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29 results for “Introduced Predators”
Data in: Reduced predation and energy flux in soil food webs by introduced tree species
<p>The introduction of non-native tree species has become a global concern and may disruptnative communities and related ecosystem functions. Soil food webs regulate organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling in forests with their feeding activities, butevaluating consequences of tree species introduction on soil invertebrates is challengingdue to the complex trophic structure and wide range in body size of soil invertebrates. Here, we employed an energetic food web approach, and estimated the energy flux in soil food webs using a four-node model including soil meso- and macrofauna decomposers and predators. We examined pure and mixed stands of native European beech (<em>Fagus sylvatica</em>), introduced Douglas fir (<em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em>) and native range-expanding Norway spruce (<em>Picea abies</em>) across site conditions. Compared to native forests, introduced tree species reduced total mass of macrofauna predators by 92% at sandy sites but not that of decomposers, suggesting trophic downgrading in soil food webs by Douglas fir. The energy flux in mixed forests was intermediate between respective monocultures, suggesting that tree mixtures mitigate potential negative impacts of introduced tree species on food web functioning. Across size classes, soil macrofauna responded more sensitively to changes in environmental conditions than soil mesofauna. Despite the lower total mass, the energy flux through mesofauna outweighed that through macrofauna when consideringenergy loss to predators, highlighting the importance of mesofauna for decomposition processes in forest soil food webs. Additionally, total energy flux positively correlated with species richness, pointing to the significance of soil biodiversity for trophic functionality. Overall, the study emphasizes the critical role of tree species composition, site conditionsand soil biodiversity in driving energy flux through soil food webs and maintaining forest ecosystem functions.</p>
Data from: Do introduced apex predators suppress introduced mesopredators? A multiscale spatiotemporal study of dingoes and feral cats in Australia suggests not
<p>1. The role of apex predators in structuring ecosystems through the suppression of mesopredator activity and abundance is receiving increasing attention, largely due to the potential benefits for biodiversity conservation. In Australia, invasive mesopredators such as feral cats (Felis catus) have been identified as major contributors to Australia's mass mammal extinctions since European arrival. The introduced dingo (Canis familiaris) has been proposed as a novel way to suppress the impacts of feral cats, however scientific evidence of the dingo's suppressive role is equivocal. 2. We used camera traps to investigate whether a large introduced predator (dingo) suppresses the activity of an established introduced mesopredator (feral cat) across a national park site conserving endangered species, and an agricultural site supporting cattle grazing enterprises. 3. Feral cats and dingoes exhibited marked overlap in both temporal and spatial activity, indicating coexistence. Some temporal separation was evident at the agricultural site, however this reflected higher diurnal activity by dingoes, not a responsive shift in cat activity. Cat activity times were unrelated to dingo presence and did not differ between areas occupied by dingoes and dingo-free areas. There was no evidence of dingoes excluding cats from patches at either site, nor was there evidence of within-night fine-scale spatiotemporal avoidance of dingoes by cats. 4. Species co-occurrence models revealed dingoes had no negative effect on the probability of cat presence. The probability of detecting a cat on the national park was significantly higher in areas with dingoes than in dingo-free areas, while on agricultural land, cat detectability did not differ between areas with and without dingoes. Cats remained active, abundant and widespread across both sites, with evidence of cats hunting and breeding successfully in areas occupied by dingoes. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our findings indicate that feral cats can coexist with dingoes, without apparent suppression of cat activity, abundance, or fitness. Proposals to reintroduce or restore dingoes and other large predators to suppress invasive mesopredators and conserve biodiversity should be carefully evaluated on a site-by-site basis, as their ability to suppress cats and protect species of conservation significance will likely be context dependent.</p>
Managing multiple threats: Evaluating the efficacy of broad-scale introduced predator management in improving native mammal resilience to fire
