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Phylogeography of the Atlantic Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Americas versus the Mediterranean Sea: Determining Origins and Genetic Connectivity of a Large-Scale Invasion. BIOLOGY 2022; 12:biology12010035. [PMID: 36671728 PMCID: PMC9854962 DOI: 10.3390/biology12010035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The American blue crab Callinectes sapidus is a particularly successful invader in estuarine ecosystems worldwide. Despite increasing awareness of its potential harm, the invasion history and underlying genetic diversity of this species within the Mediterranean Sea remain unknown. This study constitutes the first large-scale approach to study phylogeographic patterns of C. sapidus in Europe, facilitated by the first comparison of all currently available COI sequence data. For this investigation, 71 individuals of C. sapidus were newly analyzed and the entire COI gene was sequenced and used for a comparative phylogeographic analyses. For the first time, two separately used adjacent regions of this gene were combined in a single dataset. This allowed emphasizing the prevalence of three geographically defined lineages within the native range: (1) eastern North America, including the Gulf of Mexico, (2) the Caribbean, and (3) Brazil. New data from the Mediterranean reveal that non-native populations of C. sapidus are characterized by a conspicuously low genetic diversity (except for Turkey, where stocking took place), and that there is surprisingly low connectivity among established populations. The occurrence of strong genetic bottlenecks suggests few founder individuals. This confirms that, even under a scenario of restricted large-scale gene flow, a very limited number of invasive individuals is sufficient for a massive impact.
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2
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Salgado R, Barja I, Hernández MDC, Lucero B, Castro-Arellano I, Bonacic C, Rubio AV. Activity patterns and interactions of rodents in an assemblage composed by native species and the introduced black rat: implications for pathogen transmission. BMC ZOOL 2022; 7:48. [PMID: 36042784 PMCID: PMC9412813 DOI: 10.1186/s40850-022-00152-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The degree of temporal overlap between sympatric wild hosts species and their behavioral interactions can be highly relevant to the transmission of pathogens. However, this topic has been scantly addressed. Furthermore, temporal overlap and interactions within an assemblage of wild rodents composed of native and introduced species have been rarely discussed worldwide. We assessed the nocturnal activity patterns and interactions between rodent taxa of an assemblage consisting of native species (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus, Abrothrix hirta, and Abrothrix olivaceus) and the introduced black rat (Rattus rattus) in a temperate forest from southern Chile. All rodent species in this study are known hosts for various zoonotic pathogens.
Results
We found a high nocturnal temporal overlap within the rodent assemblage. However, pairwise comparisons of temporal activity patterns indicated significant differences among all taxa. Rattus rattus showed aggressive behaviors against all native rodents more frequently than against their conspecifics. As for native rodents, agonistic behaviors were the most common interactions between individuals of the same taxon and between individuals of different taxa (O. longicaudatus vs Abrothrix spp.).
Conclusions
Our findings reveal several interactions among rodent taxa that may have implications for pathogens such as hantaviruses, Leptospira spp., and vector-borne pathogens. Furthermore, their transmission may be facilitated by the temporal overlap observed between rodent taxa.
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3
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McGregor J, Field J, McLean C, Beranek C, Gould J. Observations of interference competition between the introduced black rat and native marsupial gliders in Australia. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jess McGregor
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle University Drive Callaghan New South Wales 2308 Australia
| | - Jed Field
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle University Drive Callaghan New South Wales 2308 Australia
| | - Chris McLean
- Specialist Research Services Gosford New South Wales Australia
| | - Chad Beranek
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle University Drive Callaghan New South Wales 2308 Australia
| | - John Gould
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle University Drive Callaghan New South Wales 2308 Australia
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4
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Invasive rat drives complete collapse of native small mammal communities in insular forest fragments. Curr Biol 2022; 32:2997-3004.e2. [PMID: 35709755 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
As tropical forests are becoming increasingly fragmented, understanding the magnitude and time frame of biodiversity declines is vital for 21st century sustainability goals. Over three decades, we monitored post-isolation changes in small mammal species richness and abundance within a forest landscape fragmented by the construction of a dam in Thailand.1,2 We observed the near-complete collapse of species richness within 33 years, with no evidence of a recolonization effect across repeatedly sampled islands. Our results further revealed a decline in species richness as island size decreased and isolation time increased, accelerated by the increasing dominance of the ubiquitous Malayan field rat, Rattus tiomanicus. This species was already hyper-abundant on smaller islands in the initial surveys (1992-1994, 66% of individuals) but became monodominant on all islands, regardless of island size, by the most recent survey (2020, 97%). Our results suggest that insular forest fragments are highly susceptible to rapid species loss, particularly due to the competitive nature of Rattus accelerating the rate at which extinction debts are paid. To mitigate these impacts, reducing the extent of habitat degradation, as triggered by fragmentation and exacerbated by isolation time, can help to sustain native biodiversity while averting Rattus hyper-abundance.
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Bolas EC, Sollmann R, Crooks KR, Boydston EE, Shaskey L, Boser CL, Dillon A, Van Vuren DH. Role of microhabitat and temporal activity in facilitating coexistence of endemic carnivores on the California Channel Islands. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Most extinctions worldwide have occurred on islands, primarily due to interactions with exotic species, but rarely due to interactions among endemic species. This potential exists on two of the California Channel Islands, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa, as endemic island spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis amphiala) appear to have rapidly declined to rarity, possibly due to interference competition with endemic island foxes (Urocyon littoralis). Niche partitioning is expected in response to interference competition; hence, it is surprising that skunks and foxes show extensive overlap in macrohabitat use and circadian activity. However, the role of microhabitat associations and fine-scale temporal activity in facilitating coexistence of the two species has not been explored. We evaluated microhabitat associations of island spotted skunks and island foxes across both islands using data from live traps and wildlife cameras collected during 2015–2017, and we analyzed fine-scale temporal activity using camera data from 2016 and 2017. On both islands, skunks had a positive response to ground-level cover provided by rugged topography or woody vegetation such as shrubs or trees, whereas foxes had a weak or negative response, suggesting partitioning of these microhabitat characteristics. Additionally, on both islands the peak in timing of skunk activity offset the peak for foxes, which implies that skunks use fine-scale adjustments in activity to avoid foxes. Past grazing by exotic herbivores likely reduced habitat refuges for skunks; however, as vegetation on both islands recovers, regrowth of shrubs and trees may provide cover that will improve prospects for coexistence of island spotted skunks and island foxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen C Bolas
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Rahel Sollmann
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Kevin R Crooks
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 115 Wagar, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Laura Shaskey
- Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA, USA
| | | | - Adam Dillon
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 115 Wagar, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Dirk H Van Vuren
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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6
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Do Invasive Mammal Eradications from Islands Support Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation? CLIMATE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/cli9120172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Climate change represents a planetary emergency that is exacerbating the loss of native biodiversity. In response, efforts promoting climate change adaptation strategies that improve ecosystem resilience and/or mitigate climate impacts are paramount. Invasive Alien Species are a key threat to islands globally, where strategies such as preventing establishment (biosecurity), and eradication, especially invasive mammals, have proven effective for reducing native biodiversity loss and can also advance ecosystem resilience and create refugia for native species at risk from climate change. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that successful eradications may also contribute to mitigating climate change. Given the cross-sector potential for eradications to reduce climate impacts alongside native biodiversity conservation, we sought to understand when conservation managers and funders explicitly sought to use or fund the eradication of invasive mammals from islands to achieve positive climate outcomes. To provide context, we first summarized available literature of the synergistic relationship between invasive species and climate change, including case studies where invasive mammal eradications served to meet climate adaptation or mitigation solutions. Second, we conducted a systematic review of the literature and eradication-related conference proceedings to identify when these synergistic effects of climate and invasive species were explicitly addressed through eradication practices. Third, we reviewed projects from four large funding entities known to support climate change solutions and/or native biodiversity conservation efforts and identified when eradications were funded in a climate change context. The combined results of our case study summary paired with systematic reviews found that, although eradicating invasive mammals from islands is an effective climate adaptation strategy, island eradications are poorly represented within the climate change adaptation and mitigation funding framework. We believe this is a lost opportunity and encourage eradication practitioners and funders of climate change adaptation to leverage this extremely effective nature-based tool into positive conservation and climate resilience solutions.
