Invasive European Buckthorn (<i>Rhamnus cathartica</i>L.) Association with Mammalian Species Distribution in Natural Areas of the Chicagoland Region, USA

Vernon, Marian E.; Magle, Seth B.; Lehrer, Elizabeth W.; Bramble, Judith E.

doi:10.3375/043.034.0203

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…To gather data on species for this study, we deployed camera traps along three transects in the greater Chicago metropolitan area (Fig. , Vernon et al ., ). Transects were 50 km in length and radiated out from Chicago's urban center, where wildlife data have rarely been collected previously.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Urban mesopredator distribution: examining the relative effects of landscape and socioeconomic factors

2015

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Cities harbor biodiversity, which has complex outcomes, both for humans and other animals. The situation is particularly complicated with carnivorous species such as mesopredators, which elicit strong positive and negative responses from urban residents. As cities are dominated by anthropogenic forces, socioeconomic factors likely play a major ecological role that has gone mostly unexplored for mammalian species. We used a large database of motion-triggered camera imagery to investigate relationships between landscape and socioeconomic features and the distribution of three mammalian mesopredator species in Chicago, IL. Coyotes and raccoons were most likely to colonize less urban sites, and coyotes were least likely to go extinct within sites with a high average per capita income. Opossum showed somewhat different dynamics, with added availability of habitat and increased housing density decreasing odds of new colonization. In general the socioeconomic variables performed at least as well as the habitat factors tested, indicating that there is a significant role of both biotic and abiotic features in driving species distribution in this area. We suggest that new ecological frameworks incorporating both socioeconomic and ecological factors will be needed for the long-term management and conservation of wildlife in urban regions.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Urban mesopredator distribution: examining the relative effects of landscape and socioeconomic factors

2015

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“…We classified each site based on its respective land use type. Natural areas were undeveloped woodlands that consisted of secondary growth trees and varying degrees of vegetation composition in their understories (Vernon et al 2014). Many natural areas in our study were established in the early 1900s when city planners designated an array of protected areas in and around the city of Chicago (Moskovits et al 2004).…”

Section: Site Classification and Accounting For Urbanization Around Smentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to high human activity and highly manicured understories that characterize city parks (Adams and Lindsey , Vernon et al. ), we also hypothesized that city parks would have the lowest species richness and lowest probabilities of persistence. To test our hypotheses, we used a Bayesian multi‐species dynamic occupancy model (Dorazio et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mammal diversity and metacommunity dynamics in urban green spaces: implications for urban wildlife conservation

Gallo

Fidino

Lehrer

et al. 2017

Ecological Applications

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119

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As urban growth expands and natural environments fragment, it is essential to understand the ecological roles fulfilled by urban green spaces. To evaluate how urban green spaces function as wildlife habitat, we estimated mammal diversity and metacommunity dynamics in city parks, cemeteries, golf courses, and natural areas throughout the greater Chicago, Illinois, USA region. We found similar α-diversity (with the exception of city parks), but remarkably dissimilar communities in different urban green spaces. Additionally, the type of urban green space greatly influenced species colonization and persistence rates. For example, coyotes (Canis latrans) had the highest, but white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) the lowest probability of persistence in golf courses compared to other green space types. Further, most species had a difficult time colonizing city parks even when sites were seemingly available. Our results indicate that urban green spaces contribute different, but collectively important, habitats for maintaining and conserving biodiversity in cities.

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“…; Madritch & Lindroth ) and the presence of large mammals such as coyotes ( Canis latrans ) and opossums ( Didelphis virginiana ; Vernon et al. ). Also, previous research suggests P. leucopus prefer dense cover of a similar exotic woody shrub, Lonicera maackii (Mattos & Orrock ), leading to increased activity of mammals in invaded habitats (Dutra et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive exotic shrub (Rhamnus cathartica) alters the timing and magnitude of post‐dispersal seed predation of native and exotic species

Bartowitz

Orrock

2016

J Vegetation Science

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Aims: Invasive exotic plants may generate deleterious indirect effects on native species, such as increasing consumer pressure on native plants (i.e. apparent competition). Although rarely examined, invasive shrubs may create novel pulses of consumer pressure because their leaves senesce later, providing temporal increases in cover. Apparent competition generated by invasive species may have a strong temporal signal due to extended phenologies of invasive plants.Using an experimental manipulation of the invasive shrub, Rhamnus cathartica, we evaluated whether seed predation of multiple species is higher in invaded areas, and if the novel extended phenology of R. cathartica leads to temporal changes in seed predation.Methods: We removed R. cathartica from half of 16 invaded plots. Using three 17-d sessions over two seasons, we quantified seed predation on R. cathartica and four native species: Acer rubrum, A. saccharum, Prunus serotina and Quercus rubra. Studies included autumn sampling to evaluate whether extended phenology of R. cathartica led to changes in seed predation. We quantified habitat characteristics and small mammal activity.Results: Rhamnus cathartica removal led to decreased seed removal for A. rubrum, A. saccharum and R. cathartica, but magnitude depended upon season. For R. cathartica and A. rubrum, autumn seed removal was higher in R. cathartica invaded areas, when these areas have substantial leaf cover. Predation of A. saccharum seeds was highest in areas with intact R. cathartica during the summer. R. cathartica removal led to significantly increased light levels at the forest floor, increased leaf litter depth and lower total small mammal captures.Conclusions: Presence of R. cathartica altered seed removal of native and invasive species, and the unique phenology of R. cathartica provided cover that generated novel, previously undocumented temporal shifts in consumer pressure. Although our work illustrates how mature R. cathartica can increase seed removal, we conclude that apparent competition between seeds of R. cathartica and native species is unlikely because higher seed removal caused by R. cathartica was seen for R. cathartica seeds. Our work highlights how predicting and ameliorating effects of invasive plants may require considering temporal dynamics that are currently poorly understood.

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Invasive European Buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticaL.) Association with Mammalian Species Distribution in Natural Areas of the Chicagoland Region, USA

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Urban mesopredator distribution: examining the relative effects of landscape and socioeconomic factors

Urban mesopredator distribution: examining the relative effects of landscape and socioeconomic factors

Mammal diversity and metacommunity dynamics in urban green spaces: implications for urban wildlife conservation

Invasive exotic shrub (Rhamnus cathartica) alters the timing and magnitude of post‐dispersal seed predation of native and exotic species

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