<p>Preventing further biodiversity loss requires understanding which processes threaten biodiversity and the effectiveness of management actions in mitigating them. Threatening processes can interact in complex and unexpected ways, but different threats are often managed independently. Here, we develop a conceptual model to identify the conditions needed for management of a single threat to achieve a net conservation benefit in systems with multiple interacting threats, and demonstrate its relevance in a replicated case-study experiment. In Australia, introduced red foxes (<em>Vulpes vulpes</em>) and feral cats (<em>Felis catus</em>) may hunt vulnerable native mammals more effectively after fire, due to loss of understory vegetation. However, the efficacy of broad-scale control of introduced predators in improving native mammal resilience to fire has not been quantified. Moreover, many studies assessing the impacts of prescribed fire on species rely on a much smaller number of independent replicates. Using a natural before-after control-impact experiment with 14 prescribed fires, each > 200 ha, we tested whether existing landscape-scale fox baiting programs influenced the immediate effects of prescribed fire on these two introduced predators and five medium-sized native mammals, including the threatened long-nosed potoroo (<em>Potorous tridactylus</em>) and southern brown bandicoot (<em>Isoodon obesulus</em>). Fox occupancy increased across both treatments post-fire, but baiting reduced the magnitude of increase. In contrast, mean feral cat occupancy remained constant in unbaited areas post-fire, but nearly doubled in fox-controlled areas, possibly due to a mesopredator release. Existing landscape-scale fox control programs did not clearly improve the short-term resilience of native mammals to prescribed fire (at least under the current fire and fox management regimes in our study landscapes). These results likely emphasise the need to integrate fire and predator management strategies for threatened faunal conservation iIn the presence of acute disturbances such as fire, threatened native mammals may require more intensive and integrated management of fire and introduced predators, such as (e.g., through more intensive targeted predator controlbaiting around fire events, or intensive protection usingthrough natural or artificial refuges).</p>
Data from: Environmental variables influence patterns of mammal co-occurrence following introduced predator control
<p>Co-occurring species often overlap in resource use and can interact in complex ways. However, shifts in environmental conditions or resource availability can lead to changes in patterns of species co-occurrence, which may be exacerbated by global escalation of human disturbances to ecosystems, including conservation directed alterations. We investigated the relative abundance and co-occurrence of two naturally sympatric mammal species following two forms of environmental disturbance: wildfire and introduced predator control. Using 14 years of abundance data from repeat surveys at long-term monitoring sites in south-eastern Australia, we examined the association between a marsupial, the common brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula, and a co-occurring native rodent, the bush rat <em>Rattus fuscipes</em>. We asked: Is the increase in abundance of common brushtail possums following control of an introduced predator associated with a decline in abundance of the bush rats?</p> <p>Using Bayesian regression models, we tested hypotheses that the abundance of each species would vary with changes in environmental and disturbance variables, and that the negative association between bush rats and common brushtail possums was stronger than the association between bush rats and disturbance. Our analyses revealed that bush rat abundance varied greatly in relation to environmental and disturbance variables, whereas common brushtail possums showed relatively limited variation in response to the same variables. There was a negative association between common brushtail possums and bush rats, but this association was weaker than the initial decline and subsequent recovery of bush rats in response to wildfires.</p> <p>Using co-occurrence analysis, we can readily infer negative relationships in abundance between co-occurring species, but to understand the impacts of such associations, and plan appropriate conservation measures, we require more information on interactions between the species and environmental variables. Co-occurrence can be a powerful and novel method to diagnose threats to communities and understand changes in ecosystem dynamics.</p>
Do introduced apex predators suppress introduced mesopredators? A multiscale spatiotemporal study of dingoes and feral cats in Australia suggests not
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Data from: Environmental variables influence patterns of mammal co-occurrence following introduced predator control
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Data for: Exploitation competition between seed predators and dispersers introduced to Hawaiian forests