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Philson CS, Todorov SM, Blumstein DT. Marmot mass gain rates relate to their group’s social structure. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Mass gain is an important fitness correlate for survival in highly seasonal species. Although many physiological, genetic, life history, and environmental factors can influence mass gain, more recent work suggests the specific nature of an individual’s own social relationships also influences mass gain. However, less is known about consequences of social structure for individuals. We studied the association between social structure, quantified via social network analysis, and annual mass gain in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer). Social networks were constructed from 31 738 social interactions between 671 individuals in 125 social groups from 2002 to 2018. Using a refined dataset of 1022 observations across 587 individuals in 81 social groups, we fitted linear mixed models to analyze the relationship between attributes of social structure and individual mass gain. We found that individuals residing in more connected and unbreakable social groups tended to gain proportionally less mass. However, these results were largely age-dependent. Adults, who form the core of marmot social groups, residing in more spread apart networks had greater mass gain than those in tighter networks. Yearlings, involved in a majority of social interactions, and those who resided in socially homogeneous and stable groups had greater mass gain. These results show how the structure of the social group an individual resides in may have consequences for a key fitness correlate. But, importantly, this relationship was age-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conner S Philson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095–1606, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Sophia M Todorov
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095–1606, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095–1606, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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Lambert M, Carlisle S, Cain I, Douse A, Watt L. Unexpected involvement of a second rodent species makes impacts of introduced rats more difficult to detect. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19805. [PMID: 34611184 PMCID: PMC8492617 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98956-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodent predators are implicated in declines of seabird populations, and removing introduced rats, often, but not always, results in the expected conservation gains. Here we investigated the relationship between small mammal (Norway rat, wood mouse and pygmy shrew) abundance and Manx shearwater breeding success on the island of Rum, Scotland, and tested whether localised rodenticide treatments (to control introduced Norway rats) increased Manx shearwater breeding success. We found that Manx shearwater breeding success was negatively correlated with late summer indices of abundance for rats and mice, but not shrews. On its own, rat activity was a poor predictor of Manx shearwater breeding success. Rat activity increased during the shearwater breeding season in untreated areas but was supressed in areas treated with rodenticides. Levels of mouse (and shrew) activity increased in areas treated with rodenticides (likely in response to lower levels of rat activity) and Manx shearwater breeding success was unchanged in treated areas (p < 0.1). The results suggest that, unexpectedly, negative effects from wood mice can substitute those of Norway rats and that both species contributed to negative impacts on Manx shearwaters. Impacts were intermittent however, and further research is needed to characterise rodent population trends and assess the long-term risks to this seabird colony. The results have implications for conservation practitioners planning rat control programmes on islands where multiple rodent species are present.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Lambert
- National Wildlife Management Centre, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK. .,Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, Foss House, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PX, UK.
| | - S Carlisle
- National Wildlife Management Centre, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge, CB1 1PT, UK
| | - I Cain
- NBC Environment, Federation House, 222 Queensferry Rd, Edinburgh, EH4 2BN, UK
| | - A Douse
- NatureScot, Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness, IV3 8NW, UK
| | - L Watt
- NatureScot, Rum Reserve Office, Isle of Rum, PH43 4RR, UK
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9
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Factors influencing the relative abundance of invasive predators and omnivores on islands. Biol Invasions 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-021-02535-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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10
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Reinegger RD, Oleksy RZ, Bissessur P, Naujeer H, Jones G. First come, first served: fruit availability to keystone bat species is potentially reduced by invasive macaques. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Bats provide important pollination and seed-dispersal services to native angiosperms. However, many bat species are increasingly threatened by human disturbance, including the Mauritian flying fox (Pteropus niger), an endemic, keystone seed disperser. Native forests are scarce and P. niger frequently feeds in commercial plantations, where it now is considered a pest and subjected to frequent culling, thereby hindering conservation efforts. The invasive long-tailed macaque (Primates: Cercopithecidae, Macaca fascicularis) potentially competes with P. niger for scarce native fruits. We investigated the extent of dietary overlap between M. fascicularis and P. niger on Mauritius by sampling fruit drop for 17 tree species and identifying additional food species along line transects. Fruits of 13 of 17 species were eaten by animals and fruit production across tree replicates generally was low but highly variable. Although M. fascicularis ate only 4% of fruit overall, they consumed 20–100% of the fruits of seven species. Approximately 39% of dropped fruits were intact; based on field observations, most probably were dropped by M. fascicularis. Unlike P. niger, M. fascicularis ate mostly unripe fruit and depleted all fruit of certain species at an unripe stage. Hence, M. fascicularis may restrict P. niger’s diet and potentially disrupt seed dispersal of some tree species. Furthermore, small trees are more prone to fruit depletion at an unripe stage by macaques. In addition, asynchronous fruiting phenology across forest fragments may modulate the provision of native fruits to P. niger throughout the year. Although competition can be demonstrated only by controlled experimental studies that are logistically impossible in our scenario, our results highlight potential detrimental consequences that introduced frugivores may have on keystone seed dispersers. Finally, our results suggest that a more integrative and island-wide approach to forest restoration may be valuable for the conservation of P. niger.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael D Reinegger
