The Distribution and Activity of the Invasive Raccoon Dog in Lithuania as Found with Country-Wide Camera Trapping

Jasiulionis, Marius; Stirkė, Vitalijus; Balčiauskas, Linas

doi:10.3390/f14071328

Cited by 4 publications

References 61 publications

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Invasion in cold: weather effects on winter activity of an alien mesopredator at its northern range

Selonen,

Toivonen,

Tuomikoski

2024

Eur J Wildl Res

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Whether an invasive species thrives in cold ecosystems depends on its response to winter weather. A potential threat to these ecosystems in Europe is the invasive raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides). The survival of this mesopredator is supported in cold weather, because it can periodically use winter sleep, but its winter activity levels compared to native mesopredators remain unclear. We investigated the winter behaviour of raccoon dogs in Finland, near the edge of their invasion front, and compared their activity to native red foxes and badgers. Using wildlife cameras, we found that raccoon dogs do reduce activity during the coldest months, but camera observations did not strongly correlate with temperature perhaps due to feeding at camera sites. That is, artificial food sources may have increased raccoon dogs’ winter activity. Nevertheless, they responded more clearly to temperature drops than red foxes, but were more active than badgers that were mostly dormant and thus absent from our data. GPS-tracked raccoon dogs remained at some level active through winter, even near subarctic regions, but the cold and snowy weather clearly decreased activity and individuals stayed close to their nests during the coldest periods. Overall, these findings suggest that raccoon dogs can maintain some winter activity even in extremely cold environments, and they readily exploit human-provided resources. This potential ability to thrive in cold regions highlights the invasive potential of raccoon dogs. As winters become milder due to climate change, their numbers could increase significantly within cold-adapted ecosystems, impacting native species and posing conservation challenges.

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Invasion in cold: weather effects on winter activity of an alien mesopredator at its northern range

Selonen,

Toivonen,

Tuomikoski

2024

Eur J Wildl Res

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The Distribution of Sarcocsytis Species Described by Ungulates-Canids Life Cycle in Intestines of Small Predators of the Family Mustelidae

Šneideris,

Moskaliova,

Butkauskas

et al. 2024

Acta Parasit.

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PurposeUsing molecular techniques, we have previously shown that carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae might be common de nitive hosts for various protozoan Sarcocystis species. In the present study we aimed to unravel whether Sarcocystisspecies using ungulates as intermediate hosts and canids or felids as de nitive hosts can be found in intestine of mustelids. MethodsSmall intestine samples of 93 individual mustelids of ve different species from Lithuania were examined. Sarcocystis species were identi ed based on species-speci c PCR and subsequent cox1 sequencing. ResultsSix Sarcocystis species (S. arieticanis, S. bertrami, S. capracanis, S. capreolicanis, S. linearis and S. morae) de ned by ungulate-canid life cycle were detected for the rst time in small intestines of mustelids. By contrast, the prevalence of Sarcocystis characterised by ungulate-felid life cycle was low (3.2 %). Overall, 76 % of the examined animals were positive for at least one of the studied Sarcocystis species. Four species, S. arieticanis, S. bertrami, S. capracanis and S. moraewere most commonly found, with the detection rate of about 40 %. ConclusionsCurrent nding, in addition to our previous studies, suggests that mustelids play an important role in the spread of various Sarcocystisspecies.

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Long-term snow-track indices of a Finnish native mesopredator declined while those of an invasive one increased

Selonen,

Toivonen,

Lindén

2024

Sci Rep

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Monitoring both native and invasive species is crucial for understanding their ecological impacts. However, obtaining reliable data can be challenging, especially for elusive species like mesopredators. This study utilized snow-track surveys in Finland (1989–2022) to examine population trends of the invasive raccoon dog and the native red fox. While raccoon dogs are known to reduce activity during cold weather, we demonstrated that accounting for temperature and snowfall allows for effective population trend estimation using snow-track data. Track accumulation decreased in cold and snowy weather more clearly for raccoon dogs than for red foxes. We also found that the track accumulation of the raccoon dog had significantly increased, while those of the red fox population had declined, particularly in southern parts of the country. Notably, raccoon dog snow-track numbers increased in northern regions, suggesting a potential for further range expansion under a warming climate. These findings reveal a concerning shift in Finland’s mesopredators abundance due to the invasive species’ success and the decline of the native species. Thus, the invasive raccoon dog is likely to have an increasing role in those northern ecosystems where it interacts with the native fauna.

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The Distribution and Activity of the Invasive Raccoon Dog in Lithuania as Found with Country-Wide Camera Trapping

Cited by 4 publications

References 61 publications

Invasion in cold: weather effects on winter activity of an alien mesopredator at its northern range

Invasion in cold: weather effects on winter activity of an alien mesopredator at its northern range

The Distribution of Sarcocsytis Species Described by Ungulates-Canids Life Cycle in Intestines of Small Predators of the Family Mustelidae

Long-term snow-track indices of a Finnish native mesopredator declined while those of an invasive one increased

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