Recent range expansions in non-native predatory beetles on sub-Antarctic South Georgia |
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Authors: | P Convey R S Key R J D Key M Belchier C L Waller |
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Institution: | (1) British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK;(2) The Old Black Bull, Carthorpe, Bedale, DL8 2LD, UK;(3) Natural England, Alverton Court, Crosby Road, Northallerton, DL6 1AD, UK;(4) Present address: Centre for Environmental and Marine Science, University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, Filey Road, Scarborough, YO11 3AZ, UK |
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Abstract: | The human-assisted establishment of two non-native predatory carabid beetles (Merizodus soledadinus (Guerin-Ménéville), Trechisibus antarcticus (Dejean)) on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia occurred 30–50 years ago, but the distribution of these species has
never been the subject of regular monitoring, and was last assessed in the mid-1990s. Based on opportunistic collection records
and directed field survey activities on South Georgia over four summer seasons between 2002/3 and 2008/9, we describe recent
and important range expansions in both species on the island. The new distributional ranges of both species are highly suggestive
of a continuing inadvertent human role in transferring them across the obstructions presented by tidewater glaciers or higher-altitude
mountain passes. Both species now have the potential to spread unchecked by any other geographical obstructions across a large
section of the north-east coast of the island and are likely to have considerable negative impacts on the elements of the
native (including endemic) terrestrial invertebrate fauna. |
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