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Gallozzi F, Attili L, Colangelo P, Giuliani D, Capizzi D, Sposimo P, Dell'Agnello F, Lorenzini R, Solano E, Castiglia R. A survey of VKORC1 missense mutations in eleven Italian islands reveals widespread rodenticide resistance in house mice. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 953:176090. [PMID: 39255931 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176090] [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: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 09/02/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
To protect native wildlife, more than one hundred rodent eradications have been attempted in the Mediterranean islands by using anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs). Despite their high efficiency, resistance to ARs has been observed in many countries and it is mostly related to missense mutations (SNPs) in the VKORC1 gene. The presence of resistant individuals reduces the efficiency of rodent management, leading to an excessive use of ARs. Thus, the risk of poisoning in non-target species increases. In this study, the first survey of ARs resistance in the house mouse Mus domesticus covering multiple islands in the Mediterranean was performed. Tissue samples of eighty-two mice from eleven islands in Italy were analysed and eight missense SNPs were found. In addition to some well-known missense mutations, such as Tyr139Cys, six new missense SNPs for the house mouse were discovered, four of which were new even for any rodent species. Furthermore, the frequency of Tyr139Cys significantly increased in Ventotene Island after a four-year long rat eradication. This could be due to the selective pressure of ARs that allowed the mice carrying the mutation to survive. This study demonstrates once again the importance of assessing resistance to ARs before undertaking rodent eradications. Indeed, this would allow an informed decision of the most effective AR to use, maximizing the success rate of the eradications and minimizing secondary poisoning and other deleterious effects for non-target species and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Gallozzi
- Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", via Borelli 50, 00188 Rome, Italy; National Research Council, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, Montelibretti, Rome, Italy.
| | - Lorenzo Attili
- Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", via Borelli 50, 00188 Rome, Italy; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana "M. Aleandri", Centro di Referenza Nazionale per la Medicina Forense Veterinaria, Grosseto, Italy
| | - Paolo Colangelo
- National Research Council, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, Montelibretti, Rome, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Davide Giuliani
- Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", via Borelli 50, 00188 Rome, Italy
| | - Dario Capizzi
- Latium Region, Directorate Environment, via di Campo Romano 65, 00173 Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Sposimo
- Nature and Environment Management Operators Srl (NEMO), piazza Massimo D'Azeglio 11, 50121 Florence, Italy
| | - Filippo Dell'Agnello
- Nature and Environment Management Operators Srl (NEMO), piazza Massimo D'Azeglio 11, 50121 Florence, Italy
| | - Rita Lorenzini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana "M. Aleandri", Centro di Referenza Nazionale per la Medicina Forense Veterinaria, Grosseto, Italy
| | - Emanuela Solano
- National Research Council, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, Montelibretti, Rome, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Riccardo Castiglia
- Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", via Borelli 50, 00188 Rome, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy
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Holthuijzen WA, Flint EN, Green SJ, Plissner JH, Simberloff D, Sweeney D, Wolf CA, Jones HP. An invasive appetite: Combining molecular and stable isotope analyses to reveal the diet of introduced house mice (Mus musculus) on a small, subtropical island. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293092. [PMID: 37856477 PMCID: PMC10586637 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
House mice (Mus musculus) pose a conservation threat on islands, where they adversely affect native species' distributions, densities, and persistence. On Sand Island of Kuaihelani, mice recently began to depredate nesting adult mōlī (Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis). Efforts are underway to eradicate mice from Sand Island, but knowledge of mouse diet is needed to predict ecosystem response and recovery following mouse removal. We used next-generation sequencing to identify what mice eat on Sand Island, followed by stable isotope analysis to estimate the proportions contributed by taxa to mouse diet. We collected paired fecal and hair samples from 318 mice between April 2018 to May 2019; mice were trapped approximately every eight weeks among four distinct habitat types to provide insight into temporal and spatial variation. Sand Island's mice mainly consume arthropods, with nearly equal (but substantially smaller) contributions of C3 plants, C4 plants, and mōlī. Although seabird tissue is a small portion of mouse diet, mice consume many detrital-feeding arthropods in and around seabird carcasses, such as isopods, flesh flies, ants, and cockroaches. Additionally, most arthropods and plants eaten by mice are non-native. Mouse diet composition differs among habitat types but changes minimally throughout the year, indicating that mice are not necessarily limited by food source availability or accessibility. Eradication of house mice may benefit seabirds on Sand Island (by removing a terrestrial, non-native predator), but it is unclear how arthropod and plant communities may respond and change. Non-native and invasive arthropods and plants previously consumed (and possibly suppressed) by mice may be released post-eradication, which could prevent recovery of native taxa. Comprehensive knowledge of target species' diet is a critical component of eradication planning. Dietary information should be used both to identify and to monitor which taxa may respond most strongly to invasive species removal and to assess if proactive, pre-eradication management activities are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wieteke A. Holthuijzen
