How Raccoons Could Lead to the Disappearance of Native Crayfish in Central Italy

Tricarico, Elena; Ciampelli, Paola; DeCicco, Laura; Marsella, Sandro Aurelio; Petralia, Lorenzo; Rossi, Barbara; Zoccola, Antonio; Mazza, Giuseppe

doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.681026

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 17 publications

(41 reference statements)

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“…Aquatic burrowing crayfishes often leave their rudimentary burrows to forage at night, but they are also known to show a degree of daylight activity [43,44]. Owing to the surface water activity of aquatic burrowing crayfish, predation from predatory fish, wading birds and nocturnal mammals is common [45][46][47]. Conversely, a semi-terrestrial burrowing lifestyle has evolved over a dozen times throughout the crayfish phylogeny [48,49].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlated evolution of conspicuous colouration and burrowing in crayfish

Graham,

Padilla Perez

2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Conspicuous colours have fascinated biologists for centuries, leading to research on the evolution and functional significance of colour traits. In many cases, research suggests that conspicuous colours are adaptive and serve a function in sexual or aposematic signalling. In other cases, a lack of evidence for the adaptive value of conspicuous colours garners interest from biologists, such as when organisms that live underground and are rarely exposed to the surface are nevertheless colourful. Here, we use phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate colour evolution throughout freshwater crayfishes that vary in burrowing ability. Within the taxa we analysed, conspicuous colours have evolved independently over 50 times, and these colours are more common in semi-terrestrial crayfishes that construct extensive burrows. The intuitive but not evolutionarily justified assumption when presented with these results is to assume that these colours are adaptive. But contrary to this intuition, we discuss the hypothesis that colouration in crayfish is neutral. Supporting these ideas, the small population sizes and reduced gene flow within semi-terrestrial burrowing crayfishes may lead to the fixation of colour-phenotype mutations. Overall, our work brings into question the traditional view of animal colouration as a perfectly adapted phenotype.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlated evolution of conspicuous colouration and burrowing in crayfish

Graham,

Padilla Perez

2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Microsatellites and mitochondrial evidence of multiple introductions of the invasive raccoon Procyon lotor in France

et al. 2023

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Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are worldwide invaders, due to deliberate or accidental releases, and their impacts exceed hundred of billions of Euros in Europe only. In France, raccoons have currently established three separate, expanding populations. Identifying the current spatial genetic structure, dispersal events and phylogeography of these populations is needed to infer the invasion history and identify management units. We used wild and captive individuals sampled in France and Belgium to characterize the genetic diversity and current population genetic structure of French raccoon populations and identify potential genetic connectivity with the Belgium population using both mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite loci. Results confirm that French populations are the result of at least three independent introductions. While the three populations display low genetic diversity and sign of recent bottleneck, they are still expanding, suggesting that in addition to their ecological plasticity, the remaining genetic diversity is sufficient to successfully adapt to their new environment and allow a quick colonization. Particular attention must be given to the North-Eastern population, which shows genetic admixture with the Belgium population, as admixed individuals may exhibit hybrid vigor facilitating their expansion. The comparison of captive and wild individuals did not allow to identify a potential captive origin of the wild populations. The current regulation in France allowing captivity in zoos without enforcement to tighten the biosecurity of detention facilities might dampen any management measure as few introduced founders might be enough to create new populations.

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The role of urbanization in facilitating the introduction and establishment of non-native animal species: a comprehensive review

Carlon,

Dominoni

2024

Journal of Urban Ecology

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While urbanization is often associated to a loss of biodiversity, non-native animal species are strikingly successful in urban landscapes. As biological invasions are recognized to have detrimental environmental, social and economic impacts, extensive understanding of the interactions between invasive species and the abiotic and biotic environment is necessary for effective prevention and management strategies. However, the mechanisms underlying the success of invasive animals in urban environments are still poorly understood. We provide a first conceptual review of the role of urbanization in the introduction, establishment, and potential spread of non-native animal species. We summarize and discuss the mechanisms enhancing biological invasive potential of non-native animals in urban environments, by both isolating and interlinking the abiotic and biotic drivers involved. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) process, this systematic review covers a total of 124 studies comprehensive of all taxonomic groups, albeit with an evident publication bias for avian and terrestrial invertebrate species (22.1% and 19.8% of literature respectively). High-income regions also represent a larger bulk of the literature (Europe: 26.7%, North America: 23.7%). The most common reported factors facilitating species invasions in urban areas are reduced biotic resistance, and the competitive and urban-compatible ecological and/or behavioural traits of non-native animals allowing urban exploitation and aiding invasion. Finally, we identify important knowledge gaps, such as the scarcity of studies investigating socio-economic spatial patterns in the presence and abundance of invasive species, as well as the adaptive evolution of non-native animal species in urban areas.

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How Raccoons Could Lead to the Disappearance of Native Crayfish in Central Italy

Cited by 4 publications

References 17 publications

Correlated evolution of conspicuous colouration and burrowing in crayfish

Correlated evolution of conspicuous colouration and burrowing in crayfish

Microsatellites and mitochondrial evidence of multiple introductions of the invasive raccoon Procyon lotor in France

The role of urbanization in facilitating the introduction and establishment of non-native animal species: a comprehensive review

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