Control of invasive predators improves breeding success of an endangered alpine passerine

Weston, Kerry A.; O’Donnell, Colin F. J.; Dam‐Bates, Paul van; Monks, Joanne M.

doi:10.1111/ibi.12617

Cited by 17 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(59 reference statements)

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“…Further, while alpine passerines contributed only a small proportion of the total metabolic requirement of stoats, stoats may still present a substantial risk to their population persistence. Multi-year, multi-site monitoring of alpine passerines (rock wrens Xenicus gilviventris) show that these populations are heavily affected by predation by stoats (Weston et al 2018).…”

Section: Components Of Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alpine ecosystems have been assumed to be relatively safe from the effects of introduced predators (Lavers & Mills 1978). However, stoats (Mustela erminea) have been identified as the primary agents in the decline of rock wren (Xenicus gilviventris), and are predators of takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri), kea (Nestor notabalis), kiwi (Apteryx spp), and kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) in the alpine zone, as well as consuming large numbers of alpine invertebrates (O'Donnell et al 2017;Weston et al 2018). Despite this, there is limited understanding of the drivers of predation risk in alpine New Zealand, and no best practice tools exist for management of invasive species threatening alpine fauna (O'Donnell et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stable isotope analysis reveals variable diets of stoats (Mustela erminea) in the alpine zone of New Zealand

McAulay¹,

Seddon²,

Wilson³

et al. 2020

NZJE

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The alpine zone of New Zealand covers c. 30% of public conservation land and is home to a high diversity of endemic species. Predation by introduced stoats (Mustela erminea) is identified as a major threat to alpine fauna. However, a lack of biological information, such as what stoats eat in different settings, hinders efforts to focus control measures in time and space in order to achieve the greatest conservation gains. We used a biochemical tool, stable isotope analysis, to estimate stoat diet across three time-periods in the alpine zone of three national parks. We then assessed possible drivers of dietary variation that could lead to greater per capita consumption of native species by stoats. Our models indicate that mammal prey items formed the largest contribution to the metabolic requirements of stoats in long-term estimates (47-90%), but the mid-term (spring and summer) estimates show a greater reliance on insects. The estimated proportions of prey consumed did not differ with elevation, sex, or age, but were significantly different between sites and seasons. Both stoat and ship rat (Rattus rattus) abundance were significant in explaining the proportion of mammals consumed. Higher stoat trap-catch and an absence of ship rats at one site (Nelson Lakes National Park) coincided with a greater range of prey being regularly consumed by stoats; this was the only site to record substantial proportions of birds (26%) and skinks (33%) in stoat diet. Conservation managers should be aware of the potential for marked differences in per capita rates of consumption of threatened alpine species by stoats, possibly linked to differences in abundance of mammalian prey. While this study confirms that stable isotope analysis can be useful to assess the diet of stoats, further research is needed to determine specific isotope enrichment values and to confirm the accuracy of these results.

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Section: Components Of Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotope analysis reveals variable diets of stoats (Mustela erminea) in the alpine zone of New Zealand

McAulay¹,

Seddon²,

Wilson³

et al. 2020

NZJE

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“…As Doherty, Glen, Nimmo, Ritchie and Dickman () write, “Thirty species of invasive predator are implicated in the extinction or endangerment of 738 vertebrate species, collectively contributing to 58% of all bird, mammal, and reptile extinctions.” For many endangered species, invasives are the main factor driving populations towards local or global extinctions. Three examples from New Zealand are the kakapo Strigops habroptilus , kiwi Apteryx spp., and rock wren Salpinctes obsoletus , all threatened by predation of nests and young animals by stoats Mustela erminea (Robertson, Craig, Gardiner, & Graham, ; Weston, O'Donnell, van dam‐Bates, & Monks, ). Efforts to safeguard the small remaining populations of these three birds thus depend on the success of efforts to remove the pressures from the invasive mustelid population by trapping or poisoning.…”

Section: A Growing Problem?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The economic benefits of invasive species management

2019

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Invasive species are known to cause significant negative impacts to ecosystems and to people. In this paper, we outline the nature of these economic impacts, and then present a range of approaches for estimating the economic costs of invasive species (including impacts on biodiversity), and thus the benefits of management programmes. The importance of thinking clearly about the most appropriate context for valuation is stressed. We provide examples of the application of non‐market valuation approaches to invasive species management, and show how such methods can be used to measure public preferences over how control is undertaken. We discuss some important problems in applying economic valuation methods in this context. A plain language summary is available for this article.

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“…Yet, information about alpine ecology is lacking. Despite encompassing 11% of the land mass of New Zealand [ 12 ], a dearth of biodiversity monitoring in the alpine zone means that no alpine taxa are included in national scale trend reporting [ 13 ]. The development of robust and logistically feasible monitoring methods for species above the timberline has been identified as an urgent requirement [ 11 , 12 , 14 ] so that a suite of alpine indicators can be used to measure trends, including response to management, in this nationally significant ecosystem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of counting methods for monitoring populations of a cryptic alpine passerine, the rock wren (Passeriformes, Acanthisittidae, Xenicus gilviventris)

Monks¹,

O’Donnell²,

Greene³

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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Developing and validating methods to determine trends in populations of threatened species is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of conservation interventions. For cryptic species inhabiting remote environments, this can be particularly challenging. Rock wrens, Xenicus gilviventris, are small passerines endemic to the alpine zone of southern New Zealand. They are highly vulnerable to predation by introduced mammalian predators. Establishing a robust, cost-effective monitoring tool to evaluate population trends in rock wrens is a priority for conservation of both the species and, more broadly, as part of a suite of indicators for evaluating effectiveness of management in New Zealand’s alpine ecosystems. We assessed the relative accuracy and precision of three population estimation techniques (mark-resight, distance sampling and simple counts on line transects) for two populations of rock wrens in the Southern Alps over six breeding seasons (2012–2018). The performance of these population estimators was compared to known rock wren population size derived from simultaneous territory mapping. Indices of abundance derived from counts on transects were correlated with territory mapping at both study areas, and performed better than either mark-resight methods or distance sampling. Simple counts on standardised line transects are a highly cost-effective method of monitoring birds because they do not require banding a population. As such, we recommend that line transect counts using the design outlined in this paper be adopted as a standard method for long-term monitoring of rock wren populations. Although species-specific testing is required to validate use of low-cost population indices, our results may have utility for the monitoring of other cryptic passerines in relatively open habitats.

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Control of invasive predators improves breeding success of an endangered alpine passerine

Cited by 17 publications

References 34 publications

Stable isotope analysis reveals variable diets of stoats (Mustela erminea) in the alpine zone of New Zealand

Stable isotope analysis reveals variable diets of stoats (Mustela erminea) in the alpine zone of New Zealand

The economic benefits of invasive species management

Evaluation of counting methods for monitoring populations of a cryptic alpine passerine, the rock wren (Passeriformes, Acanthisittidae, Xenicus gilviventris)

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