A downside of cruise ship visits to 'pristine' Antarctica, is the rapid introduction of animals and plants to its warming margins (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/17/antarctica-insect-plant-invasion-house-flies-mosses-warmer-climate). Of immediate concern are the thriving mosses that are providing habitats for rocketing House flies numbers. Of course, we are also likely to find other tough 'carpetbaggers' (e.g. rats and cockroaches) travelling with the tourists. A very real concern is that it is difficult to predict what effects these organisms will have on the animal populations of Antarctica that attract people to visit in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment