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Loss SR, Boughton B, Cady SM, Londe DW, McKinney C, O'Connell TJ, Riggs GJ, Robertson EP. Review and synthesis of the global literature on domestic cat impacts on wildlife. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1361-1372. [PMID: 35593055 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A vast global literature documents that free-roaming domestic cats (Felis catus) have substantial negative effects on wildlife, including through predation, fear, disease, and competition-related impacts that have contributed to numerous wildlife extinctions and population declines worldwide. However, no study has synthesized this literature on cat impacts on wildlife to evaluate its overarching biases and major gaps. To direct future research and conservation related to cat impacts on wildlife, we conducted a global literature review that entailed evaluation and synthesis of patterns and gaps in the literature related to the geographic context, methods, and types of impacts studied. Our systematic literature search compiled 2,245 publications. We extracted information from 332 of these meeting inclusion criteria designed to ensure the relevance of studies analyzed. This synthesis of research on cat impacts on wildlife highlights a focus on oceanic islands, Australia, Europe, and North America, and on rural areas, predation, impacts of unowned cats, and impacts at population and species levels. Key research advances needed to better understand and manage cat impacts include more studies in underrepresented, highly biodiverse regions (Africa, Asia, South America), on cat impacts other than predation, and on methods designed to reduce impacts on wildlife. The identified areas of needed research into cat impacts on wildlife will be critical to further clarifying the role of cats in global wildlife declines and to implementing science-driven policy and management that benefit conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott R Loss
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Brooke Boughton
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Samantha M Cady
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - David W Londe
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Caleb McKinney
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA.,Department of Rangeland and Wildlife Science, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, USA
| | - Timothy J O'Connell
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Georgia J Riggs
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Ellen P Robertson
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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Predation of wildlife by domestic cats in a Neotropical city: a multi-factor issue. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02734-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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3
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Cliff HB, Jones ME, Johnson CN, Pech RP, Biemans BT, Barmuta LA, Norbury GL. Rapid gain and loss of predator recognition by an evolutionarily naïve lizard. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah B. Cliff
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania Australia
- Indigenous Desert Alliance 587 Newcastle St West Perth Western Australia 6005 Australia
| | - Menna E. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Chris N. Johnson
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Roger P. Pech
- Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research PO Box 69040 Lincoln 7640 New Zealand
| | - Bart T. Biemans
- Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The Netherlands
- Arcadis Nederland B.V. 5223 LL s‐Hertogenbosch The Netherlands
| | - Leon A. Barmuta
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Grant L. Norbury
- Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research PO Box 176 Alexandra 9340 New Zealand
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Álvarez-Ruiz L, Belliure J, Pausas JG. Fire-driven behavioral response to smoke in a Mediterranean lizard. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The evolutionary role of fire in animals has been poorly explored. Reptiles use sensory cues, such as smell (chemoreception), to detect threats and flee. In Mediterranean ecosystems, fire is a threat faced by reptiles. We hypothesized that the Mediterranean lizard Psammodromus algirus recognizes the threat of fire by detecting the smoke, which triggers a behavioral response that enhances survival in fire-prone ecosystems. We predicted that lizards from fire-prone ecosystems will be more sensitive to fire stimulus than those from ecosystems that rarely burn. We conducted a terrarium experiment in which lizards from habitats with contrasted fire regimes (fire-prone vs. non-fire-prone) were exposed to smoke versus control (false smoke) treatment. We found that, in populations from fire-prone habitats, more lizards reacted to smoke, and their behavioral response was more intense than in lizard populations from non-fire-prone habitats. Our results suggest that an enhanced response to smoke may be adaptive in lizards from fire-prone ecosystems as it increases the chance for survival. We provide evidence that fire is likely an evolutionary driver shaping behavioral traits in lizard populations exposed to frequent wildfires. Understanding ecological and evolutionary processes shaping animal populations is relevant for species conservation in a changing fire regime world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lola Álvarez-Ruiz
- Departamento de Ecología, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE-CSIC), Ctra. Náquera Km. 4.5, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Josabel Belliure
