Prof Bettine Jansen van Vuuren (left) chaired the session of Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Biodiscovery with the first plenary talk of the symposium by Peter Convey(right) of the British Antarctic Survey ” Terrestrial biological invasions and their potential impacts in the maritime Antarctic”.  (Abstract) Peter Convey discussed that there are around 15 species of non-native plants and invertebrates  currently known to be established in the maritime Antarctic . He further emphasize that effective biosecurity measures are required to ensure that further human-assisted transfer both on Signy Island and beyond is avoided. Prof Bettine Jansen van Vuuren chaired the session of Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Biodiscovery.

Bettine gave an overview of research that included research done by Daniela and Shilpha as they could not attend as they were on Marion Island. Foregrounding geodiversity in landscape ecology studies: insights from the sub-Antarctic – Daniela Monsanto (Abstract) Detecting signals of adaptive selection of an invasive springtail on sub-Antarctic Marion Island – Shilpha Parbhu (Abstract)

Daniela Monsanto, Shilpa Parbhu, Sandra Durand, Arsalan Emami-Khoyi, Peter Teske, David Hedding

Morgan Raath-Kruger(left) and student of Peter le Roux at University of Pretoria gave an oral presentation and an introduction to her poster.

• Long-term spatially-replicated data show no physical cost to a benefactor species in a facilitative plant–plant interaction. (Abstract)
• Do anisotropic processes influence fine-scale spatial genetic structure of a keystone sub-Antarctic plant species? (Abstract)

Another abstract submitted but Carol Jacobs(right) could not  present is on the biosecurity within the South African National Antarctic Programme. (Abstract)https://alp.lib.sun.ac.za/handle/123456789/29301