Models of spatiotemporal variation in rabbit abundance reveal management hot spots for an invasive species

Brown, Stuart C.; Wells, Konstans; Roy‐Dufresne, Emilie; Campbell, Susan; Cooke, Brian; Cox, Tarnya; Fordham, Damien

doi:10.1002/eap.2083

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Our results support the previous finding that wherever rabbits are common, they are the staple food for foxes (Saunders et al 1995, Díaz‐Ruiz et al 2013, Soe et al 2017; see Brown et al 2020 for current geographic range of lagomorphs). Lagomorphs were the most common mammalian prey group for Australian foxes, averaging 21 ± 22% of fox diet samples overall, but reaching up to 95% of samples for specific studies (Foulkes 2002, Letnic et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Like foxes, European rabbits were introduced into Australia: the first feral population was established by 1859. They rapidly spread across the southern two thirds of the continent, reaching plague proportions by the 1920s (Brown et al 2020). Where rabbits are available, they are a significant diet component for foxes in Australia (Catling 1988, Saunders et al 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diet of the introduced red fox Vulpes vulpes in Australia: analysis of temporal and spatial patterns

et al. 2021

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The red fox Vulpes vulpes is one of the world’s most widespread carnivores. A key to its success has been its broad, opportunistic diet. The fox was introduced to Australia about 150 years ago, and within 30 years of its introduction was already recognised as a threat to livestock and native wildlife. We reviewed 85 fox diet studies (totalling 31693 samples) from throughout the species’ geographic range within Australia. Mammals were a major component of fox diet, being present in 70 ± 19% of samples across n = 160 locations. Invertebrates (38 ± 26% n = 130) and plant material (26 ± 25% n = 123) were also both staple foods and often the dominant food category recorded. Birds (13 ± 11% n = 137) and reptiles (10 ± 15% n = 132) were also commonly reported, while frogs were scarcely represented (1.6 ± 3.6% n = 111) in fox diet studies. Biogeographical differences reveal factors that likely determine prey availability. Diet composition varied with ecosystem, level of vegetation clearing and condition, and climate zone. Sample type (i.e. stomach versus scat samples) also significantly influenced reporting of diet composition. Livestock and frogs were underrepresented in records based on analysis of scats, whereas small mammals (native rodents, dasyurid marsupials, and bats) were more likely to be recorded in studies of scats than in studies of stomach contents. Diet varied seasonally, reflecting activity patterns of prey species and food availability. This synthesis also captures temporal shifts in fox diet over 70 years (1951–2020), as foxes have switched to consuming more native species in the wake of successful broadscale biological control of the invasive European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. Diet analyses, such as those summarised in this review, capture the evidence required to motivate for greater control of foxes in Australia. This synthesis also highlights the importance of integrated pest species management to meet biodiversity conservation outcomes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet of the introduced red fox Vulpes vulpes in Australia: analysis of temporal and spatial patterns

et al. 2021

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“…Oryctolagus cuniculus, commonly known as the European rabbit, is an old species with an enormous ability to adapt to a variety of ecosystems, existing in parallel with-but not dependent on-humans [1,2]. Rabbit meat has excellent dietary and nutritional properties, and is traditional in Mediterranean cuisine [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Purulent Subcutaneous Lesions of Farm Rabbits

Silva

Sousa

Gómez

et al. 2020

Foods

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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are one of the main pathogens associated with purulent infections. MRSA clonal complex 97 (CC97) has been identified in a wide diversity of livestock animals. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the antibiotic resistance profiles of MRSA strains isolated from purulent lesions of food-producing rabbits. Samples from purulent lesions of 66 rabbits were collected in a slaughterhouse in Portugal. Samples were seeded onto ORSAB plates with 2 mg/L of oxacillin for MRSA isolation. Susceptibility to antibiotics was tested by the disk diffusion method against 14 antimicrobial agents. The presence of resistance genes, virulence factors and the immune evasion cluster (IEC) system was studied by polymerase chain reaction. All isolates were characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), agr and spa typing. From the 66 samples analyzed, 16 (24.2%) MRSA were detected. All strains were classified as multidrug-resistant as they were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics. All isolates showed resistance to penicillin, erythromycin and clindamycin. Seven isolates were resistant to gentamicin and harbored the aac(6 )-Ie-aph (2 )-Ia gene. Resistance to tetracycline was detected in 10 isolates harboring the tet(K) gene. The IEC genes were detected in three isolates. MRSA strains belonged to CC97, CC1, CC5, CC15 or CC22. The isolates were assigned to six different spa types. In this study we found a moderate prevalence of multidrug-resistant MRSA strains in food-producing rabbits. This may represent concern for food Foods 2020, 9, 439; doi:10.3390/foods9040439 www.mdpi.com/journal/foods Foods 2020, 9, 439 2 of 10 safety and public health, since cross-contamination may occur, leading to the spread of MRSA and, eventually, the possibility of ingestion of contaminated meat.

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“…Abiotic factors play a pivotal role in regulating community structure and species range limits. Longterm information on population dynamics can help to identify climatic and environmental factors determining the abundance and distribution of species, including invasive ones (Bell et al 2015;Miloslavich et al 2018;Brown et al 2020b;Burrows et al 2020;Rilov et al 2020). This may be particular useful under future climates, where seawater warming and acidification, as well as the increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme events (e.g., heat waves, storms) are predicted to cause shifts in species distribution (Molinos et al 2016;Chefaoui et al 2019;Beas-Luna et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of environmental conditions in regulating long-term dynamics of an invasive seaweed

et al. 2022

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The mechanisms underpinning long-term dynamics and viability of invader populations in the receiving environment remain largely unknown. We tested the hypothesis that temporal variations in the abundance of a well-established invasive seaweed, Caulerpa cylindracea, in the NW Mediterranean, could be regulated by inter-annual fluctuations in environmental conditions. Abundance data of C. cylindracea, sampled repeatedly between 2005 and 2020 at the peak of its growing season (late summer/early fall), were related to interannual variations in seasonal seawater temperature, wind speed and rainfall recorded during different growth phases of the alga, in both subtidal and intertidal habitats. In both habitats, higher peak of C. cylindracea cover was associated with lower seawater temperature in spring and summer, when the seaweed exits the winter resting phase and starts a period of active growth. In addition, the peak abundance of subtidal C. cylindracea was positively associated with higher autumn wind speed intensity and spring daily total precipitation. Our study reveals the importance of seasonal and interannual variation of abiotic factors in shaping temporal patterns of abundance of C. cylindracea, in both subtidal and intertidal habitats. Identifying the factors underpinning invasive population temporal dynamics and viability is essential to predict the time and conditions under which an invader can thrive, and thus guide management strategies aimed to containing invasions under current and future climates.

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Models of spatiotemporal variation in rabbit abundance reveal management hot spots for an invasive species

Cited by 10 publications

References 66 publications

Diet of the introduced red fox Vulpes vulpes in Australia: analysis of temporal and spatial patterns

Diet of the introduced red fox Vulpes vulpes in Australia: analysis of temporal and spatial patterns

Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Purulent Subcutaneous Lesions of Farm Rabbits

The role of environmental conditions in regulating long-term dynamics of an invasive seaweed

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