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Ryszard Z Oleksy
- Ecosystem Restoration Alliance, Indian Ocean (ERA), Circonstance, Saint Pierre, Mauritius
| | - Prishnee Bissessur
- Tropical Island Biodiversity, and Conservation Pole of Research, Department of Biosciences and Ocean Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Le Réduit, Mauritius
| | - Houshna Naujeer
- National Parks and Conservation Service, Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security, Le Réduit, Mauritius
| | - Gareth Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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11
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Duron Q, Cornulier T, Vidal E, Bourguet E, Ruffino L. Combining live and lethal trapping to inform the management of alien invasive rodent populations in a tropical montane forest. NEOBIOTA 2020. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.63.53811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
On large inhabited islands where complete eradication of alien invasive rodents through the use of poison delivery is often not practical or acceptable, mechanical trapping may represent the only viable option to reduce their impact in areas of high biodiversity value. However, the feasibility of sustained rodent control by trapping remains uncertain under realistic operational constraints. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of non-toxic rat control strategies through a combination of lethal and live-trapping experiments, and scenario modelling, using the example of a remote montane rainforest of New Caledonia. Rat densities, estimated with spatially-explicit capture-recapture models, fluctuated seasonally (9.5–33.6 ind.ha-1). Capture probability (.01–.25) and home range sizes (HR95, .23–.75 ha) varied greatly according to trapping session, age class, sex and species. Controlling rats through the use of lethal trapping allowed maintaining rat densities at ca. 8 ind.ha-1 over a seven-month period in a 5.5-ha montane forest. Simulation models based on field parameter estimates over a 200-ha pilot management area indicated that without any financial and social constraints, trapping grids with the finest mesh sizes achieved cumulative capture probabilities > .90 after 15 trapping days, but were difficult to implement and sustain with the local workforce. We evaluated the costs and effectiveness of alternative trapping strategies taking into account the prevailing set of local constraints, and identified those that were likely to be successful. Scenario modelling, informed by trapping experiments, is a flexible tool for informing the design of sustainable control programs of island-invasive rodent populations, under idiosyncratic local circumstances.
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12
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Ebi KL, Harris F, Sioen GB, Wannous C, Anyamba A, Bi P, Boeckmann M, Bowen K, Cissé G, Dasgupta P, Dida GO, Gasparatos A, Gatzweiler F, Javadi F, Kanbara S, Kone B, Maycock B, Morse A, Murakami T, Mustapha A, Pongsiri M, Suzán G, Watanabe C, Capon A. Transdisciplinary Research Priorities for Human and Planetary Health in the Context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E8890. [PMID: 33265908 PMCID: PMC7729495 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17238890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Human health and wellbeing and the health of the biosphere are inextricably linked. The state of Earth's life-support systems, including freshwater, oceans, land, biodiversity, atmosphere, and climate, affect human health. At the same time, human activities are adversely affecting natural systems. This review paper is the outcome of an interdisciplinary workshop under the auspices of the Future Earth Health Knowledge Action Network (Health KAN). It outlines a research agenda to address cross-cutting knowledge gaps to further understanding and management of the health risks of these global environmental changes through an expert consultation and review process. The research agenda has four main themes: (1) risk identification and management (including related to water, hygiene, sanitation, and waste management); food production and consumption; oceans; and extreme weather events and climate change. (2) Strengthening climate-resilient health systems; (3) Monitoring, surveillance, and evaluation; and (4) risk communication. Research approaches need to be transdisciplinary, multi-scalar, inclusive, equitable, and broadly communicated. Promoting resilient and sustainable development are critical for achieving human and planetary health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristie L. Ebi
- Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE), University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | | | - Giles B. Sioen
- Future Earth, Global Hub Japan, Tsukuba 305-0053, Japan;
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-0053, Japan;
| | - Chadia Wannous
- Towards A Safer World Network (TASW), 16561 Stockholm, Sweden;
| | - Assaf Anyamba
- Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Universities Space Research Association, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA;
| | - Peng Bi
- School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia;
| | - Melanie Boeckmann
- Department of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany;
| | - Kathryn Bowen
- Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, 14467 Potsdam, Germany;
- School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3052, Australia
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
| | - Guéladio Cissé
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland;
- University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Gabriel O. Dida
- Department of Health Systems Management and Public Health, The Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya;
- School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University, Private Bag 40100, Kisumu, Kenya
| | | | - Franz Gatzweiler
- Global Interdisciplinary Science Programme on Urban Health and Wellbeing: A Systems Approach, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China;
| | - Firouzeh Javadi
- Institute of Decision Science for a Sustainable Society, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan; (F.J.); (T.M.)
| | - Sakiko Kanbara
- Disaster Nursing Global Leadership Program, University of Kochi, Kochi 781-8515, Japan;
| | - Brama Kone
- Lecturer-Researcher of Public Health, University Peleforo Gon Coulibaly of Korhogo, Korhogo, Cote D′Ivoire;
- Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques in Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan, Cote D′Ivoire
| | - Bruce Maycock
- College of Medicine & Health, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR1 3HD, UK;
| | - Andy Morse
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK;
| | - Takahiro Murakami
- Institute of Decision Science for a Sustainable Society, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan; (F.J.); (T.M.)
