Invading insect could transform Antarctic soils Date: May 10, 2023 Source: University of Birmingham Summary: A tiny flightless midge which has colonized Antarctica's Signy Island is driving ...

A tiny flightless midge which has colonised Antarctica’s Signy Island is driving fundamental changes to the island’s soil ecosystem, a study shows. Research by experts at the University of ...

In 2018, for example, an invasive grass species called Poa annua—which is often used on golf courses—colonized Signy Island. Cannone said: ...

Signy Island has seen an overall increase of 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in mean annual average air temperature between 1960 and 2018; it’s clear that these plants are benefiting ...

In 1977, says Convey, there were around 1,600 seals on Signy Island. By the mid-1990s, there were more than 20,000. As well as trampling vegetation, ...

The study looked at the density of these two plants on Signy Island, part of the South Orkney Islands of Antarctica.. It found Descampia's growth accelerated tenfold between 2009 and 2019 compared ...

Warming Temperatures Are Turning Antarctica Green. Native flowering plant species grew faster and more densely in the last decade than in the previous 50 years combined ...