The impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease on wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations in Queensland

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 183 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Story ◽  
D. Berman ◽  
R. Palmer ◽  
J. Scanlan
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Wild Rabbit ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Northern Edge ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Impact

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) escaped from quarantine facilities on Wardang Island in September 1995 and spread through South Australia to Queensland by December 1995. To determine the impact of this biological control agent on wild rabbit populations in Queensland, shot sample and spotlight count data were collected at six sites. RHDV spread across Queensland from the south-west to the east at a rate of at least 91 km month–1 between October 1995 and October 1996. The initial impact on rabbit density appeared highly variable, with an increase of 81% (255 ± 79 (s.e.) to 385 ± 73 rabbits km–2) at one site and a decrease of 83% (129 ± 27 to 22 ± 18 rabbits km–2) at another during the first outbreak. However, after 30 months of RHDV activity, counts were at least 90% below counts conducted before RHDV arrived. Using a population model to account for environmental conditions, the mean suppression of rabbit density caused by rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) was estimated to be 74% (ranging from 43% to 94% between sites). No outbreaks were observed when the density of susceptible rabbits was lower than 12 km–2. Where rabbit density remains low for long periods RHDV may not persist. This is perhaps most likely to occur in the isolated populations towards the northern edge of the range of rabbits in Australia. RHDV may have to be reintroduced into these populations. Further south in areas more suitable for rabbits, RHDV is more likely to persist, resulting in a high density of immune rabbits. In such areas conventional control techniques may be more important to enhance the influence of RHD.

Corrigendum to: The impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease on wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations in Queensland

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 651
Author(s):  
G. Story ◽  
J. Scanlan ◽  
R. Palmer ◽  
D. Berman
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Wild Rabbit ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Northern Edge ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Impact

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) escaped from quarantine facilities on Wardang Island in September 1995 and spread through South Australia to Queensland by December 1995. To determine the impact of this biological control agent on wild rabbit populations in Queensland, shot sample and spotlight count data were collected at six sites. RHDV spread across Queensland from the south-west to the east at a rate of at least 91 km month–1 between October 1995 and October 1996. The initial impact on rabbit density appeared highly variable, with an increase of 81% (255 ± 79 (s.e.) to 385 ± 73 rabbits km–2) at one site and a decrease of 83% (129 ± 27 to 22 ± 18 rabbits km–2) at another during the first outbreak. However, after 30 months of RHDV activity, counts were at least 90% below counts conducted before RHDV arrived. Using a population model to account for environmental conditions, the mean suppression of rabbit density caused by rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) was estimated to be 74% (ranging from 43% to 94% between sites). No outbreaks were observed when the density of susceptible rabbits was lower than 12 km–2. Where rabbit density remains low for long periods RHDV may not persist. This is perhaps most likely to occur in the isolated populations towards the northern edge of the range of rabbits in Australia. RHDV may have to be reintroduced into these populations. Further south in areas more suitable for rabbits, RHDV is more likely to persist, resulting in a high density of immune rabbits. In such areas conventional control techniques may be more important to enhance the influence of RHD.

Observations on the impacts of rabbit haemorrhagic disease on agricultural production values in Australia

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Saunders ◽  
Barry Kay ◽  
Greg Mutze ◽  
David Choquenot
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Wild Rabbit ◽  
Production Values ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Australian Case ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Impact

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) may be the most important rabbit control agent to be made available to graziers in Australia since the advent of myxomatosis. Documenting the benefits of RHD to agricultural production values is an important process in determining best-practice strategies for the use of the disease in controlling rabbit populations. In this paper we review previous studies on the impact of rabbits and present recent Australian case studies that tracked the effects of RHD on agricultural production as the disease first spread across the continent. Indirect consequences of RHD, such as changes in costs of rabbit control as monitored through the use of 1080 (sodium monofluoroacetate), are reported. Potential negative impacts such as adverse effects on the wild rabbit fur and meat trade and in the spread of woody weeds are also discussed.

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease: does a pre-existing RHDV-like virus reduce the effectiveness of RHD as a biological control in Australia?

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 673 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. D. Cooke ◽  
S. McPhee ◽  
A. J. Robinson ◽  
L. Capucci
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Disease Virus ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Wild Rabbit ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Serological Data ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease

Serological data from wild rabbits support the hypothesis that a second RHDV-like virus was already present in Australia before rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) was introduced as a biological control agent. This putative virus apparently persists in most wild rabbit populations in the presence of RHDV, and antibodies raised against it appear to protect some rabbits from fatal rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD). High titres of these antibodies are most commonly found in rabbits from high rainfall areas; this may explain why the initial mortality from RHD declined as the disease spread from dry areas into wetter regions and why it remains less effective as a biological control in wetter regions today. The implications for further advances in rabbit control are discussed, including the need to isolate this putative RHDV-like virus and develop specific ELISA tests to facilitate its detection in the field.

