The effects of mammalian predation on invertebrate behaviour in South West Fiordland

Bremner, A. G.; Barratt, B. I. P.; Butcher, C. F.; Patterson, Geoff B.

doi:10.1080/00779962.1989.9722570

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…6 compared with 11 per 100 m 2 on Breaksea Island. Bremner et al (1989) went on to test escape responses of weta on several Fiordland islands with and without rats, finding that where rats were present, the insects displayed a significantly lower threshold of stimulation, giving them more pronounced escape responses.…”

Section: Behavioural Adaptations Of Invertebrates Towards Ratsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The end of an 80-million year experiment: a review of evidence describing the impact of introduced rodents on New Zealand’s ‘mammal-free’ invertebrate fauna

Gibbs

2008

Biol Invasions

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Since separating from its super-continental origin 80 million years ago, New Zealand has effectively been isolated from the impacts of terrestrial mammals. The arrival of Polynesians in 13th C heralded the end of this era, with the introduction of kiore, (Rattus exulans, or Pacific rat), which had farreaching effects on plant regeneration, survival of small ground vertebrates, larger invertebrates, and seabird breeding colonies. This paper reviews the evidence available from raptor nest sites and Quaternary beetle fossils to summarise extinctions thought to be caused by kiore in New Zealand. It also utilises invertebrate comparisons between islands with and without rats, or where rats have been eradicated, in order to document the impacts of rats (R. exulans, R. norvegicus) on invertebrate abundance, body mass, and the behavioural responses of some large New Zealand insects to the presence of rats. The role of a 'mammal-free' evolutionary history is discussed.

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Section: Behavioural Adaptations Of Invertebrates Towards Ratsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The end of an 80-million year experiment: a review of evidence describing the impact of introduced rodents on New Zealand’s ‘mammal-free’ invertebrate fauna

Gibbs

2008

Biol Invasions

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“…However, our survey suggested a less diverse invertebrate composition on Ulva Island, in particular among coleoptera. Invertebrate abundance and diversity on both Ulva and Codfish Islands can be expected to be still recovering after the eradication of exotic predators and herbivores (Bremner et al 1989). Deer may have affected invertebrate species by competing for grazing substrates such as young shoots of broadleaved species, and rats would have eaten both ground and tree dwelling species (clayton 2006).…”

Section: Class Insectamentioning

confidence: 99%

Invertebrate survey of coastal habitats and podocarp forest on Ulva Island, Rakiura National Park, New Zealand

Michel¹,

White

Dickinson

et al. 2008

New Zealand Journal of Zoology

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Inventory of the invertebrate fauna is important to establish taxonomic diversity, abundance and distribution, and hence the conservation of indigenous biodiversity. Invertebrate assemblages have been documented in some broadleaf-podocarp forests and grassland habitats in New Zealand, but not in dense stands of coastal forest or in mature podocarp forest. This survey aimed to provide a taxonomic inventory of terrestrial invertebrates and their habitat associations on Ulva Island (Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island), an off-shore sanctuary of significant conservation value in New Zealand. We systematically documented the invertebrate assemblages collected in ground litter and on tree trunks on the island. The invertebrate specimens identified represented 4 phyla, 6 classes, 25 orders and 62 species. The invertebrate fauna reported in this survey was distinct from those of lowland shrubland and broadleaved-Nothofagus forests on the mainland, but shared species with that reported from another similar off-shore island, Codfish Island (Whenua Hou).

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“…There are many potential factors that may influence wētā motel occupancy beyond simple abundance, such as the availability of nearby tree cavities and behavioural differences caused by differences in predator abundance. The behaviour and habits of tree wētā are thought to change in response to the presence of mammalian predators with studies indicating that in the absence of mammals wētā do not venture as far from gallery entrances and occupy galleries closer to the ground (Bremner et al, 1989).…”

Section: Wētāmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The strong impact of rats on the size of female wētā and the lack of any significant relationship between rats and male wētā within the same period is noteworthy. There are distinct morphological and behavioural differences between male and female tree wētā such as the larger average size of females and the amount of time spent outside wētā galleries, which could influence the susceptibility to predation by rats (Bremner et al, 1989;Kelly, 2006). One study examining the impact of Kiore (Rattus exulans) removal on Stephen's Island in the Cook Straight found that tree wētā behaviour changed significantly.…”

Section: Cavity Dwelling Wētāmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of mammalian insectivores Rattus rattus (Rat), Mus musculus (Mouse) & Erinaceus europeus (Hedgehog) on the size and abundance of mainland Coleoptera and Orthoptera

Hewitt¹

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<p>The impact of introduced mammalian predators on indigenous vertebrates is relatively well documented, however the general responses of indigenous invertebrate communities is less well known. Many indigenous invertebrates, particularly the large flightless species such as those in the genus Deinacrida (Orthoptera) and Anagotus (Curculionidae) have been extirpated from much of their range due largely to the impacts of introduced predators. Despite these well-known examples very little is known about the general impact of introduced predators on invertebrate communities. Beginning in 2012 pitfall traps and artificial wētā motels were established across seven study sites in the Aorangi and Remutaka ranges east of Wellington alternately baited with squid and monitored two to three times annually. Mammal tracking took place in the form of tracking tunnels giving three mammal indexes for rats (Rattus rattus), mice (Mus musculus) and hedgehogs (Erinaceus europeus). Cavity dwelling wētā in wētā motels were measured and counted in situ whilst pitfall trapped Coleoptera and Orthoptera were transported to the lab for measuring and identification. Linear mixed effects model, type 3 ANOVAS and generalised linear mixed models were used to examine whether mammal index had any impact on the size and the catch or occupancy of invertebrates. Increased rat and mouse tracking was associated with reduced coleoptera catch whilst increased hedgehog tracking was correlated with increases in Coleoptera catch. Pitfall trapped wētā (Hemiandrus spp) showed strong negative responses to increased rat tracking, neutral responses to mice and positive responses to hedgehogs. Tree wētā (Hemideina crassidens) occupancy rates declined in response to increased mouse abundance whilst the mean size of tree wētā residing in wētā motels showed an increase in response to rats and mice. These results show the complexity of understanding mammal invertebrate interactions which cannot be expected to be the same in all environments or across all taxa. Environmental factors typically impact far more strongly on invertebrate populations than they do on vertebrates and can obscure the impacts of top down predation in such studies. The results reported in this study only became apparent after 5+ years of sampling, demonstrating the importance of long-term temporal analysis of invertebrate communities in response to mammals before trends start to emerge. More research is required into the basic ecology and population dynamics of invertebrate communities before more general trends can be discerned.</p>

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The effects of mammalian predation on invertebrate behaviour in South West Fiordland

Cited by 12 publications

References 3 publications

The end of an 80-million year experiment: a review of evidence describing the impact of introduced rodents on New Zealand’s ‘mammal-free’ invertebrate fauna

The end of an 80-million year experiment: a review of evidence describing the impact of introduced rodents on New Zealand’s ‘mammal-free’ invertebrate fauna

Invertebrate survey of coastal habitats and podocarp forest on Ulva Island, Rakiura National Park, New Zealand

The impact of mammalian insectivores Rattus rattus (Rat), Mus musculus (Mouse) & Erinaceus europeus (Hedgehog) on the size and abundance of mainland Coleoptera and Orthoptera

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