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Soil trampling in an Antarctic Specially Protected Area: tools to assess levels of human impact

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2009

P. Tejedo ,
A. Justel ,
J. Benayas ,
E. Rico ,
P. Convey  and
A. Quesada
P. Tejedo
Affiliation:
School of Biology, IE University, Segovia, 40003, Spain
A. Justel
Affiliation:
Departamento de Matemáticas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, 28049, Spain
J. Benayas*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, 28049, Spain
E. Rico
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, 28049, Spain
P. Convey
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
A. Quesada
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, 28049, Spain
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Abstract

Research in extremely delicate environments must be sensitive to the need to minimize impacts caused simply through the presence of research personnel. This study investigates the effectiveness of current advice relating to travel on foot over Antarctic vegetation-free soils. These are based on the concentration of impacts through the creation of properly signed and identified paths. In order to address these impacts, we quantified three factors - resistance to compression, bulk density and free-living terrestrial arthropod abundance - in areas of human activity over five summer field seasons at the Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands). Studies included instances of both experimentally controlled use and natural non-controlled situations. The data demonstrate that a minimum human presence is sufficient to alter both physical and biological characteristics of Byers Peninsula soils, although at the lowest levels of human activity this difference was not significant in comparison with adjacent undisturbed control areas. On the other hand, a limited resilience of physical properties was observed in Antarctic soils, thus it is crucial not to exceed the soil's natural recovery capability.

Keywords

AntarcticaASPAenvironmental monitoringrecovery capacitysoil degradationtrampling impact
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , June 2009 , pp. 229 - 236
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2009

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