The importance of taxonomy in species distribution models at a global scale: the case of an overlooked alien squirrel facing taxonomic revision

Abstract

The Siberian chipmunk is native to north-eastern Asia, but alien populations of this squirrel, introduced through the pet trade, occur in many European countries. This rodent has been listed as an invasive species of European concern, being a potential vector of ticks spreading Lyme disease. We aimed to assess its current distribution range and to identify areas of potential invasion. Two sets of species distribution models were conducted, one considering the locations of the species (n = 625 occurrences) and the other with only the occurrences of the Korean subspecies (the invasive one in Europe; n = 255 occurrences), which might be a separate species from the Siberian one. We included 19 uncorrelated predictors (two topographic, nine land cover, five bioclimatic and three anthropogenic variables), which may represent the habitat characteristics of the target species. Most of the northern hemisphere supports the establishment of the Siberian chipmunk, particularly for the invasive Korean subspecies (especially in Europe, where it is already established), mostly in urban areas. Anthropogenic food supply was found to be an important factor promoting the growth of alien populations of chipmunks, whereas the presence of the native red squirrel at the time of introduction may limit it.

Observer‐oriented approach improves species distribution models from citizen science data

“…The use of citizen science data has been initially advocated to assess species distribution at large scale, where standardized sampling is often impracticable (Mori et al., 2019; Van Strien et al., 2013). However, this method has been recently criticized due to uncertainties associated with underlying sampling processes (Mair & Ruete, 2016).…”

Ecological Niche Models of Four Hard Tick Genera (Ixodidae) in Mexico

“…Management recommendations should consider that the main limitation of ecological niche models when used to estimate the potential distribution of tick species is the taxonomic inconsistencies widely discussed by different authors [91][92][93]. The geographic distribution of a species is determined by a set of complex ecological, geological, and evolutionary processes of each taxon, so the correct geographic location of a record to a species is crucial for the generation of successful models [18,88,94,95]. We strongly believe that the estimation of genus-based ecological niche models can be useful in approaching the identification of suitable areas for these vectors of medical and veterinary importance.…”

Multiple origins of the common chameleon in southern Italy

“…Management of alien species, including alien chameleons, is pivotal for conservation, and eradication or numerical control are strictly required to prevent environmental alterations (Menchetti and Mori 2014;Pergl et al 2016;Crowley et al 2019). Alien species taxonomy and local ecology are paramount to build effective and reliable models to predict their range expansion and impacts (Sitzia et al 2016;Buchadas et al 2017;Davis et al 2019;Mori et al 2019). The ecology of the common chameleon in European countries, including its potential impacts on native species, is still not well known and, thus, it deserves further research in order to design addressed management plans.…”