Introduction

Purpose: The purpose of this submission system is to enable researchers and managers to submit new introduced and invasive alien species (IAS) records or provide information to update existing records in the Antarctic IAS dataset (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02113-2).

Rationale: Maintaining open and up-to-date information on biological invasions is key to their effective management. In 2023, an open dataset on introduced and invasive alien species was published for the Antarctic and Southern Ocean region (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02113-2). Keeping this dataset current as new species are introduced or detected provides a data foundation to support all Antarctic visitors and the broader community to manage the persistent threat from the introduction of new populations and new species to the region. Alien species invasions are spatially and temporally dynamic. This dataset will need to be continually updated as their distributions and/or impacts change over time and across the region. Monitoring is needed for eradication programs, and new information supports effective management.

Benefits: Current information which can inform conservation managers and policymakers of the extent of non-native species occurrence and impact across the Antarctic region, with the potential to analyse trends to assess the efficacy of policies and policy change.

Submission process

The survey involves 24 questions, including five required questions, 18 optional questions, and a requirement to attach supporting evidence for the record, such as a scientific paper or report.

Information to have at hand when submitting a record:

1. The most specific name of the introduced or invasive alien species (or other taxon) possible,
2. Whether this is a new record, or an update to an existing record in the IAS dataset,
3. If this record is an update to an existing record, the recordID number in the IAS dataset,
4. Locality of the record (e.g., Île de la Possession, Crozet Islands),
5. Occurrence status: whether the alien taxa is currently present, absent or uncertain at the locality (terms: present, absent, or uncertain),
6. Establishment means: whether the record was introduced to the locality directly or indirectly by the activity of modern humans, a vagrant record that represents an organism outside its normal native range due to a natural occurrence, or an uncertain record of unknown biogeographic origin (i.e., a cryptogenic species which might be native or alien to the locality) (terms: introduced, vagrant or uncertain),
7. Supporting evidence. All records must be supported with evidence, such as a published paper, management report, or Antarctic Treaty System document. These can be in a .pdf, .doc/.docx or .png format under 2048 KB format.

Optional additional information about the geographic coordinates of the locality, date of first introduction or detection, eradication status and date, habitat and invasive status are welcomed.

Geographic scope

This dataset includes records from continental Antarctica, the maritime Antarctic islands, and the Southern Ocean Islands, including the Falklands/Islas Malvinas, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Bouvetøya, Tristan da Cunha group (including Gough Island), Prince Edward Islands, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands, Heard and McDonald Islands, Île Amsterdam and Île Saint-Paul, Macquarie Island, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku, Bounty Islands, The Snares/Tini Heke and the Antipodes Islands. Additionally, updated versions of the dataset will include marine records from Antarctic and Southern Ocean waters between the latitudes 40°S and 90°S.

Inclusion criteria

Records are relevant and will be included if they refer to:

1. a taxon that had been introduced (either intentionally or accidentally) into an Antarctic area and where the native range of this taxon historically excludes the Antarctic area. This includes synanthropic species that are only associated with sites influenced by humans (e.g., within research stations in Antarctica), or,
2. a taxon that is already in the Antarctic but that has spread to a new location within the area. This includes species in an area beyond its native range from an adjacent introduced population (secondary introductions), including native Antarctic species that have been introduced to new areas within the region by humans, or,
3. cryptogenic species of unknown biogeographic origin (i.e., species that cannot be ascribed as native or introduced at a particular Antarctic locality).

Relevant records therefore include all taxa introduced to places outside their native ranges, including vagrants, domestic species, established or naturalised aliens, invasive alien species, and species that were introduced to areas but have since become locally extinct because they failed to establish a self-sustaining population, died out following establishment, or were eradicated.

We include synanthropic records, such as aliens found on research stations, but exclude records and propagules intercepted along pathways of introduction (e.g., on ships, in expeditioner gear and clothing). We exclude alien microorganisms because there is limited evidence of their occurrence and origin in an Antarctic context.

Marine records: Introduced and invasive alien species in Antarctic and Southern Ocean marine habitats can be submitted to the database. Marine records were not included in the published dataset due to limited evidence of their occurrence, but will be added to future updates when available. 

Vocabularies and language: Where relevant, the IAS dataset uses the existing biodiversity informatics standards and vocabularies developed by Darwin Core and the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) to improve the interoperability of the data. In this survey, Darwin Core terms and their definitions are provided, along with additional details and examples relevant to the IAS dataset. The dataset will be published in English, but supporting evidence for new records (i.e., attached publications or reports) may be submitted in any language.

To submit more than five new or corrected records, you can contact the dataset team to receive more details about an alternative upload method. Contact Rachel Leihy: rachel.leihy at monash.edu.

Dataset validation and update

Submissions to the system will be cross-referenced with the existing database (to avoid record duplications) and any attached supporting publications or documentation. Following the Antarctic IAS data procedures, taxonomic information will be harmonised with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Backbone Taxonomy, and locality information and other remarks standardised and/or abbreviated.

The Antarctic IAS dataset will be annually updated in February each year with valid new and corrected records until 2030.

Additional information on the Antarctic IAS dataset fields and methods are available in the associated open-access paper and dataset:

Leihy, R.I., Peake, L., Clarke, D.A., Chown, S.L., McGeoch, M.A. (2023). Introduced and invasive alien species of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean Islands. Scientific Data 10, 200. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02113-2

Leihy, R.I., Peake, L., Clarke, D.A., Chown, S.L., McGeoch, M.A. (2023). Introduced and invasive alien species of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean Islands. Figshare,  https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.22056647.