| | - Adetoun Mustapha
- Nigerian Institute for Medical Research, 6 Edmund Crescent, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria;
| | - Montira Pongsiri
- Stockholm Environment Institute, Asia Centre, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
| | - Gerardo Suzán
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 03100, Mexico;
| | - Chiho Watanabe
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-0053, Japan;
| | - Anthony Capon
- Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia;
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13
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Santos SF, Coelho R, Ceia RS, Ramos JA. Downside in habitat restoration: Predation of artificial nests by invasive rodents in Macaronesian laurel forest. J Nat Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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14
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Sjodin BMF, Irvine RL, Russello MA. RapidRat: Development, validation and application of a genotyping-by-sequencing panel for rapid biosecurity and invasive species management. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234694. [PMID: 32555734 PMCID: PMC7302687 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive alien species (IAS) are among the main causes of global biodiversity loss. Invasive brown (Rattus norvegicus) and black (R. rattus) rats, in particular, are leading drivers of extinction on islands, especially in the case of seabirds where >50% of all extinctions have been attributed to rat predation. Eradication is the primary form of invasive rat management, yet this strategy has resulted in a ~10-38% failure rate on islands globally. Genetic tools can help inform IAS management, but such applications to date have been largely reactive, time-consuming, and costly. Here, we developed a Genotyping-in-Thousands by sequencing (GT-seq) panel for rapid species identification and population assignment of invasive brown and black rats (RapidRat) in Haida Gwaii, an archipelago comprising ~150 islands off the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. We constructed an optimized panel of 443 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using previously generated double-digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) genotypic data (27,686 SNPs) from brown (n = 295) and black rats (n = 241) sampled throughout Haida Gwaii. The informativeness of this panel for identifying individuals to species and island of origin was validated relative to the ddRAD results; in all comparisons, admixture coefficients and population assignments estimated using RapidRat were consistent. To demonstrate application, 20 individuals from novel invasions of three islands (Agglomerate, Hotspring, Ramsay) were genotyped using RapidRat, all of which were confidently assigned (>98.5% probability) to Faraday and Murchison Islands as putative source populations. These results indicated that a previous eradication on Hotspring Island was conducted at an inappropriate geographic scale; future management should expand the eradication unit to include neighboring islands to prevent re-invasion. Overall, we demonstrated that RapidRat is an effective tool for managing invasive rat populations in Haida Gwaii and provided a clear framework for GT-seq panel development for informing biodiversity conservation in other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryson M. F. Sjodin
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Robyn L. Irvine
- Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, Parks Canada, Skidegate, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael A. Russello
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
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15
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Chase JM, Jeliazkov A, Ladouceur E, Viana DS. Biodiversity conservation through the lens of metacommunity ecology. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2020; 1469:86-104. [PMID: 32406120 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Metacommunity ecology combines local (e.g., environmental filtering and biotic interactions) and regional (e.g., dispersal and heterogeneity) processes to understand patterns of species abundance, occurrence, composition, and diversity across scales of space and time. As such, it has a great potential to generalize and synthesize our understanding of many ecological problems. Here, we give an overview of how a metacommunity perspective can provide useful insights for conservation biology, which aims to understand and mitigate the effects of anthropogenic drivers that decrease population sizes, increase extinction probabilities, and threaten biodiversity. We review four general metacommunity processes-environmental filtering, biotic interactions, dispersal, and ecological drift-and discuss how key anthropogenic drivers (e.g., habitat loss and fragmentation, and nonnative species) can alter these processes. We next describe how the patterns of interest in metacommunities (abundance, occupancy, and diversity) map onto issues at the heart of conservation biology, and describe cases where conservation biology benefits by taking a scale-explicit metacommunity perspective. We conclude with some ways forward for including metacommunity perspectives into ideas of ecosystem functioning and services, as well as approaches to habitat management, preservation, and restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Computer Sciences, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
| | - Alienor Jeliazkov
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Computer Sciences, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
| | - Emma Ladouceur
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Computer Sciences, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.,Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Duarte S Viana
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany.,Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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Equihua M, Espinosa Aldama M, Gershenson C, López-Corona O, Munguía M, Pérez-Maqueo O, Ramírez-Carrillo E. Ecosystem antifragility: beyond integrity and resilience. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8533. [PMID: 32095358 PMCID: PMC7020813 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We review the concept of ecosystem resilience in its relation to ecosystem integrity from an information theory approach. We summarize the literature on the subject identifying three main narratives: ecosystem properties that enable them to be more resilient; ecosystem response to perturbations; and complexity. We also include original ideas with theoretical and quantitative developments with application examples. The main contribution is a new way to rethink resilience, that is mathematically formal and easy to evaluate heuristically in real-world applications: ecosystem antifragility. An ecosystem is antifragile if it benefits from environmental variability. Antifragility therefore goes beyond robustness or resilience because while resilient/robust systems are merely perturbation-resistant, antifragile structures not only withstand stress but also benefit from it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Equihua
- Red Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | | | - Carlos Gershenson
- IIMAS, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, México.,Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad (C3), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, México.,ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Oliver López-Corona
- Red Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, México.,Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad (C3), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, México.,Cátedras CONACyT, Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO), CDMX, México
| | - Mariana Munguía
- Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO), CDMX, México
| | - Octavio Pérez-Maqueo
- Red Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, México
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Jones C, Pollack L, DiRienzo N. Game of webs: species and web structure influence contest outcome in black widow spiders. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractPopulation-level trait variation within species plays an often-overlooked role in interspecific interactions. In this study, we compared among-individual variation in web phenotype and foraging behavior between native black widows (Latrodectus hesperus) and invasive brown widows (Latrodectus geometricus). We staged repeated contests whereby native widows defended their webs against intruders of both species to 1) investigate how trait variation mediates web contest outcome among native widows and 2) see whether widow behavior differs in response to an invasive spider. In only one trait, the average number of foraging lines, did black widows differ from brown widows. Black widow residents that built more structural lines were more likely to successfully defend their webs from conspecific intruders (i.e., be the sole spider remaining on the web postinteraction). This association between web structure and contest outcome did not exist in trials between black widows and invasive brown widows; however, in interspecific interactions, these same residents were more likely to have intruders remain on the web rather than drive them away. Surprisingly, brown widows did not usurp black widows. Brown widows were never observed signaling, yet black widow residents signaled equally to intruders of both species. Our results suggest that among-individual variation among native species can influence the response toward invasive competitors and outcome of these interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Jones
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Lea Pollack
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas DiRienzo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Limits to alien black rats (Rattus rattus) acting as equivalent pollinators to extinct native small mammals: the influence of stem width on mammal activity at native Banksia ericifolia inflorescences. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-02090-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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19
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Brunke J, Radespiel U, Russo IR, Bruford MW, Goossens B. Messing about on the river: the role of geographic barriers in shaping the genetic structure of Bornean small mammals in a fragmented landscape. CONSERV GENET 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-019-01159-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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20
