Alien Species Invading Antarctica via Tourists, Scientists

[markis10]

Interesting study on what tourists and workers carry with them when they visit the most pristine environment we have left, intrigued as to why scientists carry 2x of the aliens, I suppose they expose their clothes more to possible hitch-hikers.

The results revealed more than 2,600 seeds and other detachable plant structures, or propagules, had hitched a ride to Antarctica on these visitors.

On average, tourists each carried two to three seeds, while scientists each carried six. However, the annual number of tourists now far outnumbers that of scientists—about 33,000 tourists to about 7,000 scientists in the 2007-2008 Antarctic summer. As a result, tourists and scientists likely pose similar risks overall to Antarctica, Chown said.

Alien Species Invading Antarctica via Tourists, Scientists