Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island

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dc.contributor.authorGaston K.J.
dc.contributor.authorJones A.G.
dc.contributor.authorHanel C.
dc.contributor.authorChown S.L.
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T16:00:25Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T16:00:25Z
dc.date.issued2003
dc.description.abstractThe introduction of species to areas beyond the limits of their natural distributions has a major homogenizing influence, making previously distinct biotas more similar. The scale of introductions has frequently been commented on, but their rate and spatial pervasiveness have been less well quantified. Here, we report the findings of a detailed study of pterygote insect introductions to Gough Island, one of the most remote and supposedly pristine temperate oceanic islands, and estimate the rate at which introduced species have successfully established. Out of 99 species recorded from Gough Island, 71 are established introductions, the highest proportion documented for any Southern Ocean island. Estimating a total of approximately 233 landings on Gough Island since first human landfall, this equates to one successful establishment for every three to four landings. Generalizations drawn from other areas suggest that this may be only one-tenth of the number of pterygote species that have arrived at the island, implying that most landings may lead to the arrival of at least one alien. These rates of introduction of new species are estimated to be two to three orders of magnitude greater than background levels for Gough Island, an increase comparable to that estimated for global species extinctions (many of which occur on islands) as a consequence of human activities.
dc.description.versionArticle
dc.identifier.citationProceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
dc.identifier.citation270
dc.identifier.citation1519
dc.identifier.issn9628452
dc.identifier.other10.1098/rspb.2003.2332
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11691
dc.subjectinsect
dc.subjectintroduced species
dc.subjectisland biogeography
dc.subjectzoogeography
dc.subjectarticle
dc.subjectblattodea
dc.subjectColeoptera
dc.subjectfly
dc.subjectHemiptera
dc.subjectHymenoptera
dc.subjectinsect
dc.subjectisland biogeography
dc.subjectLepidoptera
dc.subjectnative species
dc.subjectnonhuman
dc.subjectoceanic regions
dc.subjectpriority journal
dc.subjectPsocoptera
dc.subjectpterygote
dc.subjectspecies introduction
dc.subjectthysanoptera
dc.subjectAnimals
dc.subjectAtlantic Islands
dc.subjectEcosystem
dc.subjectInsects
dc.subjectPopulation Dynamics
dc.subjectSpecies Specificity
dc.subjectTime Factors
dc.subjectAtlantic Ocean
dc.subjectArachnida
dc.subjectBlattaria
dc.subjectColeoptera
dc.subjectHemiptera
dc.subjectHexapoda
dc.subjectHymenoptera
dc.subjectInsecta
dc.subjectLepidoptera
dc.subjectPsocoptera
dc.subjectThysanoptera
dc.titleRates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island
dc.typeArticle
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