Challenges and Unique Solutions to Rodent Eradication in Florida

Witmer, Gary W.; Eisemann, John D.; Hall, P.; Avery, Michael L.; Duffiney, Anthony

doi:10.5070/v424110633

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Many non-native bird species are highly regarded by birdwatching enthusiasts and present potential negative impacts that are poorly understood or appear to be benign (Greenlaw et al 2014). In contrast, many of the species targeted for eradication in my review are nuisance species that merit rapid response such as the Feral Swine, Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, and Roofs Rats (Engeman et al 2018, Hardin et al 2014, Witmer et al 2010). The iguanas targeted for removal were so disruptive that residents decided to fund their own removal effort (Avery et al 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gambian Pouched Rats were confirmed to be breeding on Grassy Key (Monroe County) in 2004 (Perry et al 2006). A joint eradication effort involving USDA WS, FWC, Florida Parks, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) was organized (Witmer et al 2010). From 2006 to 2007, the USDA WS conducted distribution surveys suggesting the population was limited to Grassy Key outside of 1 pouched rat found in Upper Matecumbe Key (~33 km from Grassy Key and about halfway to the mainland of Florida).…”

Section: Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Roof Rats, Egmont Key (Witmer et al 2010). In the summer of 2006, Rattus rattus (L.) (Roof Rat; also known as the Black Rat) were discovered on the sparsely populated island of Egmont Key (wildlife refuge and Florida state park, Hillsborough County).…”

Section: Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Review of Common Factors among Successful and Failed Efforts to Eradicate Invasive Vertebrates in Florida

Steele

2023

Southeastern Naturalist

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Species invasions can alter ecosystems, decimate populations of native species, facilitate the spread of infectious diseases, and threaten industries like fisheries and agriculture. Significant resources and financial investments are often directed towards invasive species management (ISM) to prevent future introductions, to remove smaller populations, and to contain expanding populations. While prevention is the most important goal of ISM, focus may shift to removal (eradication) when prevention fails. Eradication attempts are costly and have not been inclusive of all invasive populations. These efforts are inherently difficult because they require an abundance of resources, must be executed before the population expands, can be disrupted by public opposition, and often require years of monitoring to confirm success. Regardless, even failed eradication attempts provide important lessons to potentially improve future eradication efforts. This review of 20 case studies in Florida assesses successful and failed eradication attempts to identify common factors that contributed to each outcome. More than half of the detailed failed eradication attempts either lacked communication from or were outright disrupted by stakeholders. Most successful eradications targeted fish or small mammals and removed <200 individuals. Nearly half of the successful eradications occurred on islands or within isolated bodies of water. Despite the abundance of invasive herpetofauna in Florida, there has yet to be a documented successful eradication effort targeting these species. While many barriers exist to publishing eradication outcomes, future eradication efforts should prioritize documentation to provide guidance to similar efforts. Future research should address the role of media coverage and outreach efforts regarding eradication success, especially efforts targeting charismatic species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Review of Common Factors among Successful and Failed Efforts to Eradicate Invasive Vertebrates in Florida

Steele

2023

Southeastern Naturalist

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“…An understated result of our study was our inability to find rodent burrows on agricultural land at West Side, Shafter, Weedpatch and Kearney, which is likely the result of intensive efforts to prevent rodent pest damage to agricultural crops [ 87 , 109 ]. However, given crop damage estimates [ 110 , 111 ], rodents likely inhabit nearby refugia, either on agricultural land employing less intensive pest control or adjacent wildlands. Additional sampling of agricultural soils should focus on breadth (additional sites), depth (additional samples at each site) and attempt to seek out rodent burrow soils that may be present on agricultural land, such as on long-term out of production fields.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coccidioides undetected in soils from agricultural land and uncorrelated with time or the greater soil fungal community on undeveloped land

et al. 2023

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Coccidioidomycosis is a typically respiratory fungal disease that, in the United States, occurs primarily in Arizona and California. In California, most coccidioidomycosis cases occur in the San Joaquin Valley, a primarily agricultural region where the disease poses a risk for outdoor workers. We collected 710 soil samples and 265 settled dust samples from nine sites in the San Joaquin Valley and examined how Coccidioides detection varied by month, site, and the presence and abundance of other fungal species. We detected Coccidioides in 89 of 238 (37.4%) rodent burrow soil samples at five undeveloped sites and were unable to detect Coccidioides in any of 472 surface and subsurface soil samples at four agricultural sites. In what is the largest sampling effort undertaken on agricultural land, our results provide no evidence that agricultural soils in the San Joaquin Valley harbor Coccidioides. We found no clear association between Coccidioides and the greater soil fungal community, but we identified 19 fungal indicator species that were significantly associated with Coccidioides detection in burrows. We also did not find a seasonal pattern in Coccidioides detection in the rodent burrow soils we sampled. These findings suggest both the presence of a spore bank and that coccidioidomycosis incidence may be more strongly associated with Coccidioides dispersal than Coccidioides growth. Finally, we were able to detect Coccidioides in only five of our 265 near-surface settled dust samples, one from agricultural land, where Coccidioides was undetected in soils, and four from undeveloped land, where Coccidioides was common in the rodent burrow soils we sampled. Our ability to detect Coccidioides in few settled dust samples indicates that improved methods are likely needed moving forward, though raises questions regarding aerial dispersal in Coccidioides, whose key transmission event likely occurs over short distances in rodent burrows from soil to naïve rodent lungs.

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“…In addition to efficacy research, multiple studies were required to determine potential nontarget effects of these applications (Swift 1998, Dunlevy et al 2000, Dunlevy and Campbell 2002, Johnston et al 2005, 2011b. These products, as well as other anticoagulants and zinc phosphide, were used in developing methods for rodent eradication projects by WS and others on numerous islands (Witmer et al 1998(Witmer et al , 2007a(Witmer et al , 2010a(Witmer et al , 2010cPitt et al 2011a).…”

Section: Rodenticide Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rats! Foiled Again: A History of Rodent Control Methods Development at the National Wildlife Research Center

Fagerstone¹,

Fall²,

Witmer³

et al. 2012

vertebrate_pest_conference

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The National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) and its predecessor laboratories have a long history of developing materials and methods for managing rodents and the damage they cause. The NWRC has been influential in exploring, developing, and maintaining legal uses of many traditional field rodenticides such as strychnine and zinc phosphide. Products have been developed for managing rodents in a variety of locales, and for managing a variety of species, from commensal rodents in urban areas, to pocket gophers and mountain beaver in forests, prairie dogs and ground squirrels on rangelands, and nutria and beaver in wetlands. Considerable research has also been conducted on developing methods of managing rodents in underdeveloped countries. Recent efforts by NWRC have focused on development of tools for managing invasive rodents in conservation areas such as island ecosystems and development of alternative, nonlethal control methods.

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Challenges and Unique Solutions to Rodent Eradication in Florida

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

A Review of Common Factors among Successful and Failed Efforts to Eradicate Invasive Vertebrates in Florida

A Review of Common Factors among Successful and Failed Efforts to Eradicate Invasive Vertebrates in Florida

Coccidioides undetected in soils from agricultural land and uncorrelated with time or the greater soil fungal community on undeveloped land

Rats! Foiled Again: A History of Rodent Control Methods Development at the National Wildlife Research Center

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