<p>Exploitation competition occurs when one group of organisms reduces the availability of a resource for another group of organisms. For instance, plants produce a certain number of fruits for seed dispersal by fruit-eating animals (hereafter frugivores), and fruit consumption by one group of frugivores can reduce the number of fruits available for other frugivores. However, it is uncertain whether exploitation competition is common among frugivores, particularly in novel ecosystems, where food resources are generally thought to be abundant and invasive species are dietary generalists. In a novel ecosystem in Hawai'i, we used gut passage experiments with captive birds to identify roles of introduced frugivores and found they were either distinctly seed dispersers or predators. We then experimentally tested how frugivory by seed predators influenced frugivory by seed dispersers. Specifically, we used exclosures around fruiting plants that blocked seed predator access, while permitting seed disperser access, and we had two control treatments that allowed for access by all frugivores (n=139 plants). When seed predators were excluded from plants, there was more frugivory by dispersers compared to controls, and results varied by year and plant species. Overall, we show that introduced frugivores occupied distinct ecological roles (seed predator or seed disperser), exploitation competition occurred between these introduced frugivore groups, and seed predators had both direct (via seed destruction) and indirect (via reduction in frugivory by dispersers) effects on seed dispersal. Thus, in this novel ecosystem, multiple frugivory is subtractive, and competition for fruit between introduced seed predators and seed dispersers scales up to affect invasions and the conservation of native flora. </p>
Data in: Reduced predation and energy flux in soil food webs by introduced tree species
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Introduced wild pigs affect the foraging ecology of a native predator as both prey and scavenger
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Data for: Exploitation competition between seed predators and dispersers introduced to Hawaiian forests
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Data from: Habitat structure and an introduced predator limit the abundance of an endangered ground-nesting bird
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Data from: Climate constrains lake community and ecosystem responses to introduced predators
Human activities have resulted in rising temperatures and the introduction or extirpation of top predators worldwide. Both processes generate cascading impacts throughout food webs and can jeopardize important ecosystem services. We examined the impact of fish stocking on communities and ecosystems in California mountain lakes across an elevation (temperature and dissolved organic carbon) gradient to determine how trophic cascades and ecosystem function vary with climate. Here, we show that the impact of fish on the pelagic consumer-to-producer biomass ratio strengthened at low elevation, while invertebrate community composition and benthic ecosystem rates (periphyton production and litter decomposition) were most influenced by predators at high elevation. A warming climate may therefore alter the stability of lake ecosystems by shifting the strength of top-down control by introduced predators over food web structure and function.
Data from: Testing the link between perceived and actual risk of predation: mosquito oviposition site selection and egg predation by native and introduced fish
1. According to the threat-sensitivity hypothesis, prey avoidance behaviour should reflect the magnitude of predation risk. Since predation can strongly affect reproduction success, ovipositing females are expected to adaptively adjust their predator-avoidance response, or local breeding patch selectivity, in accordance with the perceived level of threat posed for their progeny by specific predators. However, association between avoidance and predation can be disrupted when the prey and the predator lack spatio-temporal opportunities to co-evolve, such as in cases of non-native predator introductions. 2. We examined the interactions between mosquitoes (from the genus Culex) and three species of sympatric predaceous freshwater fish, a native cyprinid (Barbus paludinosus), a cichlid (Pseudocrenilabrus philander), and an introduced poeciliid, the Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). 3. In an outdoor mesocosm experiment we quantified patterns of Culex oviposition site selection across fish species using free-roaming, caged, and fish-free treatments. In a complementary laboratory experiment we tested the effectiveness of each fish species as predators of mosquito eggs and larvae. 4. Synthesis and applications. We found evidence for: (i) mosquito egg raft predation by free- roaming fish; (ii) fish-specific avoidance by ovipositing Culex and (iii) a positive association between fish-specific oviposition avoidance and fish-specific efficiency as an egg predator. These results contribute towards a better understanding of predator-prey coevolution, predator-borne cue recognition, and suggest local native fish, the Southern mouthbrooder (Pseudocrenilabrus philander), as an alternative to Gambusia for the biocontrol of Culex mosquitoes.