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth N. Flint
- Marine National Monuments of the Pacific, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States of America
| | - Stefan J. Green
- Genomics and Microbiome Core Facility, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jonathan H. Plissner
- Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Waipahu, Hawaiʻi, United States of America
| | - Daniel Simberloff
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Dagmar Sweeney
- Institute for Health Research & Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Coral A. Wolf
- Island Conservation, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Holly P. Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, United States of America
- Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, United States of America
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Diagne C, Ballesteros-Mejia L, Cuthbert RN, Bodey TW, Fantle-Lepczyk J, Angulo E, Bang A, Dobigny G, Courchamp F. Economic costs of invasive rodents worldwide: the tip of the iceberg. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14935. [PMID: 36992943 PMCID: PMC10042159 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Rodents are among the most notorious invasive alien species worldwide. These invaders have substantially impacted native ecosystems, food production and storage, local infrastructures, human health and well-being. However, the lack of standardized and understandable estimation of their impacts is a serious barrier to raising societal awareness, and hampers effective management interventions at relevant scales. Methods Here, we assessed the economic costs of invasive alien rodents globally in order to help overcome these obstacles. For this purpose, we combined and analysed economic cost data from the InvaCost database-the most up-to-date and comprehensive synthesis of reported invasion costs-and specific complementary searches within and beyond the published literature. Results Our conservative analysis showed that reported costs of rodent invasions reached a conservative total of US$ 3.6 billion between 1930 and 2022 (annually US$ 87.5 million between 1980 and 2022), and were significantly increasing through time. The highest cost reported was for muskrat Ondatra zibethicus (US$ 377.5 million), then unspecified Rattus spp. (US$ 327.8 million), followed by Rattus norvegicus specifically (US$ 156.6 million) and Castor canadensis (US$ 150.4 million). Of the total costs, 87% were damage-related, principally impacting agriculture and predominantly reported in Asia (60%), Europe (19%) and North America (9%). Our study evidenced obvious cost underreporting with only 99 documents gathered globally, clear taxonomic gaps, reliability issues for cost assessment, and skewed breakdowns of costs among regions, sectors and contexts. As a consequence, these reported costs represent only a very small fraction of the expected true cost of rodent invasions (e.g., using a less conservative analytic approach would have led to a global amount more than 80-times higher than estimated here). Conclusions These findings strongly suggest that available information represents a substantial underestimation of the global costs incurred. We offer recommendations for improving estimates of costs to fill these knowledge gaps including: systematic distinction between native and invasive rodents' impacts; monetizing indirect impacts on human health; and greater integrative and concerted research effort between scientists and stakeholders. Finally, we discuss why and how this approach will stimulate and provide support for proactive and sustainable management strategies in the context of alien rodent invasions, for which biosecurity measures should be amplified globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Diagne
- CBGP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montferrier-sur-Lez, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Orsay, France
| | | | - Ross N. Cuthbert
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas W. Bodey
- School of Biological Sciences, King’s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | | | - Elena Angulo
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Orsay, France
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Alok Bang
- Society for Ecology Evolution and Development, Wardha, India
| | - Gauthier Dobigny
- CBGP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montferrier-sur-Lez, France
- Unité Peste, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, BP 1274 Ambatofotsikely Avaradoha, 101 Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Franck Courchamp
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Orsay, France
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Density-impact functions for invasive house mouse (Mus musculus) effects on indigenous lizards and invertebrates. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02946-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
AbstractHouse mice are among the most widely distributed mammals in the world, and adversely affect a wide range of indigenous biota. Suppressing mouse populations, however, is difficult and expensive. Cost-effective suppression requires knowing how low to reduce mouse numbers to achieve biodiversity outcomes, but these targets are usually unknown or not based on evidence. We derived density-impact functions (DIFs) for mice and small indigenous fauna in a tussock grass/shrubland ecosystem. We related two indices of mouse abundance to five indices of indigenous lizard and invertebrate abundance measured inside and outside mammal-resistant fences. Eight of 22 DIFs were significantly non-linear, with positive responses of skinks (Oligosoma maccanni, O. polychroma) and ground wētā (Hemiandrus spp.) only where mice were not detected or scarce (< 5% footprint tunnel tracking rate or printing rate based on footprint density). Kōrero geckos (Woodworthia spp.) were rarely detected where mice were present. A further 9 DIFs were not differentiated from null models, but patterns were consistent with impacts at 5% mouse abundance. This study suggests that unless mouse control programmes commit to very low abundances, they risk little return for effort. Impact studies of invasive house mice are largely restricted to island ecosystems. Studies need to be extended to other ecosystems and species to confirm the universality or otherwise of these highly non-linear DIFs.
