Abstract
Antarctica, with its severe conditions, is poor in terrestrial fauna species. However, an increase in human presence together with climate change may cause an influx of non-native species. Here we report a significant increase in colonized area of one of the few known invasive species to date in Antarctica. Non-native flies of Trichocera maculipennis have been recently observed in the Admiralty Bay area on King George Island, South Shetlands Islands, West Antarctica, 10 years after its first record in Maritime Antarctica (Maxwell Bay, King George Island). Its rapid spread across the island, despite geographic barriers such as glaciers, indicates successful adaptation to local environmental conditions and suggests this species is invasive. The mode of life of T. maculipennis, observed in natural and anthropogenous habitat and in laboratory conditions, is reported. The following adaptations enabled its invasion and existence within the sewage system in Antarctic scientific stations: the ability to survive in complete darkness, male ability to mate on the substrate surface without prior swarming in flight, and adaptation of terrestrial larvae to survive in semi-liquid food. Possible routes of introduction to Antarctica and between two bays on King George Island are discussed, as well as further research leading to the containment and eradication of this species.
Highlights
Antarctica has been isolated since the Early Miocene, and most of its native organisms evolved in harsh polar conditions without contact with other ecosystems (Murphy et al, 2013)
Biodiversity of ice-free regions is very low, with flora represented by only two native higher plants, and fauna limited mostly to micro-invertebrates and two species of macro-arthropods, Belgica antarctica Jacobs, 1900 and Parachlus steinenii Gercke, 1889 (Smith, 1984; Frenot et al, 2005; Hughes & Pertierra, How to cite this article Potocka and Krzemińska (2018), Trichocera maculipennis (Diptera)—an invasive species in Maritime Antarctica
The aim of this study is to investigate the continued expansion of T. maculipennis to different ice-free areas near the Polish Antarctic Arctowski Station on King George Island, so that the risk of further dispersal can be estimated, and appropriate management action can be implemented
Summary
Antarctica has been isolated since the Early Miocene, and most of its native organisms evolved in harsh polar conditions without contact with other ecosystems (Murphy et al, 2013). Terrestrial ecosystems in Antarctica are limited to ice-free areas, consisting of only 0.2% of the whole continent’s surface, such as nunataks and seasonally snow-free regions (Convey, 2007; Hughes & Pertierra, 2016; Burton-Johnson et al, 2016). These areas are found mostly along the coast, especially the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding archipelagos, and at several oases in East Antarctica (Levy, 2013). Strong wind, short vegetation season and limited ice-free areas make Antarctica inhospitable for most terrestrial organisms.
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