Recent range expansions in non-native predatory beetles on sub-Antarctic South Georgia

• Published in: Polar biology Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 597 - 602
• Main Authors: Convey, P, Key, R. S, Key, R. J. D, Belchier, M, Waller, C. L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.04.2011; Springer-Verlag; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Beetles; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Ecology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glaciers; Insecta; Insects; Invertebrates; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Oceanography; Particular ecosystems; Plant Sciences; Predation; Short Note; Synecology; Tidewater; Zoology; Georgia (country); PSW, South Atlantic, South Georgia; Human impacts; Carabidae; Invasive species; Endemic species; Introduced species; Coleoptera; Insecta; Subpolar zone; South Georgia; Arthropoda; Polar region; Predator; Invertebrata; Expansion; Anthropogenic factor
• ISSN: 0722-4060; 1432-2056
• DOI: 10.1007/s00300-010-0909-6

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.