Global invasion history and native decline of the common starling: insights through geneticsStuart, Katarina C.; Hofmeister, Natalie R.; Zichello, Julia M.; Rollins, Lee A.
doi: 10.1007/s10530-022-02982-5pmid: N/A
Few invasive birds are as globally successful as the Common or European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Native to the Palearctic, the starling has been intentionally introduced to North and South America, South Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, enabling us to explore species traits that may contribute to its invasion success. Coupling the rich studies of life history and more recent explorations of genomic variation among invasions, we illustrate how eco-evolutionary dynamics shape the invasion success of this long-studied and widely distributed species. Especially informative is the comparison between Australian and North American invasions, because these populations colonized novel ranges concurrently and exhibit shared signals of selection despite distinct population histories. In this review, we describe population dynamics across the native and invasive ranges, identify putatively selected traits that may influence the starling’s spread, and suggest possible determinants of starling success world-wide. We also identify future opportunities to utilize this species as a model for avian invasion research, which will inform our understanding of species’ rapid evolution in response to environmental change.
Controlling common carp (Cyprinus carpio): barriers, biological traits, and selective fragmentationPiczak, M. L.; Bzonek, P. A.; Pratt, T. C.; Sorensen, P. W.; Stuart, I. G.; Theÿsmeÿer, T.; Mandrak, N. E.; Midwood, J. D.; Cooke, S. J.
doi: 10.1007/s10530-022-02987-0pmid: N/A
The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a non-native fish species in many parts of the world which has negative impacts on freshwater environments including plant loss, re-suspended sediment, and altered nutrient flux. Eradication of common carp can be extremely difficult and conventional management efforts have focused on control or containment, achieved with barriers that decrease or eliminate access to specific habitats. Here, we examined biological traits of common carp that can be exploited with barriers to control populations and minimize ecological impacts; however, an important consideration during barrier design and implementation are impacts on non-target, native species (i.e., selective fragmentation). Phenology, such as differences in reproductive timing, could be used to operate barriers to minimize impacts on some native species. Sensory ability could also be exploited in cases where common carp is more sensitive to electrical, acoustic, visual and/or chemical stimuli. Differences in morphology of common carp compared to native species could contribute to barrier design (e.g., 5.0 cm spacing in vertical bars screens), whereby larger common carp are excluded but many native species can pass. Behaviour, such as common carp jumping, can also be exploited to separate carp from native species with modified barriers. We explore cases of each trait being used through diverse case studies: phenology (Sea Lamprey Control Program); sensory capability (carbon-dioxide deterrents); morphology (vertical bar screens); and behaviour (the Williams’ cage). The approach taken here with common carp can be applied to other aquatic non-native species to assess the potential for barriers to reduce associated negative impacts on native fish species with selective fragmentation.
Alien flora of Iran: species status, introduction dynamics, habitats and pathwaysSohrabi, Sima; Naqinezhad, Alireza; Kortz, Alessandra; Hejda, Martin; Gherekhloo, Javid; Zand, Eskandar; Pergl, Jan; Brundu, Giuseppe; Pyšek, Petr
doi: 10.1007/s10530-023-03001-xpmid: N/A
This first inventory of casual, naturalized, and invasive alien plants in Iran provides a knowledge base for managing the threats associated with plant invasions in this country. Based on a wide range of data sources, including published work, reports, online databases, botanical records, and field observations, we identified 311 alien vascular plants, of which 131 are classified as casual, 167 naturalized, and 13 invasive. Therophytes are most represented among naturalized plants (50.9%), while phanerophytes (49.6%) are most represented among casuals. Poaceae, Fabaceae and Asteraceae are the families with the highest richness of alien species (35, 28, and 24, respectively). The largest fractions of naturalized taxa originated from South America and Central America (22.2% and 20.4% of all naturalized aliens, respectively). Horticulture and agriculture are the main pathways of new introductions of alien plants to Iran; this is reflected in naturalized species playing a major role in the weed flora of Iran, with about a half of them growing in agricultural habitats. Naturalized plants are also common in ruderal habitats, while casual plants commonly occur not only in these two types of human-disturbed habitats but also in open forest. We suggest that exploring the effect of bioclimatic conditions along with human population density in this large and diverse country could provide further information about alien species invasions; for that, future research should focus on mapping alien species spatial distribution in Iran and continue monitoring new arrivals in order to develop robust quarantine system at the national level.
Invasions by the palm borer moth Paysandisia archon in Italy and assessment of its trophic spectrumMori, Emiliano; Rustici, Pamela; Dapporto, Leonardo; Pasquali, Lorenzo; Petrucci, Filippo; Mazza, Giuseppe
doi: 10.1007/s10530-022-02981-6pmid: N/A
The palm borer Paysandisia archon is a moth of South American origin, which has been introduced to most of Europe and the Caucasian areas of Asia. This insect is responsible for severe damage to palm trees (Arecaceae), as its larvae eat palm apical meristem and dig galleries into the stipe, resulting in plant death. The first records of P. archon in Europe date back to the early 2000s in Spain, where it arrived through the international plant trade. Despite the invasiveness of this moth, little is known about its distribution, particularly in Italy, and the range of palm species it may affect. Therefore, we summarised the distribution range of P. archon in Italy using a citizen-science project and predicted the climatic suitability for this moth in Italy under two future climate change scenarios through a Species Distribution Modelling approach. Furthermore, palm trees of the richest palm collection in Italy (Orto Botanico “Giardino dei Semplici”, Florence) were surveyed for P. archon attack to determine the trophic spectrum of this moth and to determine predictors of palm species vulnerability. We found that P. archon is widespread in Italy, occurring in 18 out of 20 Regions, and that the climatic suitability for this moth will strongly increase in the next decades because of global warming, enhancing its potential spread in Italy. We also identified 13 previously unreported palm species as potential host for P. archon. The model indicated that P. archon shows a preference for host plants with palmate leaves and that potted palms are more vulnerable to P. archon attack with respect to those with fan-shaped/pinnate/bifid leaves and non-potted ones. The extent of damage by P. archon within palm nurseries in Mediterranean areas may result in major economic costs to nursers and threaten endemic palm species in the region, thus highlighting the importance of continuous monitoring to prevent further impacts.