Data from: Breaking and remaking a seed and seed predator interaction in the introduced range of Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) in New Zealand
Introduced plants may initially experience enemy release but some of those interactions may be reinstated through biological control. These cases provide opportunities to explore the dynamics of broken and re-made consumer-resource interactions. The European shrub broom (Cytisus scoparius) was introduced to New Zealand without a specialist seed predator (Bruchidius villosus) until a biological control programme reinstated this interaction in 1988. Broom produces substantially larger seeds throughout its non-native range and there are differences in seedling establishment beneath broom canopies between the native and introduced ranges. We hypothesised that large broom seeds produce seedlings with a survival advantage in shaded conditions, consistent with establishment under broom canopies in the introduced range. We also predicted that the seed-feeding beetle would experience increased fitness in larger seeds. We found that seedling survival was correlated with seed weight in shaded conditions, consistent with the observed establishment of seedlings beneath broom stands in the non-native range. Beetle size was positively correlated with seed weight and female fecundity increased with body size. Comparison of the size distributions of beetle populations before and after hibernation provided indirect evidence that overwintering survival of beetles is also size-dependent. These findings are consistent with observed higher levels of abundance of B. villosus in New Zealand, compared to native habitats. Selection gradients for seed size-dependent seedling survival on broom occupancy were explored using the Rees-Paynter population model, demonstrating that a fitness benefit to the plant of large seed size through enhanced seedling survival beneath the parental canopy is only likely under low disturbance scenarios and moderate fecundity levels. Synthesis. The dynamics of biocontrol systems provide an under-exploited opportunity to examine the impact of removal and reinstatement of species interactions. Differences in seed size between native and non-native ranges may result from varying intensities of conflicting selection pressures acting on seed size. It remains to be seen whether a decline in seed size towards that seen in the native range will result from the biocontrol agent introduction, as we have demonstrated that selection pressures on seed size vary with disturbance mediated population turnover and fecundity.
Data from: Life history change in response to fishing and an introduced predator in the East African cyprinid Rastrineobola argentea
Fishing and introduced species are among the most important stressors affecting freshwaters, and can be important selective agents. We examined the combined effects of commercial fishing and an introduced predator (Nile perch, Lates niloticus) on life history traits in an African cyprinid fish (Rastrineobola argentea) native to the Lake Victoria basin in East Africa. To understand whether these two stressors have driven shifts in life history traits of R. argentea, we tested for associations between life history phenotypes and the presence/absence of stressors both spatially (across 10 Ugandan lakes) and temporally (over 4 decades in Lake Victoria). Overall, introduced Nile perch and fishing tended to be associated with a suite of life history responses in R. argentea, including: decreased body size, maturation at smaller sizes, and increased reproductive effort (larger eggs; and higher relative fecundity, clutch volume, and ovary weight). This is one of the first well-documented examples of fisheries-induced phenotypic change in a tropical, freshwater stock; the magnitude of which raises some concerns for the long-term sustainability of this fishery, now the most important (by mass) in Lake Victoria.
