Impacts of non-native invertebrates and plants on polar soil systems.
Brayley ODM, Convey P, Ullah S, Hayward SAL
Invasive Species
The mosses and low-growing wildflowers holding together tundra soils are being undermined by invasive species the same way garden weeds outcompete natives — except in the Arctic, there's almost nothing else in the food web to push back.
The frozen poles have stayed mostly free of invasive species because they're remote and harsh, but that's changing fast as the climate warms and more humans travel there. When non-native bugs and plants arrive, they bring their own soil microbes and fungi, which can break down organic matter faster and release nutrients that were locked away for centuries. Those extra nutrients then make it even easier for more invaders to take hold, setting off a chain reaction that could reshape polar ecosystems from the ground up.
Key Findings
Polar ecosystems are especially vulnerable to invasion because of their low native diversity, simple food chains, and apparently vacant ecological niches that invaders can exploit without resistance.
Non-native arthropods and plants introduce novel microbiomes and fungal endophytes that accelerate organic matter decomposition and increase bioavailable nitrogen in nutrient-limited polar soils.
Climate warming and biological invasions may act synergistically — warming speeds decomposition while invaders add nutrients, together creating a feedback loop that favors establishment of additional non-native species.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Invasive plants and insects are beginning to colonize Earth's polar regions as climate warming lowers natural barriers, and they may fundamentally alter Arctic and Antarctic soils by changing how nutrients cycle — potentially accelerating further invasions in a self-reinforcing loop.
Abstract Preview
Invasive non-native species are amongst the most serious threats to biodiversity at local and global scales. Due to their geographical remoteness, extreme conditions and lower levels of human activ...
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