Evaluation of roost culling as a management strategy for reducing invasive rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) populationsAnderson, C. Jane; Brennan, Leonard A.; Bukoski, William P.; Hess, Steven C.; Hilton, Clayton D.; Shiels, Aaron B.; Siers, Shane R.; Kluever, Bryan M.; Klug, Page E.
doi: 10.1007/s10530-022-02984-3pmid: 36713465
Rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) are one of the most widespread invasive avian species worldwide. This species was introduced to the island of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, USA, in the 1960s. The rapidly increasing population has caused substantial economic losses in the agricultural and tourism industries. We evaluated the efficacy of a roost culling program conducted by an independent contractor from March 2020 to March 2021. We estimated island-wide minimum abundance was 10,512 parakeets in January 2020 and 7,372 in April 2021. Over 30 nights of culling at four roost sites, approximately 6,030 parakeets were removed via air rifles with 4,415 (73%) confirmed via carcasses retrieval. An estimated average of 45 parakeets were removed per hour of shooter effort. The proportion of adult females removed in 2020 was 1.9 × greater when culled outside of the estimated nesting season. Of the four roosts where culling occurred, the parakeets fully abandoned three and partially abandoned one site. Of the three fully abandoned roosts, an estimated average of 29.6% of birds were culled prior to roost abandonment. The roost culling effort was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when tourist numbers and foot traffic were greatly reduced. It is unknown how public perception of roost culling in public areas may impact future efforts. Findings suggest roost culling can be utilized for management of nonnative rose-ringed parakeet populations when roost size is small enough and staff size large enough to cull entire roosts in no greater than two consecutive nights (e.g., if two shooters are available for three hours per night, roost culling should only be attempted on a roost with ≤ 540 rose-ringed parakeets).
The implementation of habitat destruction methods that promote native survival under invasionYang, Yinghui; Liu, Haoqi
doi: 10.1007/s10530-022-02985-2pmid: N/A
Controlling invasive alien species invasion and maintaining the survival of native species have attracted increasing attention, and habitat destruction can be used to achieve these aims. However, whether and how to promote the long-term survival of native species facing invaders through the use of habitat destruction remain unclear. In this study, we developed a spatially explicit simulation model in which invaders and natives were exposed to habitat destruction with different properties, including the spatial structure and the introduction time of habitat destruction, the interval between two destruction events, and the proportion of destroyed habitat. The results showed the following: (1) introducing habitat destruction could promote the long-term survival of native species, especially for a clustered initial spatial distribution of species or long-distance dispersal; (2) the positive effect of habitat destruction on the survival of native species occurred only for a period of time after introduction, such that the destroyed habitats gradually encompassed natives and separated them from invaders, prior to which habitat destruction substantially decreased the abundance of native species; (3) intermediate to high levels of habitat destruction were the most beneficial to the protection of native species for the clustered spatial distribution of species at the initial time or the short dispersal distance; (4) and even when ignoring the proportion of destroyed habitats, introducing spatially dispersed habitat destruction at an earlier time and shortening the interval between two habitat destruction events were very beneficial to the protection of natives. These insights can help facilitate the protection of natives under invasion by adjusting the implementation method of habitat destruction.
Invading bivalves replaced native Mediterranean bivalves, with little effect on the local benthic communityDiga, Rei; Gilboa, Merav; Moskovich, Raz; Darmon, Neomie; Amit, Tal; Belmaker, Jonathan; Yahel, Gitai
doi: 10.1007/s10530-022-02986-1pmid: 36570095
The construction of the Suez Canal connected the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, which allowed rapid marine bio-invasion. Over the last century, several bivalve species have invaded the Levantine basin, yet their distribution and impact on the benthic community have not been thoroughly studied. Large-scale benthic surveys along the rocky substrate of the Israeli Mediterranean coastline indicate that invading bivalves, such as Spondylus spinosus, Brachidontes pharaonis, and Pinctada radiata, now dominate the rocky environment, with densities of tens to hundreds of individuals per m2. No native bivalve specimens were found in any of the transects surveyed. The small-scale ecological effects of the established invading populations on the benthic community were examined over a year using an in-situ exclusion experiment where all invading bivalves were either physically removed or poisoned and kept in place to maintain the physical effect of the shells. Surprisingly, the experimental exclusion showed a little measurable effect of bivalve presence on the invertebrate community in close vicinity (~ 1 m). Bivalve presence had a small, but statistically significant, effect only on the community composition of macroalgae, increasing the abundance of some filamentous macroalgae and reducing the cover of turf. The generally low impact of bivalves removal could be due to (1) wave activity and local currents dispersing the bivalve excreta, (2) high grazing pressure, possibly by invading herbivorous fish, reducing the bottom-up effect of increased nutrient input by the bivalves, or (3) the natural complexity of the rocky habitat masking the contribution of the increased complexity associated with the bivalve’s shell. We found that established invading bivalves have replaced native bivalve species, yet their exclusion has a negligible small-scale effect on the local benthic community.