Density-dependent predatory impacts of an invasive beetle across a subantarctic archipelago

• Published in: Scientific Reports
• Main Authors: Géron, Charly, Cuthbert, Ross, N., Hotte, Hoël, Renault, David
• Other Authors: Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution Rennes (ECOBIO), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS Ecologie et Environnement (INEE-CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Queen's University Belfast (QUB), Unité de Nématologie (LSV Rennes), Laboratoire de la santé des végétaux (LSV), Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES), The salary of Charly Géron was funded by the ASICS project (ANR-20-EBI5-0004, BiodivERsA, BiodivClim call 2019–2020), The research was funded by the French Polar Institute (Project 136-SUBANTECO), Ross N. Cuthbert is funded by the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship (ECF-2021-001)., ANR-20-EBI5-0004,ASICS,ASsessing and mitigating the effects of climate change and biological Invasions on the spatial redistribution of biodiversity in Cold environmentS(2020)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2023
• Subjects: Animals; Biodiversity; Biosecurity; Coleoptera; Global Warming; Introduced Species; Predatory Behavior; Arthropod community; MESH: Animals; MESH: Biodiversity; MESH: Biosecurity; MESH: Coleoptera; MESH: Global Warming; MESH: Introduced Species; MESH: Predatory Behavior; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Kerguelen Islands
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04225862; https://hal.science/hal-04225862/document; https://hal.science/hal-04225862/file/s41598-023-41089-2.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41089-2

International audience Biological invasions represent a major threat to biodiversity, especially in cold insular environments characterized by high levels of endemism and low species diversity which are heavily impacted by global warming. Terrestrial invertebrates are very responsive to environmental changes, and native terrestrial invertebrates from cold islands tend to be naive to novel predators. Therefore, understanding the relationships between predators and prey in the context of global changes is essential for the management of these areas, particularly in the case of non-native predators. Merizodus soledadinus (Guérin-Méneville, 1830) is an invasive non-native insect species present on two subantarctic archipelagos, where it has extensive distribution and increasing impacts. While the biology of M. soledadinus has recently received attention, its trophic interactions have been less examined. We investigated how characteristics of M. soledadinus, its density, as well as prey density influence its predation rate on the Kerguelen Islands where the temporal evolution of its geographic distribution is precisely known. Our results show that M. soledadinus can have high ecological impacts on insect communities when present in high densities regardless of its residence time, consistent with the observed decline of the native fauna of the Kerguelen Islands in other studies. Special attention should be paid to limiting factors enhancing its dispersal and improving biosecurity for invasive insect species. © 2023, Springer Nature Limited.