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Bridgman L, Innes J, Gillies C, Fitzgerald N, Rohan M, King C. Interactions between ship rats and house mice at Pureora Forest Park. NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2018.1464477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Bridgman
- School of Science, Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - John Innes
- Biodiversity and Conservation, Landcare Research, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Craig Gillies
- Department of Conservation, Biodiversity Group, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Neil Fitzgerald
- Biodiversity and Conservation, Landcare Research, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Maheswaran Rohan
- Department of Conservation, Biodiversity Group, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Carolyn King
- School of Science, Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
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Kuhnen VV, Romero GQ, Linhares AX, Vizentin-Bugoni J, Porto EAC, Setz EZF. Diet overlap and spatial segregation between two neotropical marsupials revealed by multiple analytical approaches. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181188. [PMID: 28704561 PMCID: PMC5507539 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Species co-existence depends on how organisms utilize their environment and resources. When two sympatric species are similar in some ecological requirements, their coexistence may arise from differences in resource use over time and/or space. Interactions among coexisting marsupials remain poorly understood, especially in the Neotropics. Here we combine spatial niche measurements, individual-resource networks, and isotopic niche approaches, to investigate the ecological strategies used by the Neotropical marsupials Didelphis aurita and Metachirus nudicaudatus to co-occur in an area of Serra do Mar State Park (southeast of Brazil). Both individual-resource networks and isotopic niche approaches indicate similar patterns of omnivory for both species. Isotopic analysis showed the species’ trophic niche to be similar, with 52% of overlap, and no differences between proportional contributions of each resource to their diets. Moreover, individual-resource network analysis found no evidence of diet nestedness or segregation. The trophic niche overlap observed was associated with spatial segregation between species. Despite using the same area over the year, D. aurita and M. nudicaudatus exhibited spatial segregation among seasons. These results illustrate that the detection of spatial segregation is scale-dependent and must be carefully considered. In conclusion, our findings provide a new perspective on the ecology of these two Neotropical marsupials by illustrating how the association of distinct but complementary methods can be applied to reach a more complete understanding of resource partitioning and species coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Villanova Kuhnen
- Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Gustavo Quevedo Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Arício Xavier Linhares
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni
- Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Erica Aline Correa Porto
- Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eleonore Zulnara Freire Setz
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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Asensio N, José-Domínguez JM, Kongrit C, Brockelman WY. The ecology of white-handed and pileated gibbons in a zone of overlap and hybridization in Thailand. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 163:716-728. [PMID: 28726303 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Revised: 01/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The study of related species in contact zones can elucidate what factors mediate species coexistence and geographical distributions. We investigated niche overlap and group interactions of two gibbon species and their hybrids co-occurring in a zone of overlap and hybridization. METHODS The location, composition and behavior of white-handed, pileated, and mixed-species gibbon groups were studied by following them during 31 consecutive months in a relatively large part of the contact zone. RESULTS Twenty groups of white-handed gibbon were mapped followed by nine groups of pileated gibbons and five mixed-species groups. White-handed, pileated and mixed-species groups had similar sizes and composition, ate a high proportion of fruits, shared a large number of species in their diets, and presented similar habitat preferences. Group home range sizes did not differ between species and overlapped little with neighboring groups irrespective of species, and intraspecific and interspecific encounter rates were similar. DISCUSSION Ecological similarities support that competition between the gibbon species exists and takes the form of interspecific territoriality. However, we could not find any clear mechanism of niche partitioning favoring coexistence between species. Our findings suggest that the contact zone is unstable and is maintained by dispersal inward from groups of the parental species. The relatively low numbers of mixed-species groups and hybrids found suggests a high degree of premating reproductive isolation, perhaps mediated by interspecific miscommunication. The existence of hybrids and backcrosses potentially undetectable from phenotypic characters alone raises the possibility of more widespread introgression than has been evident. Hence, while interspecific territoriality should reduce the rate of gene transfer, it would not necessarily present a barrier to introgression into contiguous populations of the opposite species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norberto Asensio
- Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, 73170, Thailand
| | | | - Chalita Kongrit
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rachathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Warren Y Brockelman
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand.,Ecology Laboratory, BIOTEC, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Khong 2, Pathum Thani 12123, Thailand
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Smith HM, Dickman CR, Banks PB. Exotic black rats increase invertebrate Ordinal richness in urban habitat remnants. Biol Invasions 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-016-1340-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Smith HM, Dickman CR, Banks PB. Using effect size benchmarks to assess when alien impacts are actually alien. Sci Rep 2017; 7:38627. [PMID: 28128305 PMCID: PMC5269578 DOI: 10.1038/srep38627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Alien predators have on average twice the impact on native prey populations than do native predators, and are a severe threat to wildlife globally. Manipulation experiments can be used to quantify the impact of an alien predator on its prey population/s, but unless the results are compared to benchmarks, it is unclear whether this impact is indeed greater than that of a native predator. Here we use the Australian garden skink Lampropholis delicata and alien black rat Rattus rattus to test if black rats are an additive source of predation for the skink, and to judge whether the effect size of rat-impact on the skink represents that of an alien or native predator. We used replicated experiments to exclude black rats at local and landscape scales to test how rats affect skink activity and trapping frequency. Both manipulations had positive effects on skinks, however, the population-level effect size was lower than that described for alien predators but similar to that expected for native predators. We suggest that Australian skinks may respond appropriately to predatory alien rats because they coevolved with endemic Rattus species. This adds novel insights into the varying levels of impact that alien predators have on native prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen M Smith
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The Cottage (A10), Room 321, Heydon Laurence Building (A08), Science Road, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Chris R Dickman
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The Cottage (A10), Room 321, Heydon Laurence Building (A08), Science Road, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Peter B Banks
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The Cottage (A10), Room 321, Heydon Laurence Building (A08), Science Road, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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Breviglieri CPB, Kuhnen VV. Resource-defense behaviour: first report of an agonistic interaction between the opossumDidelphis auritaand the batArtibeus lituratus. FOLIA ZOOLOGICA 2016. [DOI: 10.25225/fozo.v65.i3.a11.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Crasso Paulo Bosco Breviglieri
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CEP 13083-970, CP 6109, Campinas-SP, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Villanova Kuhnen
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CEP 13083-970, CP 6109, Campinas-SP, Brazil
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Ozella L, Cecchetti M, Pessani D. Diet of feral cats during the Scopoli’s shearwater breeding season on Linosa Island, Mediterranean Sea. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/11250003.2016.1237562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- L. Ozella
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy
| | - M. Cecchetti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy
| | - D. Pessani
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Italy
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Abstract
Invasive species threaten biodiversity globally, and invasive mammalian predators are particularly damaging, having contributed to considerable species decline and extinction. We provide a global metaanalysis of these impacts and reveal their full extent. Invasive predators are implicated in 87 bird, 45 mammal, and 10 reptile species extinctions-58% of these groups' contemporary extinctions worldwide. These figures are likely underestimated because 23 critically endangered species that we assessed are classed as "possibly extinct." Invasive mammalian predators endanger a further 596 species at risk of extinction, with cats, rodents, dogs, and pigs threatening the most species overall. Species most at risk from predators have high evolutionary distinctiveness and inhabit insular environments. Invasive mammalian predators are therefore important drivers of irreversible loss of phylogenetic diversity worldwide. That most impacted species are insular indicates that management of invasive predators on islands should be a global conservation priority. Understanding and mitigating the impact of invasive mammalian predators is essential for reducing the rate of global biodiversity loss.
