Growth response of an invasive alien species to climate variations on subantarctic Campbell Island
Growth response of an invasive alien species to climate variations on subantarctic Campbell Island
Invasive alien species (IAS) are a recognised threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services. With increasing tourism and projected 21st century climate changes across the mid-to high-latitudes of the southern hemisphere, subantarctic islands are potentially highly vulnerable to IAS, but suffer from a dearth of baseline monitoring. Here we report tree-ring measurements from a lone exotic Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr) on subantarctic Campbell Island to determine past growth rates and likely future response to climate changes. Though the samples were unable to resolve exactly when the tree was planted, the fast growth rate indicates it is likely to have been later than the reported date of 1901. Since at least 1941, the tree appears to have responded favourably to the relatively warm summers experienced on Campbell Island, resulting in growth more rapid than that observed in natural stands (North American Pacific Coast). Although trees of similar age are normally mature and produce cones, none have so far been observed on Campbell Island -possibly the result of the fast growth causing an extended ‘juvenile’ or pre-reproductive phase -preventing seeding across the island. Importantly, relatively dry periods are needed for cones to open and disperse seeds, conditions not recorded in the instrumental record. Examination of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) outputs show increasing rainfall across the region during the 21st century under a range of emission scenarios, suggesting that even when mature, the Sitka spruce poses a limited threat to the long-term ecology of Campbell Island.
Campbell Island, Exotic forestry trees, Invasive alien species, Picea sitchensis, Sitka spruce, Subantarctic islands, Tree-ring
31-39
Palmer, J. G.
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Turney, C. S.M.
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Fogwill, C.
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Fenwick, P.
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Thomas, Z.
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Lipson, M.
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Jones, R. T.
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Beaven, B.
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Richardson, S. J.
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Wilmshurst, J. M.
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Palmer, J. G.
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Turney, C. S.M.
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Fogwill, C.
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Fenwick, P.
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Thomas, Z.
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Lipson, M.
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Jones, R. T.
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Beaven, B.
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Richardson, S. J.
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Wilmshurst, J. M.
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Palmer, J. G., Turney, C. S.M., Fogwill, C., Thomas, Z. and Richardson, S. J.
,
et al.
(2017)
Growth response of an invasive alien species to climate variations on subantarctic Campbell Island.
New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 42 (1), .
(doi:10.20417/nzjecol.42.2).
Abstract
Invasive alien species (IAS) are a recognised threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services. With increasing tourism and projected 21st century climate changes across the mid-to high-latitudes of the southern hemisphere, subantarctic islands are potentially highly vulnerable to IAS, but suffer from a dearth of baseline monitoring. Here we report tree-ring measurements from a lone exotic Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr) on subantarctic Campbell Island to determine past growth rates and likely future response to climate changes. Though the samples were unable to resolve exactly when the tree was planted, the fast growth rate indicates it is likely to have been later than the reported date of 1901. Since at least 1941, the tree appears to have responded favourably to the relatively warm summers experienced on Campbell Island, resulting in growth more rapid than that observed in natural stands (North American Pacific Coast). Although trees of similar age are normally mature and produce cones, none have so far been observed on Campbell Island -possibly the result of the fast growth causing an extended ‘juvenile’ or pre-reproductive phase -preventing seeding across the island. Importantly, relatively dry periods are needed for cones to open and disperse seeds, conditions not recorded in the instrumental record. Examination of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) outputs show increasing rainfall across the region during the 21st century under a range of emission scenarios, suggesting that even when mature, the Sitka spruce poses a limited threat to the long-term ecology of Campbell Island.
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Accepted/In Press date: 5 July 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 27 November 2017
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
Our thanks to the captain and crew of the MV Akademik Shokalskiy, and Henk Haazen and Kali Kahn on the Tiama for help in the field. This work was supported by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013–2014, the Australian Research Council (FL100100195, FT120100004, and DP130104156) and the University of New South Wales. SJR and JMW were supported by SSIF funding for Crown Research Institutes from the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Science and Innovation Group. Research on the New Zealand subantarctic Campbell Island was undertaken under Department of Conservation National Authorisation Numbers 37687-FAU and 39761-RES. We greatly appreciated historical information provided by Norm Judd. We thank Colin Meurk, an anonymous reviewer and the editor for their comments and help with improving this article.
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Keywords:
Campbell Island, Exotic forestry trees, Invasive alien species, Picea sitchensis, Sitka spruce, Subantarctic islands, Tree-ring
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Local EPrints ID: 476039
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/476039
ISSN: 0110-6465
PURE UUID: 27ab8c05-e86c-454d-a3f4-bf2fc3f7eb77
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Date deposited: 04 Apr 2023 16:58
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 04:10
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Contributors
Author:
J. G. Palmer
Author:
C. S.M. Turney
Author:
C. Fogwill
Author:
P. Fenwick
Author:
Z. Thomas
Author:
M. Lipson
Author:
R. T. Jones
Author:
B. Beaven
Author:
S. J. Richardson
Author:
J. M. Wilmshurst
Corporate Author: et al.
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