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Colonization of Terrestrial Habitats — Organisms, Opportunities and Occurrence

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Antarctic Ecosystems

Summary

The polar regions offer unrivalled opportunities to study the processes of primary colonization and succession in land habitats, an important yet poorly documented area of ecology. Present glacial recession is extending the limited land area available for colonization whilst human activity is increasing the potential for the introduction of alien species.

This chapter considers briefly the range of organisms already established and the evidence for both long-distance and local dispersal. Propagule characteristics are examined in relation to dispersal potential. The process of colonization is examined for lichens from data gathered from outside Antarctica to illustrate the potential for application to polar sites.

A generalized model is proposed based on habitat favourability for the colonizing event, and its heterogeneity in time and space. The inadequacies of data for this model and primary colonization in general are noted and three major fields identified for future research.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    D. W. H. Walton

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  1. D. W. H. Walton
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories, Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia

    K. R. Kerry

  2. Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Columbusstraße, 2850, Bremerhaven, Germany

    G. Hempel

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Walton, D.W.H. (1990). Colonization of Terrestrial Habitats — Organisms, Opportunities and Occurrence. In: Kerry, K.R., Hempel, G. (eds) Antarctic Ecosystems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84074-6_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84074-6_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-84076-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-84074-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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