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Stuart AM, Prescott CV, Singleton GR. Can a native rodent species limit the invasive potential of a non-native rodent species in tropical agroforest habitats? PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2016; 72:1168-1177. [PMID: 26271625 DOI: 10.1002/ps.4095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about native and non-native rodent species interactions in complex tropical agroecosystems. We hypothesised that the native non-pest rodent Rattus everetti may be competitively dominant over the invasive pest rodent Rattus tanezumi within agroforests. We tested this experimentally by using pulse removal for three consecutive months to reduce populations of R. everetti in agroforest habitat, and assessed over 6 months the response of R. tanezumi and other rodent species. RESULTS Following removal, R. everetti individuals rapidly immigrated into removal sites. At the end of the study period, R. tanezumi were larger and there was a significant shift in their microhabitat use with respect to the use of ground vegetation cover following the perturbation of R. everetti. Irrespective of treatment, R. tanezumi selected microhabitat with less tree canopy cover, indicative of severely disturbed habitat, whereas R. everetti selected microhabitat with a dense canopy. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that sustained habitat disturbance in agroforests favours R. tanezumi, while the regeneration of agroforests towards a more natural state would favour native species and may reduce pest pressure in adjacent crops. In addition, the rapid recolonisation of R. everetti suggests this species would be able to recover from non-target impacts of short-term rodent pest control. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Stuart
- Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, International Rice Research Institute, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AS, UK
| | - Colin V Prescott
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AS, UK
| | - Grant R Singleton
- Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, International Rice Research Institute, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines
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Response of Native Species 10 Years After Rat Eradication on Anacapa Island, California. JOURNAL OF FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 2016. [DOI: 10.3996/082015-jfwm-073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Measuring the response of native species to conservation actions is necessary to inform continued improvement of conservation practices. This is particularly true for eradications of invasive vertebrates from islands where up-front costs are high, actions may be controversial, and there is potential for negative impacts to native (“nontarget”) species. We summarize available data on the response of native species on Anacapa Island, California, 10 y after the eradication of invasive black rats Rattus rattus. Native marine taxa hypothesized to respond positively to rat eradication increased in abundance (Scripps's murrelet Synthliboramphus scrippsi; International Union for Conservation of Nature Vulnerable, and intertidal invertebrates). Two seabird species likely extirpated by rats—ashy storm-petrel Oceanodroma homochroa (International Union for Conservation of Nature Endangered) and Cassin's auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus—are now confirmed to breed on the island. Long-term negative effects from nontarget impacts are limited. Rufous-crowned sparrows Aimophila ruficeps obscura are still present, although likely in lower abundance. The endemic Anacapa deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus anacapae population increased with no loss in heterozygosity, but with reduced genetic differentiation on East Anacapa and the loss of some alleles across the islets. Intertidal invertebrate cover increased while algal cover decreased. These findings clarify the pervasive effects of invasive rats on a wide variety of taxa, the short- and long-term impacts of eradication, and the ability of some island fauna to passively recover following a carefully planned rat-eradication project.
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Ruffino L, Krebs E, Passetti A, Aboucaya A, Affre L, Fourcy D, Lorvelec O, Barcelo A, Berville L, Bigeard N, Brousset L, Méringo HD, Gillet P, Quilliec PL, Limouzin Y, Médail F, Meunier JY, Pascal M, Pascal M, Ponel P, Rifflet F, Santelli C, Buisson E, Vidal E. Eradications as scientific experiments: progress in simultaneous eradications of two major invasive taxa from a Mediterranean island. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2015; 71:189-198. [PMID: 24687625 DOI: 10.1002/ps.3786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2013] [Revised: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 03/21/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Black rats, Rattus rattus, and mat-forming iceplants, Carpobrotus aff. acinaciformis and Carpobrotus edulis, are pervasive pests on Mediterranean islands. Their cumulative impacts on native biotas alter the functioning of island ecosystems and threaten biodiversity. A report is given here of the first attempt to eradicate both taxa from a protected nature reserve in south-eastern France (Bagaud Island). In order to minimise unwanted hazardous outcomes and produce scientific knowledge, the operations were embedded in a four-step strategy including initial site assessment, planning, restoration and monitoring. RESULTS Trapping, which resulted in the removal of 1923 rats in 21 045 trap-nights, made it possible to eliminate a substantial proportion of the resident rat population and to reduce the amount of rodenticide delivered in the second stage of the operation. Forty tons of Carpobrotus spp. were manually uprooted from a total area of 18 000 m(2) ; yet careful monitoring over a decade is still required to prevent germinations from the seed bank. CONCLUSION Two years after the beginning of the interventions, both eradication operations are still ongoing. Biosecurity measures have been implemented to reduce reinvasion risks of both taxa. With the long-term monitoring of various native plants and animals, Bagaud Island will become a reference study site for scientific purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Ruffino
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Harper GA, Bunbury N. Invasive rats on tropical islands: Their population biology and impacts on native species. Glob Ecol Conserv 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2015.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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Banks PB, Smith HM. The ecological impacts of commensal species: black rats, Rattus rattus, at the urban–bushland interface. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2015. [DOI: 10.1071/wr15048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Exotic species have had devastating impacts worldwide and are a major threat to native wildlife. Human commensal species (hereafter commensals) are a special class of exotic species that live largely off the resources associated with human activity. The encroachment of commensals from an urban area into surrounding bushland has been frequently overlooked as an important component of urban impacts, even though human-commensals are common to many urban regions globally. In this review, we present theoretical and empirical evidence for the processes and outcomes occurring when exotic commensal species encroach into native bushland. Specifically we ask when, how and why exotic commensal species encroach into bushland, what determines whether they establish, and what are the ecological consequences. We focus on the black rat, Rattus rattus, arguably the archetypal commensal species with a cosmopolitan distribution and the greatest potential for ecological damage of all the commensal rodents. We expect that the processes that we outline apply to other commensal species more broadly. We argue that commensals are in fact natives of the urban milieu and only become alien when they encroach into peri-urban bushland. We propose that the mechanisms of this encroachment will be different from those of other, non-commensal exotic species because urban areas act as dispersal hubs to overcome many of the barriers of invasion that other exotic species face. We suggest that resource supplementation by urban areas creates a great potential for promoting encroachment, invasion as well as impact. However, biotic and abiotic barriers to invasion are still relevant for commensals, highlighting the need to maintain the integrity of ecosystems and wildlife populations in urban edges so as to prevent commensal incursion. We examine how commensal black rats affect wildlife via three fundamental mechanisms, namely, predation, disease transfer and competition for resources, and also consider their possible positive impacts acting as functional replacements for lost natives. We conclude the review with an outline of research priorities and future directions that are essential for progressing our understanding of the ecology of commensal species.
