scholarly journals Mouse eradication is required to prevent local extinction of an endangered seabird on an oceanic island

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Jones ◽  
Michelle M. Risi ◽  
Alexis M. Osborne ◽  
Peter G. Ryan ◽  
Steffen Oppel
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Oceanic Islands ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Gough Island ◽  
Invasive Mammals ◽  
Population Trajectory ◽  
The Impact

AbstractPetrels (Procellariidae) are a highly diverse family of seabirds, many of which are globally threatened due to the impact of invasive species on breeding populations. While predation by invasive cats and rats has led to the extinction of petrel populations, the impact of invasive house mice Mus musculus is slower and less well documented. However, mice impact small burrow-nesting species such as MacGillivray’s prion Pachyptila macgillivrayi, a species classified as endangered because it has been extirpated on islands in the Indian Ocean by introduced rodents. We use historic abundance data and demographic monitoring data from 2014 to 2020 to predict the population trajectory of MacGillivray’s prion on Gough Island with and without a mouse eradication using a stochastic integrated population model. Given very low annual breeding success (0.01 fledglings per breeding pair in ‘poor’ years (83%) or 0.38 in ‘good’ years (17%), n = 320 nests over 6 years) mainly due to mouse predation, our model predicted that the population collapsed from ~3.5 million pairs in 1956 to an estimated 175,000 pairs in 2020 despite reasonably high adult survival probability (ϕ = 0.901). Based on these parameters, the population is predicted to decline at a rate of 9% per year over the next 36 years without a mouse eradication, with a 31% probability that by 2057 the MacGillivray’ prion population would become extremely vulnerable to extinction. Our models predict population stability (λ = 1.01) and a lower extinction risk (<10%) if mouse eradication on Gough Island restores annual breeding success to 0.519, which is in line with that of closely-related species on predator-free islands. This study demonstrates the devastating impacts that introduced house mice can have on small burrowing petrels and highlights the urgency to eradicate invasive mammals from oceanic islands.

scholarly journals Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions?

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross M Wanless ◽  
Andrea Angel ◽  
Richard J Cuthbert ◽  
Geoff M Hilton ◽  
Peter G Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
House Mouse ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Breeding Success ◽  
Population Models ◽  
South Atlantic Ocean ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Gough Island ◽  
Invasive Mammals

The house mouse, Mus musculus , is one of the most widespread and well-studied invasive mammals on islands. It was thought to pose little risk to seabirds, but video evidence from Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean shows house mice killing chicks of two IUCN-listed seabird species. Mouse-induced mortality in 2004 was a significant cause of extremely poor breeding success for Tristan albatrosses, Diomedea dabbenena (0.27 fledglings/pair), and Atlantic petrels, Pterodroma incerta (0.33). Population models show that these levels of predation are sufficient to cause population decreases. Unlike many other islands, mice are the only introduced mammals on Gough Island. However, restoration programmes to eradicate rats and other introduced mammals from islands are increasing the number of islands where mice are the sole alien mammals. If these mouse populations are released from the ecological effects of predators and competitors, they too may become predatory on seabird chicks.

scholarly journals Low burrow occupancy and breeding success of burrowing petrels at Gough Island: a consequence of mouse predation

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD J. CUTHBERT ◽  
HENK LOUW ◽  
JEROEN LURLING ◽  
GRAHAM PARKER ◽  
KALINKA REXER-HUBER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Breeding Success ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Breeding Parameters ◽  
Gough Island ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Detrimental Impact ◽  
Winter Breeding

SummaryThe predatory behaviour of introduced house mice Mus musculus at Gough Island is known to impact on albatross and petrels, resulting in the Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena and Atlantic Petrel Pterodroma incerta being listed as “Critically Endangered” and “Endangered”, respectively. Although predation has been documented for two burrowing petrels and one albatross species, the impact of house mice on other burrowing petrels on Gough Island is unknown. We report burrow occupancy and breeding success of Atlantic Petrels, Soft-plumaged Petrels Pterodroma mollis, Broad-billed Prions Pachyptila vittata, Grey Petrels Procellaria cinerea and Great Shearwaters Puffinus gravis. With the exception of the Great Shearwater, breeding parameters of burrowing petrels at Gough Island were very poor, with low burrow occupancy (range 4–42%) and low breeding success (0–44%) for four species, and high rates of chick mortality in Atlantic Petrel burrows. Breeding success decreased with mass, suggesting that smaller species are hardest hit, and winter-breeding species had lower breeding success than summer breeders. The results indicate that introduced house mice are having a detrimental impact on a wider range of species than previously recorded and are likely to be causing population declines among most burrowing petrels on Gough Island. The very low values of burrow occupancy recorded for Soft-plumaged Petrels and Broad-billed Prions and greatly reduced abundance of burrowing petrels in comparison to earlier decades indicate that Gough Island’s formerly abundant petrel populations are greatly threatened by the impact of predatory house mice which can only be halted by the eradication of this species from the island.