Emerging epidemiological patterns in rabbit haemorrhagic disease, its interaction with myxomatosis, and their effects on rabbit populations in South Australia

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Mutze ◽  
Peter Bird ◽  
John Kovaliski ◽  
David Peacock ◽  
Scott Jennings ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Area ◽  
Population Change ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Maternal Antibodies ◽  
Seasonal Abundance ◽  
Wild Rabbit ◽  
Population Parameters ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Impact

The impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) on wild rabbit populations was assessed by comparing population parameters measured before the introduction of RHD into Australia in 1995 with population parameters after RHD. We used data from an arid inland area and a moist coastal area in South Australia to examine the timing and extent of RHD outbreaks, their interaction with myxomatosis and their effect on breeding, recruitment and seasonal abundance of rabbits. From this we propose a generalised conceptual model of how RHD affects rabbit populations in southern Australia. RHD decreased long-term average numbers of rabbits by 85% in the arid area. In the coastal area, RHD decreased numbers of rabbits by 73% in the first year but numbers gradually recovered and were only 12% below pre-RHD numbers in the third year. Disease activity generally begins a month or two after the commencement of breeding in autumn or winter, peaks in early spring and ceases to be apparent in summer. Where the disease is most active, the pattern of population change is almost the inverse of the former pattern. During the breeding season, RHD severely suppresses rabbit numbers. Compensatory recruitment of late-born young, protected by maternal antibodies until the disease becomes inactive at the end of spring (also the end of breeding), allows the observed rabbit abundance to increase during summer, albeit to lower levels than before RHD. Maternal antibodies are lost during summer and the population becomes susceptible to RHD. The seasonal peak in myxomatosis activity is pushed back from late spring to early summer or autumn. Survivors of myxomatosis breed after opening rains in autumn but many succumb to RHD before raising their litters. The reduced abundance of rabbits and changed pattern of seasonal abundance have potential consequences for vegetation recovery.

scholarly journals The impact of RHDV-K5 on rabbit populations in Australia: an evaluation of citizen science surveys to monitor rabbit abundance

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarnya E. Cox ◽  
David S. L. Ramsey ◽  
Emma Sawyers ◽  
Susan Campbell ◽  
John Matthews ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Ecological Research ◽  
Unconscious Bias ◽  
Science Data ◽  
New Variant ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The increasing popularity of citizen science in ecological research has created opportunities for data collection from large teams of observers that are widely dispersed. We established a citizen science program to complement the release of a new variant of the rabbit biological control agent, rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), known colloquially as K5, across Australia. We evaluated the impact of K5 on the national rabbit population and compared citizen science and professionally-collected spotlight count data. Of the citizen science sites (n = 219), 93% indicated a decrease in rabbit abundance following the release of K5. The overall finite monthly growth rate in rabbit abundance was estimated as 0.66 (95%CI, 0.26, 1.03), averaging a monthly reduction of 34% at the citizen science sites one month after the release. No such declines were observed at the professionally monitored sites (n = 22). The citizen science data submissions may have been unconsciously biased or the number of professional sites may have been insufficient to detect a change. Citizen science participation also declined by 56% over the post-release period. Future programs should ensure the use of blinded trials to check for unconscious bias and consider how incentives and/or the good will of the participants can be maintained throughout the program.

scholarly journals A strain-specific multiplex RT-PCR for Australian rabbit haemorrhagic disease viruses uncovers a new recombinant virus variant in rabbits and hares

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn N Hall ◽  
Jackie E. Mahar ◽  
Andrew J. Read ◽  
R Mourant ◽  
M Piper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
European Rabbit ◽  
Wild Rabbit ◽  
Structural Genes ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Impact

SummaryRabbit haemorrhagic disease virus(RHDV, or GI.1), is a calicivirus in the genusLagovirusthat has been widely utilised in Australia as a biological control agent for the management of overabundant wild European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations since 1996. Recently, two exotic incursions of pathogenic lagoviruses have been reported in Australia; GI.1a-Aus, previously called RHDVa-Aus, is a GI.1a virus detected in January 2014, and the novel lagovirus GI.2 (previously known as RHDV2). Furthermore, an additional GI.1a strain, GI.1a-K5 (also known as 08Q712), was released nationwide in March 2017 as a supplementary tool for wild rabbit management. To discriminate between these lagoviruses, a highly sensitive strain-specific multiplex RT-PCR assay was developed, which allows fast, cost-effective, and sensitive detection of the four pathogenic lagoviruses currently known to be circulating in Australia. In addition, we developed a universal qRT-PCR assay to be used in conjunction with the multiplex assay that broadly detects all four viruses and facilitates quantification of viral RNA load in samples. These assays enable rapid detection, identification, and quantification of pathogenic lagoviruses in the Australian context. Using these assays, a novel recombinant lagovirus was detected in rabbit tissues samples, which contained the non-structural genes of GI.1a-Aus and the structural genes of GI.2. This variant was also recovered from the liver of a European brown hare (Lepus europaeus). The impact of this novel recombinant on Australian wild lagomorph populations and its competitiveness in relation to circulating field strains, particularly GI.2, requires further studies.

