A biological invasion impacts ecosystem services: cane toads change the rate of scavenging and the suite of scavengers

Pettit, Lachlan; Ward‐Fear, Georgia; Shine, Richard

doi:10.1002/ecs2.3488

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…Invasive cane toads have devastated populations of yellow‐spotted monitors across tropical Australia, with little recovery over ensuing decades (Pettit et al., 2021a). The virtual disappearance of these hitherto‐abundant giant lizards has had flow‐on effects to species consumed by these voracious generalist predators (Doody et al., 2017) and to ecosystem services (e.g., rates of carrion removal: Pettit et al., 2021b). The rapid and sustained declines in monitor abundance (as judged by encounter rates) at our four control sites after the arrival of cane toads accord well with reports from other sites (Brown et al., 2013; Burnett, 1997; Ujvari & Madsen, 2009; Ward‐Fear et al., 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teacher toads: Buffering apex predators from toxic invaders in a remote tropical landscape

Ward‐Fear,

Rangers,

Bruny

et al. 2024

Conservation Letters.

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Even after research identifies new approaches for wildlife management, translating those methods for delivery can be logistically challenging. In tropical Australia, invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) fatally poison many anuran‐eating native predators. Small‐scale trials show that vulnerable predators exposed to small (nonlethal) toads can learn to delete toads from their diets, increasing survival of those predators after toads invade. We deployed this method in the remote Kimberley region of tropical Australia, with >200,000 eggs, tadpoles, or metamorph toads released in advance of the expanding toad invasion front. Remote camera surveys before and after “teacher toad” deployment showed that large monitor lizards (Varanus panoptes) were almost extirpated from control plots but remained abundant in treatment plots, indicating broad‐scale success of this novel intervention.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The broad diet of these lizards includes amphibians (Shine, 1986; Ward‐Fear et al., 2020). Yellow‐spotted monitors are an important cultural species and traditional food item for indigenous people (Ward‐Fear et al., 2016) and play major ecological roles (Doody et al., 2017; Pettit et al., 2021b).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teacher toads: Buffering apex predators from toxic invaders in a remote tropical landscape

Ward‐Fear,

Rangers,

Bruny

et al. 2024

Conservation Letters.

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“…These functional traits may not only predict the ability of species to utilise carrion but also how species assemblages respond to changing environmental conditions (Violle et al ., 2014; Huijbers et al ., 2016). This extends to invasive species and their intrusion into native scavenger communities, which can cause cascading changes within ecosystems (Brown et al ., 2015; Pettit, Ward‐Fear & Shine, 2021). Given the extent to which invasive species have spread throughout all of Australia's bioregions, understanding the traits that scavengers possess, both native and invasive, will facilitate a greater awareness of the dynamics of scavenger communities that contain both groups.…”

Section: Traits Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Scavenging with invasive species

Newsome,

Cairncross,

Cunningham

et al. 2023

Biological Reviews

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Carrion acts as a hotspot of animal activity within many ecosystems globally, attracting scavengers that rely on this food source. However, many scavengers are invasive species whose impacts on scavenging food webs and ecosystem processes linked to decomposition are poorly understood. Here, we use Australia as a case study to review the extent of scavenging by invasive species that have colonised the continent since European settlement, identify the factors that influence their use of carcasses, and highlight the lesser‐known ecological effects of invasive scavengers. From 44 published studies we identified six invasive species from 48 vertebrates and four main groups of arthropods (beetles, flies, ants and wasps) that scavenge. Invasive red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), feral pigs (Sus scrofa), black rats (Rattus rattus) and feral cats (Felis catus) were ranked as highly common vertebrate scavengers. Invasive European wasps (Vespula germanica) are also common scavengers where they occur. We found that the diversity of native vertebrate scavengers is lower when the proportion of invasive scavengers is higher. We highlight that the presence of large (apex) native vertebrate scavengers can decrease rates of scavenging by invasive species, but that invasive scavengers can monopolise carcass resources, outcompete native scavengers, predate other species around carcass resources and even facilitate invasion meltdowns that affect other species and ecological processes including altered decomposition rates and nutrient cycling. Such effects are likely to be widespread where invasive scavengers occur and suggest a need to determine whether excessive or readily available carcass loads are facilitating or exacerbating the impacts of invasive species on ecosystems globally.

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Carrion use by a reptile is influenced by season, habitat and competition with an apex mammalian scavenger

Cairncross,

Spencer,

Meisuria

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Scavenging on carrion is critical and often fiercely competitive for a range of vertebrate species, from native apex predators to invasive species and even reptiles. Within Australia, a notable reptilian scavenger is the lace monitor (Varanus varius). In this study, we quantified lace monitor activity at carcasses and compared their use of the resource to common co‐occurring predators that also scavenge; the invasive red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and a native apex predator, the dingo (Canis dingo). To do so, we deployed 80 macropod carcasses equally across seasons (summer and winter) and habitats (open and closed canopy) in a temperate bioregion and monitored vertebrate scavenging with camera traps. Lace monitor activity (visitation at carcass sites inclusive of both non‐scavenging and scavenging events) was 1.67 times higher in summer than in winter, but it did not differ across closed and open habitats. Monitor activity occurred earlier after carcass deployment at sites deployed in summer than winter (1.47‐fold earlier), and at carcasses in open than closed habitats (0.22‐fold earlier). Lace monitors initially discovered carcass sites faster in summer than winter and before both red foxes and dingoes in summer. The species was active diurnally in both summer and winter, differing from the red fox, which was strictly a nocturnal scavenger and the dingo, which was significantly more active at night across both seasons. Finally, we found that lace monitor activity at carcass sites decreased slightly with higher rates of activity for dingoes (0.04‐fold decrease as dingo activity increased), but not with red fox activity. Our results have implications for understanding lace monitor foraging and scavenging and highlight the value of monitoring carcasses to provide important insights into the behaviour of varanid lizards that scavenge.

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A biological invasion impacts ecosystem services: cane toads change the rate of scavenging and the suite of scavengers

Cited by 4 publications

References 50 publications

Teacher toads: Buffering apex predators from toxic invaders in a remote tropical landscape

Teacher toads: Buffering apex predators from toxic invaders in a remote tropical landscape

Scavenging with invasive species

Carrion use by a reptile is influenced by season, habitat and competition with an apex mammalian scavenger

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