The Guardian

The latest threat to Antarctica: an insect and plant invasion

Rise in tourism and warmer climate bring house flies – and the growth of mosses in which they can live
An Adelie penguin arrives at the New Harbor research station near McMurdo Station in Antarctica on November 11, 2016. Secretary of State John Kerry is travelling to Antarctica, New Zealand, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and will attend the APEC summit in Peru later in the month. / AFP PHOTO / AFP POOL / MARK RALSTON / Getty Images

Antarctica’s pristine ice-white environment is going green and facing an unexpected threat – from the common house fly. Scientists say that as temperatures soar in the polar region, invading plants and insects, including the fly, pose a major conservation threat.

More and more of these invaders, in the form of larvae or seeds, are surviving in coastal areas around the south pole, where temperatures have risen by

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