Feeding habits of invasive American mink (Neovison vison) in northern Germany—potential implications for fishery and waterfowl

Zschille, Jana; Stier, Norman; Roth, Mechthild; Mayer, René

doi:10.1007/s13364-012-0126-5

Cited by 25 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Similar to previous studies which have found pronounced intraspecific differences in diet composition between individuals, sexes, seasons, and even years , Macdonnald & Harrington 2003, Skierczyński & Wiśniewska 2010, Magnusdottir et al 2012, the diversity of taxa that we identified in the diet of minks differed across seasons. First, we found a decline of mammals in the summer diet of minks, in accordance with the findings of Bartoszewicz & Zalewski (2003), whom also described a high proportion of mammals in the mink diet, highest in autumn and winter and declining in spring when minks preyed mostly on birds and accessible fish (but see Brzeziński 2008 andZschille et al 2013). In addition, the decrease of mammals in the diet coincided with an increase in birds in the summer months, evidence of a clear shift to the most available prey in each season (Bartoszewicz 2003).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The results obtained in an agricultural landscape differ from the results obtained in studies conducted in different habitats. For example, studies conducted at lakes showed that the largest part of the mink diet consisted of aquatic species (fish and amphibians, Brzeziński 2008), and in fish ponds minks preyed mainly on fish and birds (Zschille et al 2013). The shift from aquatic to terrestrial prey in mink diet in our study area is most likely caused by high rodent abundance in farmland areas (Briner et al 2005, Heroldová et al 2007, in possible combination with interspecific competition with otters.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…The low occurrence of birds in the mink diet in spring is especially surprising, as other studies conducted in areas with high bird richness show contrasting patterns (e.g. Bartoszewicz 2003, Zschille et al 2013. The presence of amphibians and reptiles in the diet varied across seasons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Diet of the American minkNeovison visonin an agricultural landscape in western Poland

2013

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Abstract:We studied the diet of the American mink (Neovison vison) in small artificial watercourses located in a farmland area of the valley of the River Barycz in Poland. Rodents, mainly Microtus spp., were the most frequent prey identified, occurring in 88.3 % of all analyzed mink scat. Minks also fed willingly on fish, birds and amphibians, whereas insects, crayfish and reptiles accounted for only a small part of the biomass of food consumed. The food niche breadth of the mink's diet was wide, and varied significantly between seasons; in spring and autumn minks preyed mainly on rodents and fish, while the winter and summer diets consisted of a broad characterization of prey items. The proportion of mammals in the diet also decreased significantly during the summer months. These patterns differ from those previously reported in Europe, and demonstrate the plasticity of the mink diet across habitats.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

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Diet of the American minkNeovison visonin an agricultural landscape in western Poland

2013

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“…we have identified. Mustelid species that we have investigated [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], with the exception of the American mink [ 38 ], use carrion of wild ungulates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Mustelids in the Transmission of Sarcocystis spp. Using Cattle as Intermediate Hosts

Prakas

Balčiauskas

Juozaitytė-Ngugu

et al. 2021

Animals

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There is a lack of research on the role of mustelids in the transmission of various Sarcocystis spp. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that widespread mustelids in Lithuania could be involved in the transmission of Sarcocystis spp. using cattle as intermediate hosts. In 2016–2020, intestinal samples of 84 mustelids were examined. Sarcocystis spp. were identified by species-specific PCR targeting the cox1 gene and subsequent sequencing. Under a light microscope, oocysts/sporocysts of Sarcocystis spp. were observed in 40 samples (47.6%), while using molecular methods, they were detected in 75 animals (89.3%). Four Sarcocystis spp. were identified in the intestinal samples of American mink (Neovisonvison), Beech marten (Martes foina), European pine marten (Martes martes), European badger (Meles meles) and European polecat (Mustela putorius). The prevalence of predominant Sarcocystis spp., S. bovifelis (89.3%) and S. cruzi (73.8%) was significantly higher than that of S. hirsuta (3.6%) and S. hominis (1.2%). In an individual sample, most frequently two Sarcocystis spp. were identified (69.0%), then a single species (15.5%) and three species (4.8%). The present study provides strong evidence that mustelids serve as definitive hosts for Sarcocystis spp. using cattle as intermediate hosts.

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“…We chose this time frame to incorporate possible effects of environmental conditions and trophic mismatches (Drever et al 2012) on duckling survival from year t À 1 to year t when populations are counted. We also considered lag-1 effects for climate variables on the breeding grounds because climate during June t À 2 to May t À 1 can affect primary productivity and the abundance of alternate prey, e.g., microtine rodents for foxes (Elmhagen et al 2000) and fish for mink (Zschille et al 2014), potentially eliciting a numerical response in predators that could in turn affect waterfowl nest success and offspring survival in the following year (Walker et al 2013). To help with convergence, we standardized climatic variables over all strata to a mean of 0 and variance of 1 from the period 1958-2010, except snow cover extent, which was standardized to a mean of 0 and variance of 1 from the period 1968-2010 due to a lack of data prior to 1968.…”

Section: Climate Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined effects of climate, predation, and density dependence on Greater and Lesser Scaup population dynamics

Ross

Hooten

DeVink

et al. 2015

Ecological Applications

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An understanding of species relationships is critical in the management and conservation of populations facing climate change, yet few studies address how climate alters species interactions and other population drivers. We use a long-term, broad-scale data set of relative abundance to examine the influence of climate, predators, and density dependence on the population dynamics of declining scaup (Aythya) species within the core of their breeding range. The state-space modeling approach we use applies to a wide range of wildlife species, especially populations monitored over broad spatiotemporal extents. Using this approach, we found that immediate snow cover extent in the preceding winter and spring had the strongest effects, with increases in mean snow cover extent having a positive effect on the local surveyed abundance of scaup. The direct effects of mesopredator abundance on scaup population dynamics were weaker, but the results still indicated a potentil interactive process between climate and food web dynamics (mesopredators, alternative prey, and scaup). By considering climate variables and other potential effects on population dynamics, and using a rigorous estimation framework, we provide insight into complex ecological processes for guiding. conservation and policy actions aimed at mitigating and reversing the decline of scaup.

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Feeding habits of invasive American mink (Neovison vison) in northern Germany—potential implications for fishery and waterfowl

Cited by 25 publications

References 37 publications

Diet of the American minkNeovison visonin an agricultural landscape in western Poland

Diet of the American minkNeovison visonin an agricultural landscape in western Poland

The Role of Mustelids in the Transmission of Sarcocystis spp. Using Cattle as Intermediate Hosts

Combined effects of climate, predation, and density dependence on Greater and Lesser Scaup population dynamics

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