Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Antarctica - Endangered by foreign organisms

Every year Antarctica is visited by more than 40,000 tourists each year that are introducing to Antarctica seeds, spores and eggs of many insects that travel with them on their clothes, and this could, in combination with global warming become great threat to the only continent that still has its unique environment and ecosystems yet untouched by humans.

Scientist already discovered traces of foreign organisms and they fear that this foreign organisms could together in combination with global warming cause favorable conditions for reproduction of rats and mouses which would cause complete change of all ecosystems on Antarctica.

Not only new animals are danger to current ecosystems, but new plants too, especially "Agrostis Stolonifera", which is European weed species that is quickly spreading and could even create whole grasslands if not stopped.

Special life on Antarctica developed itself in special ecosystems and if this double danger in form of tourists and global warming continues, Antarctica may even become in years to come just a sad remainder of something that used to be so special and so beautiful.


Will this beautiful continent remain unique?


No comments:

Post a Comment