Fipronil Pellets Reduce Flea Abundance on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs: Potential Tool for Plague Management and Black-Footed Ferret Conservation

Eads, David A.; Livieri, Travis M.; Dobesh, Phillip; Childers, Eddie; Noble, Lauren; Vasquez, Michele C.; Biggins, Dean E.

doi:10.7589/jwd-d-20-00161

Cited by 12 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…On average, fleas were less abundant on the site treated with ¼ cup FIP grain per burrow opening ( fleas per BTPD) than the site treated with ½ cup per burrow opening ( fleas; non-treated site = 1.14 fleas). In contrast to most prior experimental replicates [ 12 , 15 , 16 , 25 , 26 ], flea control was relatively ineffective.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 69%

“…We analyzed data from planned field experiments on BTPD survival, body condition, and reproduction (during which flea control with fipronil grain was effective for ≥12 months [ 16 , 25 , 26 ]), and a new investigation of flea control with FIP grain. Trapping and sampling of BTPDs at Buffalo Gap National Grassland and Badlands National Park, South Dakota were conducted under IACUC protocol 2015–07 (U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Colorado).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To supplement prior investigations [ 16 , 25 , 26 ], we evaluated the efficacy of flea control with FIP grain treatments on 2 BTPD colonies at Lower Brule, 2020. Two colonies (Charlie and Charlie South) were treated with FIP grain, each separately at ½ or ¼ cup per burrow opening, on 28 May.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Colorado, wheat seed grain with 0.005% FIP by weight suppressed fleas on BTPDs for at least 6 weeks [ 12 ]. During complementary experiments in South Dakota, FIP grain and newly-developed FIP bait pellets suppressed fleas for at least 12–14 months and up to 24 months in many cases [ 16 , 25 , 26 ]. This degree and duration of flea control might eliminate plague epizootics and protect BTPDs and other wildlife during inter-epizootic periods, as observed with deltamethrin [ 27 ], but field research is needed for confirmation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After observing no negative effects in captivity, we conducted field experiments on flea control; flea reductions were substantial, lasting 12 months or more in nearly all cases [ 16 , 25 , 26 ]. Concurrently, we evaluated effects of FIP grain on BTPD survival.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assembling a safe and effective toolbox for integrated flea control and plague mitigation: Fipronil experiments with prairie dogs

Eads

Livieri²,

Tretten

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Background Plague, a widely distributed zoonotic disease of mammalian hosts and flea vectors, poses a significant risk to ecosystems throughout much of Earth. Conservation biologists use insecticides for flea control and plague mitigation. Here, we evaluate the use of an insecticide grain bait, laced with 0.005% fipronil (FIP) by weight, with black-tailed prairie dogs (BTPDs, Cynomys ludovicianus). We consider safety measures, flea control, BTPD body condition, BTPD survival, efficacy of plague mitigation, and the speed of FIP grain application vs. infusing BTPD burrows with insecticide dusts. We also explore conservation implications for endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), which are specialized predators of Cynomys. Principal findings During 5- and 10-day laboratory trials in Colorado, USA, 2016–2017, FIP grain had no detectable acute toxic effect on 20 BTPDs that readily consumed the grain. During field experiments in South Dakota, USA, 2016–2020, FIP grain suppressed fleas on BTPDs for at least 12 months and up to 24 months in many cases; short-term flea control on a few sites was poor for unknown reasons. In an area of South Dakota where plague circulation appeared low or absent, FIP grain had no detectable effect, positive or negative, on BTPD survival. Experimental results suggest FIP grain may have improved BTPD body condition (mass:foot) and reproduction (juveniles:adults). During a 2019 plague epizootic in Colorado, BTPDs on 238 ha habitat were protected by FIP grain, whereas BTPDs were nearly eliminated on non-treated habitat. Applications of FIP grain were 2–4 times faster than dusting BTPD burrows. Significance Deltamethrin dust is the most commonly used insecticide for plague mitigation on Cynomys colonies. Fleas on BTPD colonies exhibit the ability to evolve resistance to deltamethrin after repeated annual treatments. Thus, more tools are needed. Accumulating data show orally-delivered FIP is safe and usually effective for flea control with BTPDs, though potential acute toxic effects cannot be ruled out. With continued study and refinement, FIP might be used in rotation with, or even replace deltamethrin, and serve an important role in Cynomys and black-footed ferret conservation. More broadly, our stepwise approach to research on FIP may function as a template or guide for evaluations of insecticides in the context of wildlife conservation.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 69%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assembling a safe and effective toolbox for integrated flea control and plague mitigation: Fipronil experiments with prairie dogs

