Ecological niche overlap between co-occurring native and exotic ungulates: insights for a conservation conflict

Pascual‐Rico, Roberto; Sánchez‐Zapata, José A.; Navarro, Joan; Eguía, Sergio; Anadón, José D.; Botella, Francisco

doi:10.1007/s10530-020-02265-x

Cited by 19 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Trophic niche overlap, suggesting dietary competition, has been confirmed previously in co-occurring native and invasive species [1,3,[52][53][54]. We also observed a high trophic overlap (>70%) when both mink species coexisted in sympatry, suggesting interspecific competition.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

High Trophic Niche Overlap between a Native and Invasive Mink Does Not Drive Trophic Displacement of the Native Mink during an Invasion Process

García

Sanpera

Jover

et al. 2020

Animals

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The pressure elicited by invasive species on native species significantly increases with the increase of the overlap of their ecological niches. Still, the specific mechanisms of the trophic displacement of native species during the invasion process are unclear. The effects of the invasive American mink (Neovison vison) on the critically endangered European mink (Mustela lutreola) was assessed by analyses of diet and niche overlap during the invasion process. To do this, the isotopic composition (δ13C and δ15N) of both species of mink and their four main types of prey was analysed. Significant trophic overlap between the native European mink and invasive American mink was found when they coexisted in sympatry. Furthermore, both mink species were characterised by significant individual variation in diet and no obvious change in diet of the native species in response to the arrival of the introduced species was observed. High niche overlap registered between both species in sympatry with no displacement in diet of the native mink in response to the arrival of the invasive mink is expected to have important consequences for the viability and conservation of the native mink populations, as it suggests high competitive pressure.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

High Trophic Niche Overlap between a Native and Invasive Mink Does Not Drive Trophic Displacement of the Native Mink during an Invasion Process

García

Sanpera

Jover

et al. 2020

Animals

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“…Management of European aoudad populations varies between countries and the views change with new insights of their coexistence with native species and ecosystems 30 . Implications of detected low genetic diversity on management of these populations can be discussed only after management goals are clearly defined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population structure and genetic diversity of non-native aoudad populations

Stipoljev

Safner

Gančević

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The aoudad (Ammotragus lervia Pallas 1777) is an ungulate species, native to the mountain ranges of North Africa. In the second half of the twentieth century, it was successfully introduced in some European countries, mainly for hunting purposes, i.e. in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Spain. We used neutral genetic markers, the mitochondrial DNA control region sequence and microsatellite loci, to characterize and compare genetic diversity and spatial pattern of genetic structure on different timeframes among all European aoudad populations. Four distinct control region haplotypes found in European aoudad populations indicate that the aoudad has been introduced in Europe from multiple genetic sources, with the population in the Sierra Espuña as the only population in which more than one haplotype was detected. The number of detected microsatellite alleles within all populations (< 3.61) and mean proportion of shared alleles within all analysed populations (< 0.55) indicates relatively low genetic variability, as expected for new populations funded by a small number of individuals. In STRUCTURE results with K = 2–4, Croatian and Czech populations cluster in the same genetic cluster, indicating joined origin. Among three populations from Spain, Almeria population shows as genetically distinct from others in results, while other Spanish populations diverge at K = 4. Maintenance of genetic diversity should be included in the management of populations to sustain their viability, specially for small Czech population with high proportion of shared alleles (0.85) and Croatian population that had the smallest estimated effective population size (Ne = 5.4).

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“…The negative impacts of overgrazing and trampling typically increase during drought periods as food availability decreases. Iberian wild goat is probably the wild ungulate best adapted to rock outcrops, even in dry areas (Pascual-Rico et al 2020). Under the current context of climate change, with increasing duration and intensity of drought periods (IPCC 2021), the vulnerability of soils and mosses to wild ungulates is expected to increase.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A pressure indicator for the impact of Iberian wild goat on moss and soils in a Mediterranean climate

García–Rodríguez

Vélez

López‐Sánchez

et al. 2021

Euro-Mediterr J Environ Integr

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In the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (central Spain), the population of Iberian wild goat, also known as Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) has grown strongly since its reintroduction three decades ago. The plant community is now under heavy browsing pressure due to this high population. A study of the presence of moss on rocks was used herein as the basis for the design of an indicator, named impact on mosses (im), to describe the environmental pressure exerted by the Iberian wild goat in terms of moss removal. Granite and gneiss zones at medium altitudes with continental Mediterranean climate are the most suitable areas for successful application of the indicator. The hypotheses to test are: (1) the indicator will discriminate between areas with different wild goat pressure levels, (2) wild goat pressure will explain a high proportion of moss loss variance, and (3) the im indicator will be useful to establish a mathematical model between wild goat pressure and moss loss. The proposed indicator was analyzed using both statistical and data science techniques. The results support the mentioned hypotheses. Specifically, statistically significant differences were found regarding the impact on mosses between areas with different levels of Iberian wild goat pressure. Thus, a high proportion of the variance was associated with wild goat pressure (80% for high-pressure areas, 56% for low-pressure areas). A modified parabolic function was fit to express the relationship between Iberian wild goat pressure and impact on mosses. In conclusion, the im indicator was shown to be a useful tool to assess pressure due to Iberian wild goat. Therefore, im can help assess and manage Iberian wild goat populations and determine their sustainable levels.

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Ecological niche overlap between co-occurring native and exotic ungulates: insights for a conservation conflict

Cited by 19 publications

References 78 publications

High Trophic Niche Overlap between a Native and Invasive Mink Does Not Drive Trophic Displacement of the Native Mink during an Invasion Process

High Trophic Niche Overlap between a Native and Invasive Mink Does Not Drive Trophic Displacement of the Native Mink during an Invasion Process

Population structure and genetic diversity of non-native aoudad populations

A pressure indicator for the impact of Iberian wild goat on moss and soils in a Mediterranean climate

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