Marc Lebouvier

Continent-wide risk assessment for the establishment of nonindigenous species in Antarctica

Invasive alien species are among the primary causes of biodiversity change globally, with the risks thereof broadly understood for most regions of the world. They are similarly thought to be among the most significant conservation threats to Antarctica, especially as climate change proceeds in the region. However, no comprehensive, continent-wide evaluation of the risks to Antarctica posed by such species has been undertaken. Here we do so by sampling, identifying, and mapping the vascular plant propagules carried by all categories of visitors to Antarctica during the International Polar Years first season (2007–2008) and assessing propagule establishment likelihood based on their identity and origins and on spatial variation in Antarcticas climate. For an evaluation of the situation in 2100, we use modeled climates based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes Special Report on Emissions Scenarios Scenario A1B [Nakićenović N, Swart R, eds (2000) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios: A Special Report of Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK)]. Visitors carrying seeds average 9.5 seeds per person, although as vectors, scientists carry greater propagule loads than tourists. Annual tourist numbers (∼33,054) are higher than those of scientists (∼7,085), thus tempering these differences in propagule load. Alien species establishment is currently most likely for the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Recent founder populations of several alien species in this area corroborate these findings. With climate change, risks will grow in the Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Sea, and East Antarctic coastal regions. Our evidence-based assessment demonstrates which parts of Antarctica are at growing risk from alien species that may become invasive and provides the means to mitigate this threat now and into the future as the continents climate changes.

Human activities, ecosystem disturbance and plant invasions in subantarctic Crozet, Kerguelen and Amsterdam Islands

Abstract Recent floristic surveys of the French islands of the southern Indian Ocean (Ile de la Possession, in the Crozet archipelago, Iles Kerguelen and Ile Amsterdam) allow a comparison of the status of the alien vascular plant species in contrasted environmental and historical situations. Four points are established: (1) the current numbers of alien plant species are almost the same on Amsterdam (56) and La Possession (58), slightly higher on Kerguelen (68); (2) some of these species are common to two or three islands but a high number of them are confined to only one island (18, 28 and 28 on La Possession, Kerguelen and Amsterdam, respectively); (3) all the alien plant species are very common species in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere and belong to the European flora; and (4) a high proportion of the introduced species are present on the research stations or their surroundings (100, 72 and 84% on La Possession, Kerguelen and Amsterdam, respectively). These results are discussed in term of propagule pressure (mainly attributed to ships visiting these islands), invasibility of such ecosystems (in relation to climatic conditions and degree of disturbance by previous or current human activities such as sheep farming or waste deposits) and invasion potential of alien plant species.

Recovery of native plant communities after eradication of rabbits from the subantarctic Kerguelen Islands, and influence of climate change

The introduction of rabbits in 1874 into the Kerguelen archipelago had a significant impact on plant communities: the most sensitive species Pringlea antiscorbutica and Azorella selago disappeared and Acaena magellanica became dominant in most of the coastal areas. To study the recovery of native plant communities, rabbits were eradicated by poisoning on two islands. This produced a significant increase in species richness on both islands with a decline in the cover of some native species (primarily A. magellanica) and an increase in the abundance of alien species (especially Taraxacum officinale). Other native species showed signs of increased abundance but overall responses were slow. These trends are obviously due to the removal of grazing, but recent changes in climatic conditions (warming and drought) may also be responsible for the decline or slow recovery of native species, and for the success of introduced species. Owing to the effects of present climate changes on plant communities, eradication of alien herbivores may not be always appropriate for the conservation of native biota in the subantarctic islands, and regulation of populations should be explored.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 33

ub lis he d by M an ey P ub lis hi ng ( c) B rit is h B ry ol og ic al S oc ie ty Bryological Note New national and regional bryophyte records, 33 L T Ellis, H Bednarek-Ochyra, R Ochyra, B Cykowska, M V Dulin, T Ezer, R Kara, J R Flores, G M Suarez, C Garcia, A Martins, C Sergio, R Garilleti, M Kirmaci, E Agcagil, L E Kurbatova, M Lebouvier, B Papp, E Szurdoki, D A Philippov, V Plasek, T Pocs, M Sabovljevic, J Sawicki, M Sim-Sim, P Szucs, A Bidlo, J Vaňa, B Vigalondo, F Lara, I Draper, V M Virchenko, G J Wolski Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK, Laboratory of Bryology, Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland, Institute of Biology, Komi Science Centre UB RAS, Komi, Russia, Nigde University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Nigde, Turkey, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Institucion Miguel Lillo, Tucuman, Argentina, Universidade de Lisboa, Museu Nacional de Historia Natural e da Ciencia, Lisboa, Portugal, Departamento de Botanica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, Burjasot, Spain, Adnan Menderes Universitesi, Fen Edebiyat Fakultesi, Biyoloji Bolumu, Kepez-Aydin, Turkey, Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, CNRS UMR 6553, Universite de Rennes 1, France, Botanical Department, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary, 12 I.D. Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Water RAS, Nekouz, Russia, Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic, Department of Botany, Eszterhazy Karoly College, Hungary, Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Serbia, Department of Botany and Nature Protection, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland, Museu Nacional de Historia Natural, Jardim Botânico, Lisboa, Portugal, Department of Forest Site Diagnosis and Classification, University of West Hungary, Sopron, Hungary, Department of Botany, Charles University, Praha, Czech Republic, Departamento de Biologia (Botanica), Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain, Department of Lichenology and Bryology, Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine, Deptartment of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, University of Łodź, Poland

The significance of the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands for the assessment of the vulnerability of native communities to climate change, alien insect invasions and plant viruses

