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Accidental transfer of non-native soil organisms into Antarctica on construction vehicles

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Abstract

Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems currently include very few non-native species, due to the continent’s extreme isolation from other landmasses. However, the indigenous biota is vulnerable to human-mediated introductions of non-native species. In December 2005, four construction vehicles were imported by contractors to the British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera Research Station (Antarctic Peninsula) from the Falkland Islands and South Georgia (South Atlantic) on board RRS James Clark Ross. The vehicles were contaminated with >132 kg of non-Antarctic soil that contained viable non-native angiosperms, bryophytes, micro-invertebrates, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and c. 40,000 seeds and numerous moss propagules. The incident was a significant contravention of BAS operating procedures, the UK Antarctic Act (1994) and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1998), which all prohibit the introduction of non-native species to Antarctica without an appropriate permit. The introduction of this diverse range of species poses a significant threat to local biodiversity should any of the species become established, particularly as the biota of sub-Antarctic South Georgia is likely to include many species with appropriate pre-adaptations facilitating the colonisation of more extreme Antarctic environments. Once the incident was discovered, the imported soil was removed immediately from Antarctica and destroyed. Vehicle cleaning and transportation guidelines have been revised to enhance the biosecurity of BAS operations, and to minimise the risk of similar incidents occurring.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Richard Hall for plant preservation, Peter Fretwell for map preparation and the staff of Rothera Research Station for their assistance in this research. This paper contributes to the British Antarctic Survey’s Polar Science for Planet Earth core programmes EID-LTMS (Environment and Information Division—Long Term Monitoring and Survey) and Ecosystems, and the international SCAR EBA (Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica) and International Polar Year ‘Aliens in Antarctica’ research programmes.

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  1. British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    K. A. Hughes, P. Convey, N. R. Maslen & R. I. L. Smith

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  1. K. A. Hughes
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  2. P. Convey
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  3. N. R. Maslen
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  4. R. I. L. Smith
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Correspondence to K. A. Hughes.

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Hughes, K.A., Convey, P., Maslen, N.R. et al. Accidental transfer of non-native soil organisms into Antarctica on construction vehicles. Biol Invasions 12, 875–891 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-009-9508-2

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