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Polito MJ, Robinson B, Warzybok P, Bradley RW. Population dynamics and resource availability drive seasonal shifts in the consumptive and competitive impacts of introduced house mice ( Mus musculus) on an island ecosystem. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13904. [PMID: 36168433 PMCID: PMC9509673 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background House mice (Mus musculus) are widespread and invasive on many islands where they can have both direct and indirect impacts on native ecological communities. Given their opportunistic, omnivorous nature the consumptive and competitive impacts of house mice on islands have the potential to vary over time in concert with resource availability and mouse population dynamics. Methods We examined the ecological niche of invasive house mice on Southeast Farallon Island, California, USA using a combination of mouse trapping, food resource surveys, and stable isotope analysis to better understand their trophic interactions with native flora and fauna. Specifically, we coupled the analysis of seasonal variation in resource availability over a 17-year period (2001-2017), carbon (δ 13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N) stable isotope values of mouse tissue and prey resources in a single year (2013), and isotopic niche and mixing models to quantify seasonal variation in mouse diets and the potential for resource overlap with native species. Results We found that plants were the most important resource for house mice during the spring months when vegetation is abundant and mouse populations are low following heavy precipitation and declines in mouse abundance during the winter. While still consumed, plants declined in dietary importance throughout the summer and fall as mouse populations increased, and seabird and arthropod resources became relatively more available and consumed by house mice. Mouse abundance peaks and other resource availability are low on the island in the fall months when the isotopic niches of house mice and salamanders overlap significantly indicating the potential for competition, most likely for arthropod prey. Discussion Our results indicate how seasonal shifts in both mouse abundance and resource availability are key factors that mediate the consumptive and competitive impacts of introduced house mice on this island ecosystem. As mice consume and/or compete with a wide range of native taxa, eradication has the potential to provide wide-reaching restoration benefits on Southeast Farallon Island. Post-eradication monitoring focused on plant, terrestrial invertebrate, salamander, and seabird populations will be crucial to confirm these predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Polito
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America,Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States of America
| | - Bret Robinson
- Department of Entomology, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, United States of America
| | - Pete Warzybok
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, United States of America
| | - Russell W. Bradley
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, United States of America,Santa Rosa Island Research Station, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA, United States of America
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Houghton M, Terauds A, Shaw J. Rapid range expansion of an invasive flatworm, Kontikia andersoni, on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02877-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Oppel S, Clark BL, Risi MM, Horswill C, Converse SJ, Jones CW, Osborne AM, Stevens K, Perold V, Bond AL, Wanless RM, Cuthbert R, Cooper J, Ryan PG. Cryptic population decrease due to invasive species predation in a long‐lived seabird supports need for eradication. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14218] [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]
Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Oppel
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The David Attenborough Building Cambridge UK
| | - Bethany L. Clark
- BirdLife International The David Attenborough Building Cambridge UK
| | - Michelle M. Risi
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The David Attenborough Building Cambridge UK
| | - Catharine Horswill
- ZSL Institute of Zoology, Regent's Park London UK
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London London UK
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Sarah J. Converse
- U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences & School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA USA
| | - Christopher W. Jones
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The David Attenborough Building Cambridge UK
| | - Alexis M. Osborne
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The David Attenborough Building Cambridge UK
| | - Kim Stevens
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The David Attenborough Building Cambridge UK
| | - Vonica Perold
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The David Attenborough Building Cambridge UK
| | - Alexander L. Bond
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The David Attenborough Building Cambridge UK
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences The Natural History Museum Tring Hertfordshire UK
| | - Ross M. Wanless
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - Richard Cuthbert
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The David Attenborough Building Cambridge UK
- World Land Trust Halesworth UK
| | - John Cooper
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - Peter G. Ryan
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
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Jones CW, Risi MM, Osborne AM, Ryan PG, Oppel S. Mouse eradication is required to prevent local extinction of an endangered seabird on an oceanic island. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. W. Jones
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Cambridge United Kingdom
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology DSI‐NRF Centre of Excellence University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - M. M. Risi
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Cambridge United Kingdom
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology DSI‐NRF Centre of Excellence University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - A. M. Osborne
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Cambridge United Kingdom
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology DSI‐NRF Centre of Excellence University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - P. G. Ryan
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology DSI‐NRF Centre of Excellence University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - S. Oppel
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Cambridge United Kingdom
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Diet of invasive cats, rats and tegu lizards reveals impact over threatened species in a tropical island. Perspect Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2020.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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