Observations of mice predation on dark-mantled sooty albatross and Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross chicks at Gough Island

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 763-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Cuthbert ◽  
H. Louw ◽  
G. Parker ◽  
K. Rexer-Huber ◽  
P. Visser
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Marion Island ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Gough Island ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Breeding Seasons ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ongoing Monitoring

AbstractIntroduced house miceMus musculusL. have been discovered to be major predators of chicks of the Tristan albatrossDiomedea dabbenenaL. and Atlantic petrelPterodroma incertaSchlegel and to also predate great shearwaterPuffinus gravisO'Reilly chicks at Gough Island, and similar predatory behaviour has been reported for house mice on Marion Island. Observations on Gough Island over three breeding seasons of nesting Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrossesThalassarche chlororhynchosGmelin and dark-mantled sooty albatrossPhoebetria fuscaHilsenberg indicate that house mice are also preying on these two species: the first records of mice preying upon summer-breeding albatross species on Gough Island. Predation on these two albatross species appears to be relatively rare (∼2% for the Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses) and ongoing monitoring is required to ascertain if the impact of mice is increasing. Conservation actions to eradicate mice from Gough Island will be of benefit to these species and other species that are being impacted by this invasive species.

scholarly journals Breeding of Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis on Selvagem Grande and beneficial effects of removal of invasive mammals

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
F. Zino ◽  
M. Biscoito ◽  
A. Buckle
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Islands ◽  
European Rabbit ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Annual Fluctuation ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Cory’S Shearwater ◽  
Invasive Mammals ◽  
Calonectris Borealis

Abstract The largest colony of Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis nests on the island of Selvagem Grande in the north-eastern Atlantic. In 2002, a programme of eradication was conducted to remove two alien invasive mammals, the house mouse Mus musculus and European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. Preliminary studies recorded beneficial effects of the eradications for a variety of plant and animal species, including Cory's shearwater. We recorded fledging rates of shearwaters for 1982–2001, prior to the eradication, and for 2002–2020, after the eradication, from two quadrats, each containing 134–329 nest sites. Although there was annual fluctuation in fledging rates in the quadrats, the mean rate of 40.74 ±SD 3.92 fledglings per 100 nest sites for the two quadrats combined prior to the eradication of mammals increased significantly, to 52.88 ± SD 5.03 per 100 nest sites, after the eradications. Because the two mammals were removed synchronously it is difficult to know which factors depressed fledging of Cory's shearwaters on Selvagem Grande. However, the predatory behaviour of house mice on other oceanic islands, and the fact that increased fledging was seen soon after the eradications occurred, suggest predation by house mice on shearwater hatchlings was the main cause of losses.

scholarly journals The impacts of introduced House Mice on the breeding success of nesting seabirds on Gough Island

Ibis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 161 (3) ◽  
pp. 648-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Caravaggi ◽  
Richard J. Cuthbert ◽  
Peter G. Ryan ◽  
John Cooper ◽  
Alexander L Bond
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Gough Island

scholarly journals Population trends and breeding success of albatrosses and giant petrels at Gough Island in the face of at-sea and on-land threats

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Cuthbert ◽  
John Cooper ◽  
Peter G. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
Accurate Estimate ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Population Trends ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Gough Island ◽  
The Impact

AbstractSeveral factors threaten populations of albatrosses and giant petrels, including the impact of fisheries bycatch and, at some colonies, predation from introduced mammals. We undertook population monitoring on Gough Island of three albatross species (Tristan albatross Diomedea dabbenena L., sooty albatross Phoebetria fusca Hilsenberg, Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos Gmelin) and southern giant petrels Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin). Over the study period, numbers of the Critically Endangered Tristan albatross decreased at 3.0% a year. Breeding success for this species was low (23%), and in eight count areas was correlated (r2 = 0.808) with rates of population decline, demonstrating chick predation by house mice Mus musculus L. is driving site-specific trends and an overall decline. Numbers of southern giant petrels were stable, contrasting with large increases in this small population since 1979. Significant population declines were not detected for either the Atlantic yellow-nosed or sooty albatross, however, caution should be applied to these results due to the small proportion of the population monitored (sooty albatross) and significant interannual variation in numbers. These trends confirm the Critically Endangered status of the Tristan albatross but further information, including a more accurate estimate of sooty albatross population size, is required before determining island wide and global population trends of the remaining species.

scholarly journals Fathers matter: male body mass affects life-history traits in a size-dimorphic seabird

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1854) ◽  
pp. 20170397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Cornioley ◽  
Stéphanie Jenouvrier ◽  
Luca Börger ◽  
Henri Weimerskirch ◽  
Arpat Ozgul
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Breeding Success ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Breeding Probability ◽  
The Impact

One of the predicted consequences of climate change is a shift in body mass distributions within animal populations. Yet body mass, an important component of the physiological state of an organism, can affect key life-history traits and consequently population dynamics. Over the past decades, the wandering albatross—a pelagic seabird providing bi-parental care with marked sexual size dimorphism—has exhibited an increase in average body mass and breeding success in parallel with experiencing increasing wind speeds. To assess the impact of these changes, we examined how body mass affects five key life-history traits at the individual level: adult survival, breeding probability, breeding success, chick mass and juvenile survival. We found that male mass impacted all traits examined except breeding probability, whereas female mass affected none. Adult male survival increased with increasing mass. Increasing adult male mass increased breeding success and mass of sons but not of daughters. Juvenile male survival increased with their chick mass. These results suggest that a higher investment in sons by fathers can increase their inclusive fitness, which is not the case for daughters. Our study highlights sex-specific differences in the effect of body mass on the life history of a monogamous species with bi-parental care.