Substantial numerical decline in South Australian rabbit populations following the detection of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2

2018 ◽  
Vol 182 (20) ◽  
pp. 574-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Mutze ◽  
Nicki De Preu ◽  
Trish Mooney ◽  
Dylan Koerner ◽  
Darren McKenzie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Virus ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
European Rabbits ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Term Monitoring

Lagovirus europaeus GI.2, also commonly known as rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2, was first detected at two long-term monitoring sites for European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, in South Australia, in mid-2016. Numbers of rabbits in the following 12–18 months were reduced to approximately 20 per cent of average numbers in the preceding 10 years. The impact recorded at the two South Australian sites, if widespread in Australia and persistent for several years, is likely to be of enormous economic and environmental benefit.

Impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease on introduced predators in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 615 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Holden ◽  
G. Mutze
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Physical Condition ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Flinders Ranges ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Impact

The impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) on the population dynamics and diet of foxes and feral cats was studied in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Populations of both foxes and cats decreased substantially some 6–10 months after the advent of RHD, when rabbit numbers were reduced by 85%. The diet of foxes changed as a result of reduced rabbit numbers, with much less rabbit and more invertebrates and carrion being eaten. The physical condition of foxes showed little change after RHD. The diet of cats did not change markedly, but their physical condition was substantially poorer than before RHD. Total predation on native fauna is considered to have decreased after RHD.

Is wedge-tailed eagle, Aquila audax, survival and breeding success closely linked to the abundance of European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus?

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Olsen ◽  
Brian Cooke ◽  
Susan Trost ◽  
David Judge
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease

Context Some ecologists argue that nesting success and abundance of wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax) are strongly linked to the abundance of introduced wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Consequently, concerns were expressed about eagle population viability when the biological control agent rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) heavily reduced rabbit numbers. However, observations following the spread of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) in Australia and Spain (where Aquila adalberti is an equivalent of A. audax) question this assertion. Eagle numbers did not fall even though rabbits declined regionally by up to 90% in both countries. Aims To reconsider the assumption of a strong link between rabbit abundance and wedge-tailed eagle breeding and population maintenance. Dispelling misconceptions, if any, about the eagles’ dependence on rabbits would benefit the future management of both eagles and rabbits. Methods We reviewed the literature associated with claims that eagles were heavily dependent on rabbits and asked whether these views could be substantiated given the lack of changes in eagle abundance following the spread of RHD. Data on eagle egg-clutch size and nesting success were also reviewed. Conclusions There is little evidence that eagles depend heavily on rabbits as prey. Instead, as rabbits decline, more kangaroos, reptiles and birds are eaten, partly because more native prey becomes available. Eagles have a high proportion of rabbits in their diets mainly where degradation of natural ecosystems, including that caused by rabbits, results in native prey being rare or unavailable. There has been minimal variation in average clutch size following major perturbations in rabbit population size. Implications Rather than perpetuating the idea that high populations of rabbits are needed for wedge-tailed eagle conservation, resources would be better re-directed into understanding continental-scale eagle population dynamics. This would provide a more rational framework to assist decisions on future biological control agents for rabbits.

Population dynamics and foraging behaviour of Diaeretus leucopterus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), and its potential for the biological control of pine damaging Eulachnus spp. (Homoptera: Aphididae)

1996 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.T. Murphy ◽  
W. Völkl
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Host Density ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Parasitism Rates ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe Palaearctic pine aphids, Eulachnus agilis (Kaltenbach) and Eulachnus rileyi (Williams) have both been introduced into other continents where they have been reported causing damage to economically important pines. In Euorpe, they are attacked by the specialist parasitoid Diaeretus leucopterus (Haliday) which has been suggested as a possible biological control agent. Here we report on several aspects of the ecology of the parasitoid, conducted on E. agilis in Germany in 1993–94, to provide a more scientific basis for judging its potential for use in biological control. Parasitism of all instars in the field rarely exceeded 10% and was independent of host density. A high percentage of parasitized aphids were hyperparasitized. Measurements of the impact over 16 weeks in a greenhouse-release experiment showed that parasitism rates increased from 2 to 19% but were insufficient to suppress the aphid population below a damaging level. There was evidence of a density-dependent response. Studies on foraging behaviour showed that female parasitoids searched pines by quite extensive walks. There was no relationship between the number of aphids per tree and number of ovipositions, and the mean number of ovipositions per female per tree was 2.5 ± 0.4 eggs. The majority (55.1%) of encountered aphids did not respond to the parasitoids. However, female parasitoids attacked a much higher proportion of aphids that did respond but oviposition success on this group was poor. The number of aphid-infested needles on seedlings increased significantly owing to the parasitoid's foraging activity. On the basis of these results, it is suggested that D. leucopterus is only likely to be of benefit in biological control if used in conjunction with other complementary natural enemies.

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