The Effect of Introduced Hutias (<i>Geocapromys ingrahmi</i>) on the Woody Vegetation of Little Wax Cay, Bahamas

Campbell, David G.; Lowell, Karen S.; Lightbourn, Michael E.

doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.1991.tb00361.x

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…A possible exception is the hutia, a mid-sized rodent, bones of which have been found in considerable numbers on archaeological sites, including on TCI where the species does not naturally occur, strongly suggesting that they were introduced and managed by humans (LeFebvre et al, 2019a). Given that it is a prolific breeder, hutia could have been an important source of protein and fats, as well as another agent of landscape modification (Campbell et al, 1991).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hutias (Geocapromys ingrahami) -a medium size rodent -were endemic to some Bahamian islands but not others, including TCI, to which they were translocated as a food animal (LeFebvre et al, 2019a;2019b;Oswald et al, 2020). These, along with introduced dogs, could themselves have been agents of landscape change (Campbell et al, 1991). Other animal species became either locally extirpated or extinct (Hastings et al, 2014;Steadman et al, 2007;2017;2020).…”

Section: Environmental Context and Human Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Six centuries of adaptation to a challenging island environment: AMS 14C dating and stable isotopic analysis of pre-Columbian human remains from the Bahamian archipelago reveal dietary trends

Snoeck

Pouncett

Brock

et al. 2021

Quaternary Science Reviews

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Context and Human Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Six centuries of adaptation to a challenging island environment: AMS 14C dating and stable isotopic analysis of pre-Columbian human remains from the Bahamian archipelago reveal dietary trends

Snoeck

Pouncett

Brock

et al. 2021

Quaternary Science Reviews

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“…Quick Step, although it was considered to have a sparse distribution or occur at low density in this region, with hunters and foresters reporting that it was rarely encountered (Oliver 1982;Oliver et al 1986). Wilkins (2001) Subpopulations apparently are stable on the 3 islands where the species is found, and there are concerns that high densities of translocated hutias have caused significant damage to the vegetation of Little Wax Cay, including local plant extinctions (Campbell et al 1991), and possibly also to local herpetofauna (Franz et al 1993). However, all subpopulations are susceptible to being wiped out by stochastic events such as hurricanes, and also are vulnerable to accidental or deliberate introduction of feral cats or other non-native mammals, which have been responsible for the disappearance of populations of other Geocapromys species on small islands in past decades (Clough 1976).…”

Section: Capromys Undescribed Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Last Survivors: current status and conservation of the non-volant land mammals of the insular Caribbean

Turvey

Kennerley

Nuñez‐Miño

et al. 2017

Journal of Mammalogy

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The insular Caribbean is among the few oceanic-type island systems colonized by non-volant land mammals. This region also has experienced the world's highest levels of historical mammal extinctions, with at least 29 species lost since AD 1500. Representatives of only 2 land-mammal families (Capromyidae and Solenodontidae) now survive, in Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and the Bahama Archipelago. The conservation status of Caribbean land mammals is surprisingly poorly understood. The most recent IUCN Red List assessment, from 2008, recognized 15 endemic species, of which 13 were assessed as threatened. We reassessed all available baseline data on the current status of the Caribbean land-mammal fauna within the framework of the IUCN Red List, to determine specific conservation requirements for Caribbean land-mammal species using an evidence-based approach. We recognize only 13 surviving species, 1 of which is not formally described and cannot be assessed using IUCN criteria; 3 further species previously considered valid are interpreted as junior synonyms or subspecies. Of the 12 reassessed species, 5 have undergone a change in threat status since 2008, with 3 species (Capromys pilorides, Geocapromys brownii, Mesocapromys angelcabrerai) increasing in extinction risk by 1 IUCN category, and 2 species (Plagiodontia aedium, Solenodon paradoxus) decreasing in extinction risk by 2 categories. Only 1 change in threat status represents a genuine change; all other changes are mainly associated with new information becoming available. Hunting, habitat loss, and invasive species represent major threats to surviving species, and conservation of the highly threatened Caribbean landmammal fauna will require a range of targeted management strategies.

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“…Sources for maximum body sizes: Gundlach 1880; Grant 1940;Sheplan and Schwartz 1974;Henderson et al 1987;Wiley 2003. case, more properly "synapomorphic" nanism). Reduced landmasses must have favored the subsistence of populations of smaller vertebrate prey (e.g., anoles, small birds), hence selecting for a reduction of the body size of their main snake predators, in contrast to larger and probably more productive landmasses like the emergent Great Bahama Bank, where relatively large herbivores like the Bahamian Hutia might have attained high population densities (this rodent is known to occur at high population densities under suitable conditions; Clough 1969Clough , 1972Campbell et al 1991). Consequently, maintaining a large body size would be selectively favored in an opportunistic snake like C. strigilatus.…”

Section: A B C Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

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2016

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On oceanic islands, where carnivorous mammals are frequently absent, the niches of large predators are often filled by raptors and reptiles. Cuban Boas (Chilabothrus angulifer), along with Cuban Crocodiles (Crocodylus rhombifer) and large birds of prey, were the top predators in the Cenozoic terrestrial ecosystems of Cuba until the arrival of Homo sapiens in the region about 6,000 years ago. This ecological scenario of large boas in the genus Chilabothrus functioning as top predators in terrestrial ecosystems is repeated on each of the largest islands of the Greater Antilles. The evolution of very large size in the Cuban Boa is best explained as phyletic giantism (Cope's Rule), although other paleo-ecological selective factors might have maintained or even accentuated the evolutionary trend toward large body size (insular giantism). However, this seems not to be the case for all species of Chilabothrus, since the evolution of a small body size is repeated in several lineages, a phenomenon that is best explained by autapomorphic nanism (Island Rule). Unfortunately, the negative effects of humans on natural populations of the Cuban Boa apparently have induced a dramatic reduction in maximum body size even during the relatively short period since the first reliable measurements were recorded in the 19th century. Such a reduction in body size is consistent with that reported for other West Indian reptiles and is probably indicative of rapid evolution in response to a highly modified environment with new selective pressures.

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The Effect of Introduced Hutias (Geocapromys ingrahmi) on the Woody Vegetation of Little Wax Cay, Bahamas

Cited by 9 publications

References 6 publications

Six centuries of adaptation to a challenging island environment: AMS 14C dating and stable isotopic analysis of pre-Columbian human remains from the Bahamian archipelago reveal dietary trends

Six centuries of adaptation to a challenging island environment: AMS 14C dating and stable isotopic analysis of pre-Columbian human remains from the Bahamian archipelago reveal dietary trends

The Last Survivors: current status and conservation of the non-volant land mammals of the insular Caribbean

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