Stuck amongst introduced species: Trophic ecology reveals complex relationships between the critically endangered Niau kingfisher and introduced predators, competitors and prey
The introduction of mammals on oceanic islands currently threatens or has caused the extinction of many endemic species. Cats and rats represent the major threat for 40 % of currently endangered island bird species. Direct (predation) and/or indirect (exploitative competition for food resource) trop...
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ftinstagro:oai:HAL:hal-02501449v1 2023-12-17T10:49:13+01:00 Stuck amongst introduced species: Trophic ecology reveals complex relationships between the critically endangered Niau kingfisher and introduced predators, competitors and prey Zarzoso-Lacoste, Diane Bonnaud, Elsa Corse, Emmanuel Dubut, Vincent Lorvelec, Olivier de Meringo, H. Santelli, Coralie Meunier, Jean-Yves Ghestemme, Thomas Gouni, Anne Vidal, Eric Université Paris-Sud Aix Marseille Université (AMU) Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV) Centre Universitaire de Mayotte Agence de Recherche pour la Biodiversité à la Réunion (ARBRE) Écologie et santé des écosystèmes (ESE) Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-AGROCAMPUS OUEST Société d'Ornithologie de Polynésie Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale (IMBE) Avignon Université (AU)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut de recherche pour le développement IRD : UMR237-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Ecologie marine tropicale des océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE Nouvelle-Calédonie ) Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD Nouvelle-Calédonie )-Délégation Ifremer de Nouvelle-Calédonie Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC) 2019 https://hal.science/hal-02501449 https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.53.35086 en eng HAL CCSD Pensoft Publishers info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3897/neobiota.53.35086 hal-02501449 https://hal.science/hal-02501449 doi:10.3897/neobiota.53.35086 PRODINRA: 496394 WOS: 000504496800001 ISSN: 1619-0033 NeoBiota https://hal.science/hal-02501449 NeoBiota, 2019, 53, pp.61-82. ⟨10.3897/neobiota.53.35086⟩ Island bird conservation Introduced mammals Predation Competition Todiramphus gertrudae Felis silvestris catus Rattus spp islands population lizards extrapolation displacement rarefaction diversity selection impacts diet [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2019 ftinstagro https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.53.35086 2023-11-18T22:34:01Z The introduction of mammals on oceanic islands currently threatens or has caused the extinction of many endemic species. Cats and rats represent the major threat for 40 % of currently endangered island bird species. Direct (predation) and/or indirect (exploitative competition for food resource) trophic interactions are key mechanisms by which invaders cause the decrease or extinction of native populations. Here, we investigated both direct and indirect trophic interactions amongst four predator species (i.e. animals that hunt, kill and feed on other animals), including three introduced mammals (Felis silvestris catus, Rattus rattus and Rattus exulans) and one critically endangered native bird, the Niau kingfisher (Todiramphus gertrudae). All four species' diets and prey availability were assessed from sampling at the six main kingfisher habitats on Niau Island during the breeding season. Diet analyses were conducted on 578 cat scats, 295 rat digestive tracts (218 R. exu/ans and 77 R. rattus) and 186 kingfisher pellets. Despite simultaneous use of morphological and PCR-based methods, no bird remains in cat and rat diet samples could be assigned to the Niau kingfisher, weakening the hypothesis of current intense predation pressure. However, we determined that Niau kingfishers mainly feed on introduced and/or cryptogenic prey and highlighted the potential for exploitative competition between this bird and both introduced rat species (for Dictyoptera, Coleoptera and Scincidae). We recommend removing the cats and both rat species, at least within kingfisher breeding and foraging areas (e.g. mechanical or chemical control, cat sterilisation, biosecurity reinforcement), to simultaneously decrease predation risk, increase key prey availability and boost kingfisher population dynamics. Article in Journal/Newspaper Rattus rattus Portail HAL Institut Agro NeoBiota 53 61 82 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Portail HAL Institut Agro |
op_collection_id |
ftinstagro |
language |
English |
topic |
Island bird conservation Introduced mammals Predation Competition Todiramphus gertrudae Felis silvestris catus Rattus spp islands population lizards extrapolation displacement rarefaction diversity selection impacts diet [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] |
spellingShingle |
Island bird conservation Introduced mammals Predation Competition Todiramphus gertrudae Felis silvestris catus Rattus spp islands population lizards extrapolation displacement rarefaction diversity selection impacts diet [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] Zarzoso-Lacoste, Diane Bonnaud, Elsa Corse, Emmanuel Dubut, Vincent Lorvelec, Olivier de Meringo, H. Santelli, Coralie Meunier, Jean-Yves Ghestemme, Thomas Gouni, Anne Vidal, Eric Stuck amongst introduced species: Trophic ecology reveals complex relationships between the critically endangered Niau kingfisher and introduced predators, competitors and prey |