Distribution. Now restricted to the Channel Country of SW Queensland and the Lake Eyre Basin in NE South Australia. Descriptive notes. Head-body 95-120 mm, tail 105-160 mm, ear 23-29 mm, hindfoot 32-37 mm; weight 30-50 g. The Fawn Hopping Mouse has body form typical of hopping mice, with very long hindfeet, long tail with distal brush of longer hairs, very long ears, and large protruberant eyes. Dorsal fur is of variable color, from pale pinkish fawn to gray; ventral fur white. Unlike most other hopping mice, it has no throat pouch, but males have a glandular area of naked skin on the chest. Habitat. Occurs in low shrublands and tussock grasslands on stony ("gibber") plains and claypans. Shows marked habitat segregation from the Dusky Hopping Mouse (N. fuscus), which is closely associated with sandy substrates. Food and Feeding. The Fawn Hopping Mouse is mostly granivorous, but also eats other plant material (stems, leaves) and occasionally invertebrates. It uses succulent, salt-adapted plants around edges of claypans as a source of water. Breeding. Reproduction is probably largely opportunistic and aseasonal, with high reproductive output from near-continuous breeding after periods of high rainfall; reported littersize is 1-5, most commonly three; gestation period 38-43 days for nonlactating females. Females may mature later than other hopping mice, with reproductive maturity reached at about six months. Activity patterns. Terrestrial and nocturnal. Fawn Hopping Mice shelter during day in burrow systems that are typically simpler and shallower than those of other hopping mice. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Fawn Hopping Mice generally live singly or in small groups; typically uncommon within range, but population density may increase by an order of magnitude following periods of high rainfall. Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Fawn Hopping Mouse has shown marked decline in range (estimated at greater than 50%), and presumably population size, since European settlement of Australia. This is mostlikely due to predation by the introduced house cat and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), and to habitat degradation associated with pastoralism. Bibliography. Brazenor (1934), Burbidge et al. (2008), Finlayson (1939), Gould (1853), Jackson & Groves (2015), Murray et al. (1999), Ogilby (1892), Thomas (1921h), Van Dyck & Strahan (2008), Waite (1898), Watts & Aslin (1981), Woinarski et al. (2014), Wood Jones (1925). in Muridae
Distribution. Now restricted to the Channel Country of SW Queensland and the Lake Eyre Basin in NE South Australia. Descriptive notes. Head-body 95-120 mm, tail 105-160 mm, ear 23-29 mm, hindfoot 32-37 mm; weight 30-50 g. The Fawn Hopping Mouse has body form typical of hopping mice, with very long hindfeet, long tail with distal brush of longer hairs, very long ears, and large protruberant eyes. Dorsal fur is of variable color, from pale pinkish fawn to gray; ventral fur white. Unlike most other hopping mice, it has no throat pouch, but males have a glandular area of naked skin on the chest. Habitat. Occurs in low shrublands and tussock grasslands on stony ("gibber") plains and claypans. Shows marked habitat segregation from the Dusky Hopping Mouse (N. fuscus), which is closely associated with sandy substrates. Food and Feeding. The Fawn Hopping Mouse is mostly granivorous, but also eats other plant material (stems, leaves) and occasionally invertebrates. It uses succulent, salt-adapted plants around edges of claypans as a source of water. Breeding. Reproduction is probably largely opportunistic and aseasonal, with high reproductive output from near-continuous breeding after periods of high rainfall; reported littersize is 1-5, most commonly three; gestation period 38-43 days for nonlactating females. Females may mature later than other hopping mice, with reproductive maturity reached at about six months. Activity patterns. Terrestrial and nocturnal. Fawn Hopping Mice shelter during day in burrow systems that are typically simpler and shallower than those of other hopping mice. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Fawn Hopping Mice generally live singly or in small groups; typically uncommon within range, but population density may increase by an order of magnitude following periods of high rainfall. Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Fawn Hopping Mouse has shown marked decline in range (estimated at greater than 50%), and presumably population size, since European settlement of Australia. This is mostlikely due to predation by the introduced house cat and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), and to habitat degradation associated with pastoralism. Bibliography. Brazenor (1934), Burbidge et al. (2008), Finlayson (1939), Gould (1853), Jackson & Groves (2015), Murray et al. (1999), Ogilby (1892), Thomas (1921h), Van Dyck & Strahan (2008), Waite (1898), Watts & Aslin (1981), Woinarski et al. (2014), Wood Jones (1925).
Data from: Life history change in response to fishing and an introduced predator in the East African cyprinid Rastrineobola argentea
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Data from: Invasion of Hawaiian rainforests by an introduced amphibian predator and N2-fixing tree increases soil N2O emissions
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Data from: Nest predation in New Zealand songbirds: exotic predators, introduced prey and long-term changes in predation risk
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Data from: Breaking and remaking a seed and seed predator interaction in the introduced range of Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) in New Zealand
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