Molina-Montenegro et al, 2012;Pertierra, Hughes, Tejedo, et al, 2017) mean that most known remaining macroscopic Antarctic non-native species are terrestrial invertebrates (Hughes, Pertierra, et al, 2015). However, there are increasing reports of non-native plants and invertebrates in the APR, almost exclusively in the vicinity of research stations and visitor sites (Hughes, Pertierra, et al, 2015;Molina-Montenegro et al, 2012;Volonterio, Leon, Convey, & Krzeminska, 2013).…”

Section: Human Activity Pathways and Vectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invasive non‐native species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region

Hughes

Pescott

Peyton

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

141

114

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The Antarctic is considered to be a pristine environment relative to other regions of the Earth, but it is increasingly vulnerable to invasions by marine, freshwater and terrestrial non‐native species. The Antarctic Peninsula region (APR), which encompasses the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands and South Orkney Islands, is by far the most invaded part of the Antarctica continent. The risk of introduction of invasive non‐native species to the APR is likely to increase with predicted increases in the intensity, diversity and distribution of human activities. Parties that are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty have called for regional assessments of non‐native species risk. In response, taxonomic and Antarctic experts undertook a horizon scanning exercise using expert opinion and consensus approaches to identify the species that are likely to present the highest risk to biodiversity and ecosystems within the APR over the next 10 years. One hundred and three species, currently absent in the APR, were identified as relevant for review, with 13 species identified as presenting a high risk of invading the APR. Marine invertebrates dominated the list of highest risk species, with flowering plants and terrestrial invertebrates also represented; however, vertebrate species were thought unlikely to establish in the APR within the 10 year timeframe. We recommend (a) the further development and application of biosecurity measures by all stakeholders active in the APR, including surveillance for species such as those identified during this horizon scanning exercise, and (b) use of this methodology across the other regions of Antarctica. Without the application of appropriate biosecurity measures, rates of introductions and invasions within the APR are likely to increase, resulting in negative consequences for the biodiversity of the whole continent, as introduced species establish and spread further due to climate change and increasing human activity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Human Activity Pathways and Vectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive non‐native species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region

Hughes

Pescott

Peyton

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

141

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Seed bank of an invasive plant in Antarctica may be viable longer than expected and with rising temperatures even more stored seeds will be fully mature and able to germinate (Rudak et al 2018). This can aid the species overcome population collapse (Galera et al 2019) and should be taken in consideration regarding any eradication programs, as the only method of removing seed bank in this scenario is the removal of plants with the soil underneath them (Galera et al 2017).…”

Section: Seed Bank Persistencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However one alien plant species, annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) has been able to successfully reproduce and disperse in Antarctica. The population of this species, established in the vicinity of Polish Antarctic Station, is dated back to 1985/1986 austral summer (Chwedorzewska et al 2015;Galera et al 2019). This species was able to bypass all the invasion barriers and is observed to survive and produce viable caryopses able to germinate under local polar conditions (Galera et al 2015(Galera et al , 2017Wódkiewicz et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Annual bluegrass also forms a soil seed bank comparable in size to native Antarctic plant species (Wódkiewicz et al 2013(Wódkiewicz et al , 2014. Even though this species invasion has been extensively studied (Chwedorzewska et al 2015;Galera et al 2019) exact ways of its seed dispersal are not yet known. The determinants and consequences of seed rain of invasive populations are still poorly understood, as there are very little works on this problem (Marchante et al 2010;Herrera et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of the population spatial structure on seed rain distribution of an invasive plant under harsh environment

et al. 2021

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Distribution of seeds of an invasive species is important for the spread of the invasion and for any directed eradication action. This distribution is driven by seed rain. We studied the influence of tussocks on the spatial pattern of seed rain and resulting population spatial pattern of an invasive Antarctic Poa annua L. population. Our hypothesis was that the tussocks trap wind-dispersed seeds. We set 40 artificial grass seed traps simulating tussocks and 40 soil seed traps (control) in the area occupied by the population. The traps were exposed for a total of 3 years and exchanged periodically. We assessed the seed bank in soil extracted for installation of our control traps. Seed number was determined by the germination method. We did not find any significant difference between the types of traps regarding the number of trapped seeds and the number of traps containing seeds, however trapping events were greater for artificial grass traps. The average size of the seed rain was 13.5 seeds m−2 year−1 and the size of the soil seed bank was 216 seeds m−2. We estimated that accumulation of the soil seed bank required around 16 years. Artificial grass discs may be more efficient than bare soil in accumulating seeds, therefore grass tussocks may influence the spatial population structure not only through local seed deposition, but also by intercepting seeds dispersed by wind. Our research further supports, that directed soil removal from underneath the tussocks is the most efficient eradication method of P. annua in Antarctica.

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International Response under the Antarctic Treaty System to the Establishment of A Non-native Fly in Antarctica

León

Hughes

Morelli

et al. 2021

Environmental Management

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Antarctica currently has few non-native species, compared to other regions of the planet, due to the continent’s isolation, extreme climatic conditions and the lack of habitat. However, human activity, particularly the activities of national government operators and tourism, increasingly contributes to the risk of non-native species transfer and establishment. Trichocera (Saltitrichocera) maculipennis Meigen, 1888 (Diptera, Trichoceridae) is a non-native fly originating from the Northern Hemisphere that was unintentionally introduced to King George Island in the maritime Antarctic South Shetland Islands around 15 years ago, since when it has been reported within or in the vicinity of several research stations. It is not explicitly confirmed that T. maculipennis has established in the natural environment, but life-history characteristics make this likely, thereby making potential eradication or control a challenge. Antarctic Treaty Parties active in the region are developing a coordinated and expanding international response to monitor and control T. maculipennis within and around stations in the affected area. However, there remains no overarching non-native invasive species management plan for the island or the wider maritime Antarctic region (which shares similar environmental conditions and habitats to those of King George Island). Here we present some options towards the development of such a plan. We recommend the development of (1) clear mechanisms for the timely coordination of response activities by multiple Parties operating in the vicinity of the introduction location and (2) policy guidance on acceptable levels of environmental impacts resulting from eradication attempts in the natural environment, including the use of pesticides.

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The role of the soil seed store in the survival of an invasive population of Poa annua at Point Thomas Oasis, King George Island, maritime Antarctica

Cited by 18 publications

References 52 publications

Invasive non‐native species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region

Invasive non‐native species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region

Influence of the population spatial structure on seed rain distribution of an invasive plant under harsh environment

International Response under the Antarctic Treaty System to the Establishment of A Non-native Fly in Antarctica

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