Two grasses, Poa annua and Poa pratensis, are the only aliens known to have established themselves within the Antarctic botanical zone and, according to Longton (1966), their success has been very variable at the few sites where they have been seen on the Scotia Ridge and the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. (Greene, S.W. & Walton, D.W.H. (1975). An annotated checklist of the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic vascular flora, Polar Record, 17(110), pp. 473, 484.); Found behind Grytviken Whaling Station on Prince Edward island. (Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016) South Georgia Non-Native Plant Management Strategy 2016-2020. Government House, Stanley, Falkland Islands.); Well established on Macquarie island. In the sub Antarctic, P. annua thrives in disturbed, nutrient enriched sites around seal and penguin colonies (Walton 1975; Scott and Kirkpatrick 2005; Haussmann et al. 2013) (Fig. 4a), particularly along coastal fringes where it can form monocultures. Tends to disappear once disturbance ceases (Scott and Kirkpatrick 2008). (Sindel, B.M., Kristiansen, P.E., Wilson, S.C., Shaw, J.D. & Williams, L.K. (2017). Managing invasive plants on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, The Rangeland Journal, 39, pp. 537€“549. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ17073); Widespread naturalised. (Floyd, K. (2018) Non-native plants on South Georgia: Season Report 2017/18. Indigena Biosecurity International, Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands);
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- 14.1. Artificial - Terrestrial – Arable Land
- 14.2. Artificial - Terrestrial – Pastureland
- 14.4. Artificial - Terrestrial – Rural Gardens
- 14.5. Artificial - Terrestrial – Urban Areas
- 4.4. Grassland – Temperate
- 4.7. Grassland – Subtropical/tropical high altitude
Invasive (James, R., Floyd, K., Pagad, S. & Wong, L.J. (2020) Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Version 1.4. Invasive Species Specialist Group ISSG. Checklist dataset);
Terrestrial
Initially been introduced as contaminants at a time when the islands seal and penguin colonies were exploited for pelts and oil (Selkirk et al. 1990; le Roux et al. 2013). Dispersal mechanisms include in faeces or attached to the feathers of the burrowing petrel (Bergstrom and Smith 1990) and anecdotal evidence indicates that the seed readily attaches to boots and clothing when wet. The distribution of the weed along walking tracks on Macquarie Island supports physical adherence as a major means of dispersal (Scott and Kirkpatrick 1994). Some seed is also likely to be wind dispersed, given the windy environment of these islands. (Sindel, B.M., Kristiansen, P.E., Wilson, S.C., Shaw, J.D. & Williams, L.K. (2017). Managing invasive plants on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, The Rangeland Journal, 39, pp. 537€“549. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ17073);
James, R., Floyd, K., Pagad, S. & Wong, L.J. (2020) Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Version 1.4. Invasive Species Specialist Group ISSG. Checklist dataset; Greene, S.W. & Walton, D.W.H. (1975). An annotated checklist of the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic vascular flora, Polar Record, 17(110), pp. 473, 484.; Sindel, B.M., Kristiansen, P.E., Wilson, S.C., Shaw, J.D. & Williams, L.K. (2017). Managing invasive plants on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, The Rangeland Journal, 39, pp. 537€“549. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ17073; Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016) South Georgia Non-Native Plant Management Strategy 2016-2020. Government House, Stanley, Falkland Islands.;