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Discriminating the drivers of edge effects on nest predation: forest edges reduce capture rates of ship rats (Rattus rattus), a globally invasive nest predator, by altering vegetation structure. PLoS One 2014; 9:e113098. [PMID: 25412340 PMCID: PMC4239037 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2014] [Accepted: 10/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest edges can strongly affect avian nest success by altering nest predation rates, but this relationship is inconsistent and context dependent. There is a need for researchers to improve the predictability of edge effects on nest predation rates by examining the mechanisms driving their occurrence and variability. In this study, we examined how the capture rates of ship rats, an invasive nest predator responsible for avian declines globally, varied with distance from the forest edge within forest fragments in a pastoral landscape in New Zealand. We hypothesised that forest edges would affect capture rates by altering vegetation structure within fragments, and that the strength of edge effects would depend on whether fragments were grazed by livestock. We measured vegetation structure and rat capture rates at 488 locations ranging from 0–212 m from the forest edge in 15 forest fragments, seven of which were grazed. Contrary to the vast majority of previous studies of edge effects on nest predation, ship rat capture rates increased with increasing distance from the forest edge. For grazed fragments, capture rates were estimated to be 78% lower at the forest edge than 118 m into the forest interior (the farthest distance for grazed fragments). This relationship was similar for ungrazed fragments, with capture rates estimated to be 51% lower at the forest edge than 118 m into the forest interior. A subsequent path analysis suggested that these ‘reverse’ edge effects were largely or entirely mediated by changes in vegetation structure, implying that edge effects on ship rats can be predicted from the response of vegetation structure to forest edges. We suggest the occurrence, strength, and direction of edge effects on nest predation rates may depend on edge-driven changes in local habitat when the dominant predator is primarily restricted to forest patches.
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Ruffino L, Salo P, Koivisto E, Banks PB, Korpimäki E. Reproductive responses of birds to experimental food supplementation: a meta-analysis. Front Zool 2014; 11:80. [PMID: 25386221 PMCID: PMC4222371 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-014-0080-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Food availability is an important environmental cue for animals for deciding how much to invest in reproduction, and it ultimately affects population size. The importance of food limitation has been extensively studied in terrestrial vertebrate populations, especially in birds, by experimentally manipulating food supply. However, the factors explaining variation in reproductive decisions in response to food supplementation remain unclear. By performing meta-analyses, we aim to quantify the extent to which supplementary feeding affects several reproductive parameters in birds, and identify the key factors (life-history traits, behavioural factors, environmental factors, and experimental design) that can induce variation in laying date, clutch size and breeding success (i.e., number of fledglings produced) in response to food supplementation. Results Food supplementation produced variable but mostly positive effects across reproductive parameters in a total of 201 experiments from 82 independent studies. The outcomes of the food effect were modulated by environmental factors, e.g., laying dates advanced more towards low latitudes, and food supplementation appeared not to produce any obvious effect on bird reproduction when the background level of food abundance in the environment was high. Moreover, the increase in clutch size following food addition was more pronounced in birds that cache food, as compared to birds that do not. Supplementation timing was identified as a major cause of variation in breeding success responses. We also document the absence of a detectable food effect on clutch size and breeding success when the target species had poor access to the feed due to competitive interactions with other animals. Conclusions Our findings indicate that, from the pool of bird species and environments reviewed, extra food is allocated to immediate reproduction in most cases. Our results also support the view that bird species have evolved different life-history strategies to cope with environmental variability in food supply. However, we encourage more research at low latitudes to gain knowledge on how resource allocation in birds changes along a latitudinal gradient. Our results also emphasize the importance of developing experimental designs that minimise competition for the supplemented food and the risk of reproductive bottle-necks due to inappropriate supplementation timings. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12983-014-0080-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Ruffino
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Pälvi Salo
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Elina Koivisto
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Peter B Banks
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Erkki Korpimäki
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
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Hata K, Kohri M, Morita S, Hiradate S, Kachi N. Complex Interrelationships Among Aboveground Biomass, Soil Chemical Properties, and Events Caused by Feral Goats and Their Eradication in a Grassland Ecosystem of an Island. Ecosystems 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-014-9780-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Ringler D, Russell J, Jaeger A, Pinet P, Bastien M, Le Corre M. Invasive rat space use on tropical islands: Implications for bait broadcast. Basic Appl Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2014.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Influencing the Social Group. EPIGENETIC SHAPING OF SOCIOSEXUAL INTERACTIONS - FROM PLANTS TO HUMANS 2014; 86:107-34. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800222-3.00006-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Cruz J, Woolmore C, Latham MC, Latham ADM, Pech RP, Anderson DP. Seasonal and individual variation in selection by feral cats for areas with widespread primary prey and localised alternative prey. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2014. [DOI: 10.1071/wr14234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context Seasonal and individual variation in predator selection for primary and alternative prey can affect predator–prey dynamics, which can further influence invasive-predator impacts on rare prey. Aims We evaluated individual and seasonal variation in resource selection by feral cats (Felis silvestris catus) for areas with European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) around a breeding colony of endangered black-fronted terns (Chlidonias albostriatus) in the Upper Ohau River, within the Mackenzie Basin of New Zealand. Methods Within a feral cat population subject to localised control (within a 1-km area surrounding the tern colony), we mapped the movements of 17 individuals using GPS collars, and evaluated individual and seasonal variation in third-order resource selection (i.e. within home ranges) by using resource-selection functions with mixed effects. The year was divided into breeding and non-breeding seasons for terns. Key results Three of the eight feral cats monitored during the breeding season used the colony in proportion to availability and one selected it. These four individuals therefore pose a threat to the tern colony despite ongoing predator control. Selection by feral cats for areas with high relative rabbit abundance was not ubiquitous year-round, despite previous research showing that rabbits are their primary prey in the Mackenzie Basin. Conclusions Results suggest that rabbit control around the colony should reduce use by feral cats that select areas with high relative rabbit abundance (less than half the individuals monitored), but is unlikely to alleviate the impacts of those that select areas with low relative rabbit abundance. Hence, predator control is also required to target these individuals. Results thus support the current coupled-control of feral cats and rabbits within a 1-km buffer surrounding the tern colony. Future research should determine what scale of coupled-control yields the greatest benefits to localised prey, such as the tern colony, and whether rabbits aid hyperpredation of terns by feral cats via landscape supplementation. Implications The present study has highlighted the importance of considering seasonal and individual effects in resource selection by predators, and the role of primary prey, when designing management programs to protect rare prey.
