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The establishment of a new ecological guild of pollinating insects on sub-Antarctic South Georgia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 August 2010

P. Convey ,
R.S. Key  and
R.J.D. Key
P. Convey*
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
R.S. Key
Affiliation:
The Old Black Bull, Carthorpe, Bedale DL8 2LD, UK
R.J.D. Key
Affiliation:
Natural England, Alverton Court, Crosby Road, Northallerton DL6 1AD, UK
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

We report the establishment of two representatives of a new ecological functional group on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia - pollinating insects - in the form of the hoverfly Eristalis croceimaculata Jacobs (Diptera, Syrphidae) and the blowfly Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera, Calliphoridae). The floricolous adults of these two species provide a new ecological role, pollination, in the ecosystems of this island. The activity of their respectively saprophogous or necrophagous larvae will also augment that of the native insect and microarthropod soil fauna. We discuss the potential new synergy between this functional group and that of a number of established non-native plants, reliant on insect pollinators for successful seed-set and hence dispersal, that are currently of persistent status with very limited local distributions.

Keywords

bluebottlecalliphoridaehoverflysynergySyrphidae
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 22 , Issue 5 , October 2010 , pp. 508 - 512
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2010

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