The suite of environments and anthropogenic modifications of sub-Antarctic islands provide key opportunities to improve our understanding of the potential consequences of climate change and biological species invasions on terrestrial ecosystems. The profound impact of human introduced invasive species on indigenous biota, and the facilitation of establishment as a result of changing thermal conditions, has been well documented on the French sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands (South Indian Ocean). The present study provides an overview of the vulnerability of sub-Antarctic terrestrial communities with respect to two interacting factors, namely climate change and alien insects. We present datasets assimilated by our teams on the Kerguelen Islands since 1974, coupled with a review of the literature, to evaluate the mechanism and impact of biological invasions in this region. First, we consider recent climatic trends of the Antarctic region, and its potential influence on the establishment, distribution and abundance of alien insects, using as examples one fly and one beetle species. Second, we consider to what extent limited gene pools may restrict alien species’ colonisations. Finally, we consider the vulnerability of native communities to aliens using the examples of one beetle, one fly, and five aphid species taking into consideration their additional impact as plant virus vectors. We conclude that the evidence assimilated from the sub-Antarctic islands can be applied to more complex temperate continental systems as well as further developing international guidelines to minimise the impact of alien species.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 31

New national and regional bryophyte records, 31 L T Ellis, A Alegro, H Bednarek-Ochyra, R Ochyra, A Bergamini, A Cogoni, P Erzberger, P Górski, N Gremmen, H Hespanhol, C Vieira, L E Kurbatova, M Lebouvier, A Martinčič, A K Asthana, R Gupta, V Nath, R Natcheva, A Ganeva, T Özdemir, N Batan, V Plášek, R D Porley, M Randić, J Sawicki, W Schroder, C Sérgio, V R Smith, P Sollman, S Ştefănuţ, C R Stevenson, G M Suárez, B Surina, G Uyar, Z Modrič Surina The Natural History Museum, UK, University of Zagreb, Croatia, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Switzerland, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy, Berlin, Germany, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland, Diever, The Netherlands, Universidade do Porto, Portugal, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia, Université de Rennes 1, France, 12 Ljubljana, Slovenia, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, India, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria, Karadeniz Technical University, Turkey, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic, Cerca dos Pomares, Portugal, Public Institution, Croatia, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland, Ludwigsstadt, Germany, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, St Anna Parochie, The Netherlands, Institute of Biology Bucharest of Romanian Academy, Romania, Norfolk, UK, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Argentina, University of Primorska, Slovenia, Zonguldak Karaelmas University, Turkey, Natural History Museum Rijeka, CroatiaDetermination of development priority of information system subsystems is a problem that warrants resolution during information system development. It has been proven, previously, that this problem of information system development order is in fact NP-complete, NP-hard, and APX-hard. To solve this problem on a general case we have previously developed Monte-Carlo randomized algorithm, calculated complexity of this algorithm, and so on. After previous research we were able to come into possession of digraphs that represent real-world information systems. Therefore, in this paper we will empirically analyze Monte-Carlo algorithm to determine how the algorithm works on real-world examples. Also, we will critically review the results and give some possible areas of future research as well.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 28

Fil: Suarez, Guillermo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Tucuman; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman; Argentina

New national and regional bryophyte records, 22

folium and S. recurvum have similar ranges and ecology. In S. angustifolium the stem leaves are more triangular and rarely erose while the branch leaves are narrower and more strongly 5-ranked (McQueen & Andrus, 2006). Sphagnum recurvum also has narrower and more distinctly 5-ranked branch leaves than S. flexuosum, as well as a much more strongly differentiated stem cortex. In S. flexuosum the branch leaves are only slightly recurved when dry whereas in S. recurvum they are sharply recurved (McQueen & Andrus, 2006). Until now, none of these species of the European S. recurvum complex has been identified in the Azores.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 30

ub lis he d by M an ey P ub lis hi ng ( c) B rit is h B ry ol og ic al S oc ie ty Bryological Notes New national and regional bryophyte records, 30 L T Ellis, H Bednarek-Ochyra, B Cykowska, R Ochyra, C Garcia, C Sergio, M Lebouvier, P Manolaki, E Giannouris, C Kadis, I Markova, B Papp, E. Szurdoki, D F Peralta, V Plasek, R Ristow, M Sabovljevic, M Sim-Sim, V R Smith, E Tsakiri, J Vaňa, V M Virchenko, O O Barsukov Department of Botany, The Natural History Museum, London, UK, Laboratory of Bryology, Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland, Universidade de Lisboa, Museu Nacional de Historia Natural, Jardim Botânico and Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Rua, Lisboa, Portugal, CNRS UMR 6553, Universite de Rennes 1, France, Department of Biology, University of Patras, Greece, Bohemian Switzerland National Park Administration, Pražska 52, CZ-407 46 Krasna Lipa, Czech Republic, Botany Department, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary, Instituto de Botânica, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic, Parque da Ciencia Newton Freire Maia, Pinhais, Parana, Brazil, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden, University of Belgrade, Serbia, Universidade de Lisboa, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal/Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal, Department of Botany, University of Stellenbosch, Republic of South Africa, Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece, Department of Botany, Charles University, Czech Republic, Department of Lichenology and Bryology, Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine

New national and regional bryophyte records, 32

Ditrichum gracile was recorded in the locality Samarske stijene in the Velika Kapela Mt for first time in Croatia. Ditrichum gracile occured within forests of common spruce belonging to the community Hyperico grisebachii - Piceetum on the forest floor, forming distinct patches of several square decimetres. The plants were of typical appearance, medium to robust, in reddish green to purplish black, rarely green patches.