topic_facet |
Island bird conservation Introduced mammals Predation Competition Todiramphus gertrudae Felis silvestris catus Rattus spp islands population lizards extrapolation displacement rarefaction diversity selection impacts diet [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] |
description |
The introduction of mammals on oceanic islands currently threatens or has caused the extinction of many endemic species. Cats and rats represent the major threat for 40 % of currently endangered island bird species. Direct (predation) and/or indirect (exploitative competition for food resource) trophic interactions are key mechanisms by which invaders cause the decrease or extinction of native populations. Here, we investigated both direct and indirect trophic interactions amongst four predator species (i.e. animals that hunt, kill and feed on other animals), including three introduced mammals (Felis silvestris catus, Rattus rattus and Rattus exulans) and one critically endangered native bird, the Niau kingfisher (Todiramphus gertrudae). All four species' diets and prey availability were assessed from sampling at the six main kingfisher habitats on Niau Island during the breeding season. Diet analyses were conducted on 578 cat scats, 295 rat digestive tracts (218 R. exu/ans and 77 R. rattus) and 186 kingfisher pellets. Despite simultaneous use of morphological and PCR-based methods, no bird remains in cat and rat diet samples could be assigned to the Niau kingfisher, weakening the hypothesis of current intense predation pressure. However, we determined that Niau kingfishers mainly feed on introduced and/or cryptogenic prey and highlighted the potential for exploitative competition between this bird and both introduced rat species (for Dictyoptera, Coleoptera and Scincidae). We recommend removing the cats and both rat species, at least within kingfisher breeding and foraging areas (e.g. mechanical or chemical control, cat sterilisation, biosecurity reinforcement), to simultaneously decrease predation risk, increase key prey availability and boost kingfisher population dynamics. |
author2 |
Université Paris-Sud Aix Marseille Université (AMU) Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV) Centre Universitaire de Mayotte Agence de Recherche pour la Biodiversité à la Réunion (ARBRE) Écologie et santé des écosystèmes (ESE) Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-AGROCAMPUS OUEST Société d'Ornithologie de Polynésie Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale (IMBE) Avignon Université (AU)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut de recherche pour le développement IRD : UMR237-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Ecologie marine tropicale des océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE Nouvelle-Calédonie ) Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD Nouvelle-Calédonie )-Délégation Ifremer de Nouvelle-Calédonie Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Zarzoso-Lacoste, Diane Bonnaud, Elsa Corse, Emmanuel Dubut, Vincent Lorvelec, Olivier de Meringo, H. Santelli, Coralie Meunier, Jean-Yves Ghestemme, Thomas Gouni, Anne Vidal, Eric |
author_facet |
Zarzoso-Lacoste, Diane Bonnaud, Elsa Corse, Emmanuel Dubut, Vincent Lorvelec, Olivier de Meringo, H. Santelli, Coralie Meunier, Jean-Yves Ghestemme, Thomas Gouni, Anne Vidal, Eric |
author_sort |
Zarzoso-Lacoste, Diane |
title |
Stuck amongst introduced species: Trophic ecology reveals complex relationships between the critically endangered Niau kingfisher and introduced predators, competitors and prey |
title_short |
Stuck amongst introduced species: Trophic ecology reveals complex relationships between the critically endangered Niau kingfisher and introduced predators, competitors and prey |
title_full |
Stuck amongst introduced species: Trophic ecology reveals complex relationships between the critically endangered Niau kingfisher and introduced predators, competitors and prey |
title_fullStr |
Stuck amongst introduced species: Trophic ecology reveals complex relationships between the critically endangered Niau kingfisher and introduced predators, competitors and prey |
title_full_unstemmed |
Stuck amongst introduced species: Trophic ecology reveals complex relationships between the critically endangered Niau kingfisher and introduced predators, competitors and prey |
title_sort |
stuck amongst introduced species: trophic ecology reveals complex relationships between the critically endangered niau kingfisher and introduced predators, competitors and prey |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-02501449 https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.53.35086 |
genre |
Rattus rattus |
genre_facet |
Rattus rattus |
op_source |
ISSN: 1619-0033 NeoBiota https://hal.science/hal-02501449 NeoBiota, 2019, 53, pp.61-82. ⟨10.3897/neobiota.53.35086⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3897/neobiota.53.35086 hal-02501449 https://hal.science/hal-02501449 doi:10.3897/neobiota.53.35086 PRODINRA: 496394 WOS: 000504496800001 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.53.35086 |
container_title |
NeoBiota |
container_volume |
53 |
container_start_page |
61 |
op_container_end_page |
82 |
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1785573608626585600 |