Invasions by marine life on plastic debris

Barnes, David K.A.

Barnes, David K.A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9076-7867. 2002 Invasions by marine life on plastic debris. Nature, 416 (6883). 808-809. 10.1038/416808a

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Abstract

Colonization by alien species poses one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity1. Here I investigate the colonization by marine organisms of drift debris deposited on the shores of 30 remote islands from the Arctic to the Antarctic (across all oceans) and find that human litter more than doubles the rafting opportunities for biota, particularly at high latitudes. Although the poles may be protected from invasion by freezing sea surface temperatures, these may be under threat as the fastest-warming areas anywhere2 are at these latitudes.

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Official URL:

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v416/n6883/fu...

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1038/416808a

Programmes (Superseded):

BAS Programmes > Antarctic Science in the Global Context (2000-2005) > Life at the Edge - Stresses and Thresholds

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