Alien species at the gates of Antarctica.

The article reports that efforts are being made to prevent alien species from invading Antarctica. At the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Edinburgh, Great Britain, 45 nations agreed measures aimed at stopping non-native microbes, plants and animals from invading the Antarctic. Visiting ships are being urged not to dump ballast water from other oceans and the invading aliens problem was given top priority for research. Humans have introduced over 200 non-native species to islands around the Antarctic. Rats and cats have wiped out whole colonies of seabirds, rabbits and reindeer have destroyed native vegetation and invading plants have altered local ecosystems irreversibly.