The impact of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) on enclosure populations of house mice (Mus domesticus)

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. N. Farroway ◽  
G. R. Singleton ◽  
M. A. Lawson ◽  
D. A. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Fertility Control ◽  
Murine Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
High Survival ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Young Mice

Feral house mice are a significant agricultural pest in south-eastern Australia. Fertility control is favoured as a long-term control strategy, using murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) as a viral delivery system for an immunocontraceptive. We examined the impact of one and two non-sterilising field strains of MCMV on populations of house mice housed under semi-natural conditions. MCMV had no effect on the proportion of females pregnant or lactating or on the number of placental scars per female. However, females in enclosures with two strains of MCMV produced fewer litters. No impact of MCMV was detected on adult survival, with high survival (>95%) detected in all enclosures. Similar numbers of the first cohort of young entered the trappable population of all enclosures. There was no significant impact of MCMV on survival of young mice, although there was a trend for reduced numbers of the second cohort of young and less successful recruitment in enclosures with two strains of MCMV. The two cohorts of young mice in enclosures with MCMV had poorer body condition. These impacts of infection on young mice imply that MCMV may have negative effects on survival only when the host immune system is not fully developed or the host is immunocompromised. Overall, there was no effect of MCMV on the rate of increase of the mouse populations. Therefore, the effects of MCMV were minor at a demographic level, confirming the suitability of an Australian field strain of MCMV as a vector for an immunocontraceptive of mice.

scholarly journals Endemic Juniperus Montane Species Facing Extinction Risk under Climate Change in Southwest China: Integrative Approach for Conservation Assessment and Prioritization

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Mohammed A. Dakhil ◽  
Marwa Waseem A. Halmy ◽  
Walaa A. Hassan ◽  
Ali El-Keblawy ◽  
Kaiwen Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Potential Distribution ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
In Situ Conservation ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Conservation Assessment ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Area Of Occupancy ◽  
Annual Range ◽  
The Impact

Climate change is an important driver of biodiversity loss and extinction of endemic montane species. In China, three endemic Juniperus spp. (Juniperuspingii var. pingii, J.tibetica, and J.komarovii) are threatened and subjected to the risk of extinction. This study aimed to predict the potential distribution of these three Juniperus species under climate change and dispersal scenarios, to identify critical drivers explaining their potential distributions, to assess the extinction risk by estimating the loss percentage in their area of occupancy (AOO), and to identify priority areas for their conservation in China. We used ensemble modeling to evaluate the impact of climate change and project AOO. Our results revealed that the projected AOOs followed a similar trend in the three Juniperus species, which predicted an entire loss of their suitable habitats under both climate and dispersal scenarios. Temperature annual range and isothermality were the most critical key variables explaining the potential distribution of these three Juniperus species; they contribute by 16–56.1% and 20.4–38.3%, respectively. Accounting for the use of different thresholds provides a balanced approach for species distribution models’ applications in conservation assessment when the goal is to assess potential climatic suitability in new geographical areas. Therefore, south Sichuan and north Yunnan could be considered important priority conservation areas for in situ conservation and search for unknown populations of these three Juniperus species.

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF THE SEA EMPRESS OIL SPILL ON BIRDS OF THE PEMBROKESHIRE COAST AND ISLANDS

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-225
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Parr ◽  
Robert J. Haycock ◽  
Malcolm E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Sublethal Effects ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Seabird Colony ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
International Importance ◽  
Inshore Waters ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Much of the Pembrokeshire coast and islands, together with its inshore waters, are of international importance for their breeding seabirds and wintering seaduck. Although the Sea Empress oil spill occurred before the breeding season, some 7000 oiled birds were recovered dead or alive. The impact of the oil spill on birds can be classified as follows: immediate mortality especially of more than 4500 wintering common scoter in Carmarthen Bay; sublethal effects on productivity of colonies and reduced adult survival from oil or dispersant ingestion; and chronic effects on bird populations from long-term pollution, particularly of prey. A range of monitoring and research projects are under way to investigate the impact, but it is premature to provide many results. The oil spill probably caused significant local declines in seabird colony sizes, especially of guillemot. The impact on common scoter will prove difficult to determine because of the poor quality and high variability of preincident data. Large numbers of oiled birds, particularly common scoter, were treated and subsequently released. The successful rehabilitation of such released birds is controversial; research and review results will be reported.

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