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Richmond JQ, Swift CC, Wake TA, Brehme CS, Preston KL, Kus BE, Ervin EL, Tremor S, Matsuda T, Fisher RN. Impacts of a Non-indigenous Ecosystem Engineer, the American Beaver (Castor canadensis), in a Biodiversity Hotspot. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.752400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-native species having high per capita impacts in invaded communities are those that modulate resource availability and alter disturbance regimes in ways that are biologically incompatible with the native biota. In areas where it has been introduced by humans, American beaver (Castor canadensis) is an iconic example of such species due to its capacity to alter trophic dynamics of entire ecosystems and create new invasional pathways for other non-native species. The species is problematic in several watersheds within the Southern California-Northern Baja California Coast Ecoregion, a recognized hotspot of biodiversity, due to its ability to modify habitat in ways that favor invasive predators and competitors over the region's native species and habitat. Beaver was deliberately introduced across California in the mid-1900s and generally accepted as non-native to the region up to the early 2000s; however, articles promoting the idea that beaver may be a natural resident have gained traction in recent years, due in large part to the species' charismatic nature rather than by presentation of sound evidence. Here, we discuss the problems associated with beaver disturbance and its effects on conserving the region's native fauna and flora. We refute arguments underlying the claim that beaver is native to the region, and review paleontological, zooarchaeological, and historical survey data from renowned field biologists and naturalists over the past ~160 years to show that no evidence exists that beaver arrived by any means other than deliberate human introduction. Managing this ecosystem engineer has potential to reduce the richness and abundance of other non-native species because the novel, engineered habitat now supporting these species would diminish in beaver-occupied watersheds. At the same time, hydrologic functionality would shift toward more natural, ephemeral conditions that favor the regions' native species while suppressing the dominance of the most insidious invaders.
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Latham ADM, Latham MC, Norbury GL, Forsyth DM, Warburton B. A review of the damage caused by invasive wild mammalian herbivores to primary production in New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2019.1689147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. David M. Latham
- Wildlife and Ecology Team, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - M. Cecilia Latham
- Wildlife and Ecology Team, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Grant L. Norbury
- Wildlife and Ecology Team, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Alexandra, New Zealand
| | - David M. Forsyth
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Orange, NSW, Australia
| | - Bruce Warburton
- Wildlife and Ecology Team, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
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Assessing the efficacy of aerial culling of introduced wild deer in New Zealand with analytical decomposition of predation risk. Biol Invasions 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-017-1531-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Waters J, Fraser D, Adams NJ, Blackie H, MacKay J. Increasing possum interaction rates with chew cards using new formulation lures. NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2016.1257494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Diane Fraser
- Environmental and Animal Sciences, Unitec, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Nigel J. Adams
- Environmental and Animal Sciences, Unitec, Auckland, New Zealand
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Norton DA, Warburton B. The potential for biodiversity offsetting to fund effective invasive species control. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2015; 29:5-11. [PMID: 25047072 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2014] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Compensating for biodiversity losses in 1 location by conserving or restoring biodiversity elsewhere (i.e., biodiversity offsetting) is being used increasingly to compensate for biodiversity losses resulting from development. We considered whether a form of biodiversity offsetting, enhancement offsetting (i.e., enhancing the quality of degraded natural habitats through intensive ecological management), can realistically secure additional funding to control biological invaders at a scale and duration that results in enhanced biodiversity outcomes. We suggest that biodiversity offsetting has the potential to enhance biodiversity values through funding of invasive species control, but it needs to meet 7 key conditions: be technically possible to reduce invasive species to levels that enhance native biodiversity; be affordable; be sufficiently large to compensate for the impact; be adaptable to accommodate new strategic and tactical developments while not compromising biodiversity outcomes; acknowledge uncertainties associated with managing pests; be based on an explicit risk assessment that identifies the cost of not achieving target outcomes; and include financial mechanisms to provide for in-perpetuity funding. The challenge then for conservation practitioners, advocates, and policy makers is to develop frameworks that allow for durable and effective partnerships with developers to realize the full potential of enhancement offsets, which will require a shift away from traditional preservation-focused approaches to biodiversity management.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Norton
- School of Forestry, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand.
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Ramón-Laca A, Gleeson D, Yockney I, Perry M, Nugent G, Forsyth DM. Reliable discrimination of 10 ungulate species using high resolution melting analysis of faecal DNA. PLoS One 2014; 9:e92043. [PMID: 24637802 PMCID: PMC3956866 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying species occupying an area is essential for many ecological and conservation studies. Faecal DNA is a potentially powerful method for identifying cryptic mammalian species. In New Zealand, 10 species of ungulate (Order: Artiodactyla) have established wild populations and are managed as pests because of their impacts on native ecosystems. However, identifying the ungulate species present within a management area based on pellet morphology is unreliable. We present a method that enables reliable identification of 10 ungulate species (red deer, sika deer, rusa deer, fallow deer, sambar deer, white-tailed deer, Himalayan tahr, Alpine chamois, feral sheep, and feral goat) from swabs of faecal pellets. A high resolution melting (HRM) assay, targeting a fragment of the 12S rRNA gene, was developed. Species-specific primers were designed and combined in a multiplex PCR resulting in fragments of different length and therefore different melting behaviour for each species. The method was developed using tissue from each of the 10 species, and was validated in blind trials. Our protocol enabled species to be determined for 94% of faecal pellet swabs collected during routine monitoring by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Our HRM method enables high-throughput and cost-effective species identification from low DNA template samples, and could readily be adapted to discriminate other mammalian species from faecal DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Ramón-Laca
- EcoGene®, Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand
- * E-mail:
| | - Dianne Gleeson
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
| | - Ivor Yockney
- Landcare Research, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
| | - Michael Perry
- Landcare Research, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand
| | | | - David M. Forsyth
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
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Lusk CH, Jorgensen MA. The whole-plant compensation point as a measure of juvenile tree light requirements. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H. Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Waikato; Private Bag 3105 Hamilton New Zealand
| | - Murray. A. Jorgensen
- Department of Statistics; University of Waikato; Private Bag 3105 Hamilton New Zealand
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Sweetapple PJ, Ruscoe WA, Nugent G. Dietary changes in response to population reduction in the possum Trichosurus vulpecula in New Zealand. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/wr13118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
Efforts to protect or restore degraded plant communities by population control of invasive herbivores frequently fail to achieve their goals.