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, U.D. Ecología, A.P. 20 Campus Universitario, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juli G Pausas
- Departamento de Ecología, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE-CSIC), Ctra. Náquera Km. 4.5, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
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5
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Response behaviour of native lizards and invading wall lizard to interspecific scent: implications for invasion success. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Griebel IA, Dawson RD. Nestling tree swallows (
Tachycineta bicolor
) alter begging behaviour in response to odour of familiar adults, but not their nests. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilsa A. Griebel
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program University of Northern British Columbia Prince George BC Canada
| | - Russell D. Dawson
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program University of Northern British Columbia Prince George BC Canada
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Van Moorleghem C, Van Damme R. The Asian grass lizard (
Takydromus sexlineatus
) does not respond to the scent of a native mammalian predator. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Van Moorleghem
- Laboratory for Functional Morphology Department of Biology University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Laboratory for Functional Morphology Department of Biology University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
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Daniell TL, Hutchinson MN, Ainsley P, Gardner MG. Recognition of reptile predator scent is innate in an endangered lizard species. AUST J ZOOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1071/zo20064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Chemical cues can alert prey to the presence of predators before the predator is within visual proximity. Recognition of a predator’s scent is therefore an important component of predator awareness. We presented predator and control scents to wild, wild-born captive, and predator-naive captive-born pygmy bluetongue lizards to determine (1) whether lizards respond to reptile chemical cues differently from controls, (2) whether captive lizards respond more strongly to a known predator than to other predatory reptiles, (3) whether captive-born lizards recognise predators innately, whether captive-born lizards have reduced predator recognition compared with wild lizards and whether time spent in captivity reduces responses to predators, and (4) whether the avoidance response to predator detection differs between naive and experienced lizards. There was no significant difference in the number of tongue flicks to predator scent among wild, wild-born and captive-born lizards, suggesting that predator detection is innate in the pygmy bluetongue lizard and time in captivity did not reduce predator recognition. The number of tongue flicks directed towards brown snake scent was significantly higher than that to the novel and water controls for all lizard origins. Lizards of all origins continued to bask in the presence of predator scents, suggesting that chemical cues alone may be insufficient to instigate an avoidance response and other cues may be required.
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Van Moorleghem C, Huyghe K, Van Damme R. Chemosensory deficiency may render island-dwelling lizards more vulnerable to invasive predators. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
AbstractNewly introduced predators constitute a major threat to prey populations worldwide. Insular prey animals in particular often do not succeed in overcoming their naivety towards alien predators, making them specifically vulnerable. Why this is the case remains incompletely understood. Here, we investigate how the ability to detect and respond to predator chemical cues varies among populations of the Dalmatian wall lizard, Podarcis melisellensis. Lizards were sampled from five locations in south-eastern Croatia (one mainland location and four islands) that varied in the composition of their predator community. We observed the lizards’ behaviour in response to chemical cues of native saurophagous snakes (the Balkan whip snake, Hierophis gemonensis, and eastern Montpellier snake, Malpolon insignitus) and an introduced mammalian predator (the small Indian mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus – a species held responsible for the loss of numerous insular reptile populations worldwide). Mainland lizards showed elevated tongue-flick rates (indicative of scent detection) as well as behaviours associated with distress in response to scents of both native and introduced predators. In sharp contrast, island lizards did not alter their behaviour when confronted with any of the predator cues. Alarmingly, even lizards from islands with native predators (both snakes and mammals) and from an island on which mongooses were introduced during the 1920s were non-responsive. This suggests that insular populations are chemosensorily deprived. As failure at the predator-detection level is often seen as the most damaging form of naivety, these results provide further insight into the mechanisms that render insular-living animals vulnerable to invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katleen Huyghe
- Laboratory for Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Laboratory for Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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