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Gibson L, Lynam AJ, Bradshaw CJA, He F, Bickford DP, Woodruff DS, Bumrungsri S, Laurance WF. Near-Complete Extinction of Native Small Mammal Fauna 25 Years After Forest Fragmentation. Science 2013; 341:1508-10. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1240495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 264] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Bridgman L, Innes J, Gillies C, Fitzgerald N, Miller S, King C. Do ship rats display predatory behaviour towards house mice? Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Brunner JL, Duerr S, Keesing F, Killilea M, Vuong H, Ostfeld RS. An Experimental Test of Competition among Mice, Chipmunks, and Squirrels in Deciduous Forest Fragments. PLoS One 2013; 8:e66798. [PMID: 23824654 PMCID: PMC3688938 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mixed hardwood forests of the northeast United States support a guild of granivorous/omnivorous rodents including gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus), and white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). These species coincide geographically, co-occur locally, and consume similar food resources. Despite their idiosyncratic responses to landscape and patch variables, patch occupancy models suggest that competition may influence their respective distributions and abundances, and accordingly their influence on the rest of the forest community. Experimental studies, however, are wanting. We present the result of a large-scale experiment in which we removed white-footed mice or gray squirrels from small, isolated forest fragments in Dutchess County, New York, and added these mammals to other fragments in order to alter the abundance of these two species. We then used mark-recapture analyses to quantify the population-level and individual-level effects on resident mice, squirrels, and chipmunks. Overall, we found little evidence of competition. There were essentially no within-season numerical responses to changes in the abundance of putative competitors. Moreover, while individual-level responses (apparent survival and capture probability) did vary with competitor densities in some models, these effects were often better explained by site-specific parameters and were restricted to few of the 19 sites we studied. With only weak or nonexistent competition among these three common rodent species, we expect their patterns of habitat occupancy and population dynamics to be largely independent of one another.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse L. Brunner
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, United States of America
| | - Shannon Duerr
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, United States of America
| | - Felicia Keesing
- Department of Biology, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, United States of America
| | - Mary Killilea
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Holly Vuong
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Richard S. Ostfeld
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, United States of America
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Prevedello JA, Dickman CR, Vieira MV, Vieira EM. Population responses of small mammals to food supply and predators: a global meta-analysis. J Anim Ecol 2013; 82:927-36. [PMID: 23560951 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
1. The relative importance of food supply and predation as determinants of animal population density is a topic of enduring debate among ecologists. To address it, many studies have tested the potential effects of food on population density by experimentally supplementing natural populations, with much focus on terrestrial vertebrates, especially small mammals. 2. Here we perform a meta-analysis of such experiments, testing two complementary hypotheses: (i) small mammal populations are bottom-up limited and (ii) population increases in response to food supplementation are constrained by predation, a top-down limitation. 3. In the 148 experiments recorded, food supplementation had an overall positive and significant effect, increasing population densities by 1.5-fold. Larger population increases occurred when predation was reduced and populations were open to immigration. Predation appeared to be unimportant when populations were closed to immigration. Immigration was the major mechanism underlying increases in abundance by increasing local population density and crowding. Contributions of increased reproductive rate could be detected, but were minor compared to immigration, and no effects were detected from survival. 4. Our analyses support the view that animal population density is determined by both bottom-up and top-down forces. They also suggest the possibility that food supplementation experiments might unintentionally create ecological traps by aggregating both prey and predators in small areas of the landscape. We suggest an alternative experimental design to increase the contribution that food supplementation experiments can make in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayme A Prevedello
- Depto de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CP 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-590, Brazil
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Shiels AB, Flores CA, Khamsing A, Krushelnycky PD, Mosher SM, Drake DR. Dietary niche differentiation among three species of invasive rodents (Rattus rattus, R. exulans, Mus musculus). Biol Invasions 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-012-0348-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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LEÓN VA, FRASCHINA J, GUIDOBONO JS, BUSCH M. Habitat use and demography ofMus musculusin a rural landscape of Argentina. Integr Zool 2012; 8 Suppl 1:18-29. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2012.00290.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Wharton D, Dowler R, Watts J. Some analyses and recommendations on diet formulation for conservation breeding of the Galapagos rice rat of Isla Santiago, Nesoryzomys swarthi. Zoo Biol 2012; 31:498-505. [PMID: 22553176 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2011] [Revised: 10/18/2011] [Accepted: 11/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Nesoryzomys swarthi, the most endangered of the three surviving, endemic Galapagos "rice rats," was only discovered in the early 20th Century and was considered extinct until its rediscovery in 1997 at a north-central coastal location on Isla Santiago. Potential threats to the entire genus include invasive rodent species, feral cats, new diseases, and climate change. These threats have been the basis for conservation breeding recommendations (as yet unmet) by several observers during the last several decades. This paper considers likely dietary requirements of N. swarthi in light of recent studies on the ecology of this species plus new data on the nutrient composition of Opuntia galapageia (a "resource refuge" for this species) and circulating vitamin values of animals sampled on Isla Santiago. It is concluded that, despite some unusually high mineral values for O. galapageia, a diet for N. swarthi under human care should be the same as it is for most other rodents, noting some caution in regard to possible needs for mineral and/or protein adjustment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Wharton
- Conservation Science, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, Illinois, USA.
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Banks PB, Hughes NK. A review of the evidence for potential impacts of black rats (Rattus rattus) on wildlife and humans in Australia. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2012. [DOI: 10.1071/wr11086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The black rat (Rattus rattus) is among the world’s worst invasive species, having spread across the globe in close association with the spread of human settlement. It is the source of some of the worst diseases affecting humans and is thought to have had a devastating impact on native wildlife, especially in island ecosystems. Black rat is likely to have arrived in Australia with the first European settlers, making it among the first of many alien species to invade the continent, and it is now widespread. Yet, its impacts on local wildlife have largely been overlooked. Here, we review the potential for black rat impacts in Australia in terms of its role as a source of disease and threats to wildlife and humans. We first summarise the global evidence for black rat impacts as background to the potential threats it poses and then focus specifically on emerging evidence available for Australian systems. We found a significant gap in our understanding of the ecology of black rats and the ecological role that it plays in Australia. This is despite its role as a source of a diverse range of diseases affecting humans and wildlife and its actions as a predator and competitor of native wildlife in Australia and elsewhere.
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Hart SP, Marshall DJ. Advantages and disadvantages of interference-competitive ability and resource-use efficiency when invading established communities. OIKOS 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19557.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Harris DB, Gregory SD, Bull LS, Courchamp F. Island prioritization for invasive rodent eradications with an emphasis on reinvasion risk. Biol Invasions 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-011-0153-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Interspecific displacement mechanisms by the invasive little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata. Biol Invasions 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-011-0122-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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