Aims
We seek to quantify changes in diet of an introduced herbivore, the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), following population control, and determine how these may contribute to variable responses in plant condition.
Methods
Stomach contents of possums from five areas of indigenous forest in northern New Zealand were analysed to measure diet before and after the application of possum control.
Key results
The contribution of fruit, and foliage of some early successional forest species, to total possum diet increased up to 27-fold following possum population control. This was accompanied by declines in consumption of the main pre-control possum foods (foliage from common canopy trees). Dietary changes were a combination of an immediate response to control (1 year) and a strengthening of these initial changes with increasing time since control.
Conclusions
Possums in the study areas changed diet following population control, from a diet dominated by foliage of common canopy tree species to one dominated by fruits, and foliage of uncommon early successional plants. Pest control instantaneously increased the per capita availability of all foods, and probably permitted absolute increases in some foods through plant recovery, enabling possums to substitute scarce, high-preference foods for abundant but less preferred canopy foliage.
Implications
Following control of a pest herbivore, dietary changes reduce benefits for the most vulnerable preferred plant foods, but enhance benefits for less favoured plants. Intense pest control can permit some recovery of highly preferred foods, despite increased per capita consumption of these foods by survivors of control.
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Forsyth DM, Ramsey DSL, Veltman CJ, Allen RB, Allen WJ, Barker RJ, Jacobson CL, Nicol SJ, Richardson SJ, Todd CR. When deer must die: large uncertainty surrounds changes in deer abundance achieved by helicopter- and ground-based hunting in New Zealand forests. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/wr13016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
When environmental, economic and/or social effects of wildlife are considered undesirable and need to be reduced, managers require knowledge of the effectiveness of candidate control techniques, particularly the relationship between control effort and change in abundance.
Aims
We evaluated the effects of control on the abundances of introduced red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus) and sika deer (Cervus nippon) at three New Zealand forest sites (two North Island, one South Island) in an 8-year adaptive-management experiment.
Methods
We identified paired areas of 3600 ha at each site that were as similar as possible in geology, physical environments and forest composition and applied deer control (helicopter- and/or ground-based hunting) to a randomly selected member of each pair. The abundances of deer were monitored in each treatment and non-treatment area for up to 7 years by using faecal pellet counts on 50 randomly located transects.
Key results
The difference between deer abundances in the treatment and non-treatment areas was significantly negative at one site, significantly positive at one site and indistinguishable at the other site. Faecal pellet abundances declined with increasing helicopter-based hunting effort but did not change with increasing ground-based hunting effort. There was evidence that aerially sown 1080 baits used for possum control in two treatment areas reduced deer abundances.
Conclusions
The substantial uncertainty surrounding the relationships between deer control effort and changes in deer abundance means that managers cannot assume that the environmental, economic and/or social problems caused by deer will be alleviated with the quantum of control effort applied in the present study.
Implications
Reducing the abundances of deer in forests may require substantially more control effort than is currently believed.
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Ramsey DS, Forsyth DM, Veltman CJ, Nicol SJ, Todd CR, Allen RB, Allen WJ, Bellingham PJ, Richardson SJ, Jacobson CL, Barker RJ. An approximate Bayesian algorithm for training fuzzy cognitive map models of forest responses to deer control in a New Zealand adaptive management experiment. Ecol Modell 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Nugent G, Fraser KW. Pests or valued resources? Conflicts in management of deer. NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.1993.10420359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- G. Nugent
- a Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research , P.O. Box 31 011, Christchurch , New Zealand
| | - K. W Fraser
- a Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research , P.O. Box 31 011, Christchurch , New Zealand
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Forsyth DM, Thomson C, Hartley LJ, MacKenzie DI, Price R, Wright EF, Mortimer JAJ, Nugent G, Wilson L, Livingstone P. Long-term changes in the relative abundances of introduced deer in New Zealand estimated from faecal pellet frequencies. NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2011.592200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Relva MA, Nuñez MA, Simberloff D. Introduced deer reduce native plant cover and facilitate invasion of non-native tree species: evidence for invasional meltdown. Biol Invasions 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-009-9623-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Native plant/herbivore interactions as determinants of the ecological and evolutionary effects of invasive mammalian herbivores: the case of the common brushtail possum. Biol Invasions 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-009-9629-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Forsyth DM, Coomes DA, Nugent G, Hall GMJ. Diet and diet preferences of introduced ungulates (Order: Artiodactyla) in New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2002. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2002.9518316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Fraser KW, Cone JM, Whitford EJ. A revision of the established ranges and new populations of 11 introduced ungulate species in New Zealand. J R Soc N Z 2000. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2000.9517633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Mark AF. Te Waahipounamu: South‐west New Zealand World Heritage Area. Ecological research and conservation history†. J R Soc N Z 1998. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.1998.9517579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Long-term changes in the field layer of oak and oak-hornbeam forests under the impact of deer and mouflon. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1993. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02853510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Grant PJ. Major periods of erosion and alluvial sedimentation in New Zealand during the Late Holocene. J R Soc N Z 1985. [DOI: 10.1080/03036758.1985.10421743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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