Updated Perspective on Biological Invasions in New Zealand

Allen, Robert B.; Duncan, Richard P.; Lee, W. G.

doi:10.1007/3-540-30023-6_28

Cited by 21 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Such conditions would be typical of sites that undergo seasonal drought over summer to which annuals would be well adapted (Grime ). In addition to having few native species pre‐adapted to mammalian grazing or fire, the flora of New Zealand is underrepresented in key functional groups including having few nitrogen fixers or annual species (Allen et al , Wilson and Lee ). While there are 54 species of native nitrogen‐fixers in seven genera Coriaria (Coriariaceae), Carmichaelia, Chordospartium, Clianthus, Sophora (Fabaceae), Gunnera (Gunneraceae) and Discaria (Rhamnaceae), over 40 genera of legumes have been introduced to New Zealand (McQueen et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Widespread native and alien plant species occupy different habitats

2014

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Theories to explain the success of alien species often assume that they are inherently different from native species. Although there is an increasing body of evidence showing that alien plants tend to dominate in highly human‐modified environments, the underlying reasons why widespread natives might differ in their habitat distribution have rarely been addressed. We used species distribution models to quantify the dominant environmental axes shaping the habitat of 95 widespread native and alien herbaceous species in a highly modified grassland‐dominated landscape in New Zealand. For each species, support vector machines were used to determine 1) the environmental variables that most strongly determined a species’ distribution; 2) the affinity towards a particular position along environmental axes; and 3) tolerance to environmental variation. These three measures were compared among native perennials (n = 31), alien perennials (30) and alien annuals (34). Independent of their origin, species’ distributions were defined by similar environmental variables. Nevertheless, native and alien species occupied different regions of the dominant environmental axes. Perennial natives occupied regions associated with lower human disturbance, while perennial aliens were associated with habitats that had been modified by vegetation clearance, pasture development and livestock grazing. Annual aliens differed from perennials and were associated with both semi‐natural and more intensively managed vegetation. No evidence was found that aliens had broader environmental tolerances than natives that might facilitate invasion into a wider range of environments. Thus, widespread native and alien species differ in the degree to which environmental factors shape their distribution as a result of anthropogenic perturbations to which they respond differently as well as the introduction of functional groups that are capable of exploiting novel environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Widespread native and alien plant species occupy different habitats

2014

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“…Much effort over the past 20 years in New Zealand has focused on developing and refining technologies for introduced animal management (Clout & Williams 2009) and understanding the biology of target species (Allen & Lee 2006). However, relatively less work has focused on the attitudes of New Zealanders to different introduced species and their management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of attitudes towards introduced wildlife in New Zealand in 1994 and 2012

Russell

2014

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

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Attitudes play an important role in introduced wildlife management. The attitudes of New Zealanders to introduced wildlife and their control were surveyed in 2012, and compared with attitudes in 1994. Attitudes to widely established introduced herbivores such as deer, possums and rabbits have remained consistent, whereas those for goats, pigs and uncommon species such as thar, chamois and wallabies are changing. New Zealanders generally accept that large mammals are both a resource and a pest requiring management and control. Attitudes to small herbivores such as possums and rabbits, and predators such as mustelids and rodents, are negative and focused on control or extermination using multiple methods. Less than 1% of respondents felt doing nothing was acceptable, but acceptability of poisons has declined. Future management of introduced animals in New Zealand will need to be situational and utilise mixed management methods appropriate to different demographics and stakeholders, while appropriately resolving conflict.

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“…Islands have always provided valuable opportunities to study invasion dynamics, partly because the number and impact of invasions have been perceived as greater on islands (Allen et al 2006). Islands also allow explicit definition of the spatial extent of invasion, something which can be difficult elsewhere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early colonisation population structure of a Norway rat island invasion

2009

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Colonists undergo non-equilibrium processes such as founder effects, inbreeding and changing population size which influence the mating system and demography of a population. Understanding these processes in colonising populations informs management and helps prevent further invasions. We sampled and genotyped most individuals of a Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) reinvasion on Moturemu island (5 ha) in New Zealand. Population size was most likely between 30 and 33 rats. Genetic methods detected a clear bottleneck signal from the founding population. Parentage assignment revealed promiscuous mating dominated by a few individuals with increasing inbreeding, both putatively a result of small island size. Combining ecological and genetic data from a single sample allowed inferences on population structure and functioning. Invading Norway rats rapidly achieve population structure similar to established island populations despite a small number of colonists and associated inbreeding. Overcoming these initial obstacles to population establishment contributes to the global success of invasive rats.

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Updated Perspective on Biological Invasions in New Zealand

Cited by 21 publications

References 39 publications

Widespread native and alien plant species occupy different habitats

Widespread native and alien plant species occupy different habitats

A comparison of attitudes towards introduced wildlife in New Zealand in 1994 and 2012

Early colonisation population structure of a Norway rat island invasion

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