Eads

Livieri²,

Tretten

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Disease and weather induce rapid shifts in a rangeland ecosystem mediated by a keystone species (Cynomys ludovicianus)

Duchardt

Augustine

Porensky

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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Habitat loss and changing climate have direct impacts on native species but can also interact with disease pathogens to influence wildlife communities. In the North American Great Plains, black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are a keystone species that create important grassland habitat for numerous species and serve as prey for predators, but lethal control driven by agricultural conflict has severely reduced their abundance. Novel disease dynamics caused by epizootic plague (Yersinia pestis) within prairie dog colonies have further reduced prairie dog abundances, in turn destabilizing associated wildlife communities. We capitalized on a natural experiment, collecting data on prairie dog distributions, vegetation structure, avian abundance, and mesocarnivore and ungulate occupancy before (2015–2017) and after (2018–2019) a plague event in northeastern Wyoming, USA. Plague decimated black‐tailed prairie dog populations in what was then the largest extant colony complex, reducing colony cover in the focal area from more than 10,000 ha to less than 50 ha. We documented dramatic declines in mesocarnivore occupancy and raptor abundance post‐plague, with probability of occupancy or abundance approaching zero in species that rely on prairie dogs for a high proportion of their diet (e.g., ferruginous hawk [Buteo regalis], American badger [Taxidea taxus], and swift fox [Vulpes velox]). Following the plague outbreak, abnormally high precipitation in 2018 hastened vegetation recovery from prairie dog disturbance on colonies in which constant herbivory had formerly maintained shortgrass structure necessary for certain colony‐associates. As a result, we observed large shifts in avian communities on former prairie dog colonies, including near‐disappearance of mountain plovers (Charadrius montanus) and increases in mid‐grass associated songbirds (e.g., lark bunting [Calamospiza melanocorys]). Our research highlights how precipitation can interact with disease‐induced loss of a keystone species to induce drastic and rapid shifts in wildlife communities. Although grassland taxa have co‐evolved with high spatiotemporal variation, fragmentation of the remaining North American rangelands paired with higher‐than‐historical variability in climate and disease dynamics are likely to destabilize these systems in the future.

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Burrowing Rodents

Augustine,

Smith,

Davidson

et al. 2023

Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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Burrowing rodents have unusually disproportionate effects on rangeland ecosystems because they (1) engineer their environment through burrow construction and modification of vegetation structure, (2) influence ecosystem processes including aboveground plant production, nutrient cycling rates, and water infiltration patterns, (3) alter plant community composition, and (4) provide a prey base for a diverse array of predators. In some cases, engineering effects create habitat for certain faunal species that inhabit burrows or colonies of these rodents. We review the ecology and management of burrowing rodents that function as ecosystem engineers in western North America, which includes prairie dogs (five species in the genus Cynomys), ground squirrels (11 species in the genera Otospermophilus, Poliocitellus, and Urocitellus), pocket gophers (16 widespread species in the genera Cratogeomys, Geomys, and Thomomys), and kangaroo rats (eight widespread species in the genus Dipodomys). Effects of burrowing rodents on vegetation structure, species composition, and nutrient content vary with diet, degree of sociality, body size, and hibernation patterns, and potentially have significant effects on coexisting large grazers, including domestic livestock. Diets of prairie dogs overlap substantially with livestock. Impacts on ranching enterprises can vary with their abundance and seasonally, and may be greatest when burrowing rodents reduce dormant-season forage availability. Ground squirrel, pocket gopher, and kangaroo rat interactions with livestock vary among species in relation to their diet, degree of coloniality, and population density. All prairie dog and ground squirrel species are affected by outbreaks of plague caused by Yersinia pestis, a non-native disease. Plague and population control via rodenticides are the primary factors determining the distribution and abundance of these species. In contrast, pocket gophers and kangaroo rats are unaffected by plague. Management and conservation efforts that enable burrowing rodents to coexist with livestock across broad landscapes will likely be essential for the conservation of a unique suite of bird, mammal, herpetofaunal and arthropod species that depend on them as prey or on their engineering activities for habitat.

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Fipronil Pellets Reduce Flea Abundance on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs: Potential Tool for Plague Management and Black-Footed Ferret Conservation

Cited by 12 publications

References 14 publications

Assembling a safe and effective toolbox for integrated flea control and plague mitigation: Fipronil experiments with prairie dogs

Assembling a safe and effective toolbox for integrated flea control and plague mitigation: Fipronil experiments with prairie dogs

Disease and weather induce rapid shifts in a rangeland ecosystem mediated by a keystone species (Cynomys ludovicianus)

Burrowing Rodents

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