Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

See how they run: increased ranging behavior counters potential Allee effects in experimentally introduced house mice on an island

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biological Invasions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Whether the behaviors of individuals at low population densities differ from those at higher densities is critically informative for predictions of theoretical and experimental ecology, as well as for the conservation management of endangered or introduced species. The globally widespread house mouse Mus musculus is a frequently invasive species; detailed analyses of its low-density behavior will allow for better understanding of population dynamics at early stages of invasions and for generating clearer designs of timely management interventions. Opposite-sex pairs of house mice were released in a small number of replicates at opposite ends of a small, 6 ha island in New Zealand, that had been made experimentally rodent-free, to investigate spatial distributions and ranging behaviors at very low densities by simulating a new invasion of the island with each release trial. Successfully introduced mice (n = 15) of both sexes had twofold greater nightly movements, and tenfold larger range sizes, relative to mice trapped and tracked on the same island prior to eradication. This allowed new arrivals to rapidly and reliably overlap with the range of the opposite sex on the island, especially during the breeding season, suggesting that the driver behind increased ranging was mate searching. Despite the study’s small total sample size, the dramatically increased ranging behaviors exhibited by new arrivals on a mouse-free island imply that this species may avoid potential Allee effects through success in mate searching even at low density. Such behavioral shifts in ranging could contribute to the pervasive success of house mice in founding invasive populations even at extremely low initial densities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aliaga-Rossel E, Kays RW, Fragoso JMV (2008) Home-range use by the Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. J Trop Ecol 24:367–374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angel A, Wanless RM, Cooper J (2009) Review of impacts of the introduced house mouse on islands in the Southern Ocean: are mice equivalent to rats? Biol Invasions 11:1743–1754

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Archer J (1975) Rodent sex differences in emotional and related behavior. Behav Biol 14:451–479

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Augustsson H, Dahlborn K, Meyerson BJ (2005) Exploration and risk assessment in female wild house mice (Mus mus musculus) and two laboratory strains. Physiol Behav 84:265–277

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baker AEM (1994) Stowaway transport rates of house mice (Mus musculus) and deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus). In: Halverston WS, Crabb AC (eds) Proceedings of the 16th vertebrate pest conference. University of California, Davis, California, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellard C, Genovesi P, Jeschke JM (2016) Global patterns in threats to vertebrates by biological invasions. Proc R Soc Lond B 283:20152454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry RJ (1981) Town mouse, country mouse: adaptation and adaptability in Mus domesticus (M. musculus domesticus). Mammal Rev 11:91–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birke LIA, Arthur J (1983) Some issues and problems in the study of animal exploration. In: Arthur J, Birke LIA (eds) Exploration in animals and humans. Van Nostrand Reinhold, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackburn TM, Lockwood JL, Cassey P (2009) Avian invasions—the ecology and evolution of exotic birds. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Borchers DL, Efford MG (2008) Spatially explicit maximum likelihood methods for capture–recapture studies. Biometrics 64:377–385

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown KP, Moller H, Innes J, Alterio N (1996) Calibration of tunnel tracking rates to estimate relative abundance of ship rats (Rattus rattus) and mice (Mus musculus) in a New Zealand forest. N Z J Ecol 20:271–275

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler RG (1980) Population size, social behaviour, and dispersal in house mice: a quantitative investigation. Anim Behav 28:78–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers LK, Singleton GR, Krebs CJ (2000) Movements and social organisation of wild house mice (Mus domesticus) in the wheatlands of Northwestern Victoria, Australia. J Mammal 81:59–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chitty D, Kempson DA (1949) Prebaiting small mammals and a new design of live trap. Ecology 30:536–542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Courchamp F, Chapuis J-L, Pascal M (2003) Mammal invaders on islands: impact, control and control impact. Biol Rev 78:347–383

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Courchamp F, Berec L, Gascoigne J (2008) Allee effects in ecology and conservation. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cucchi T (2008) Uluburun shipwreck stowaway house mouse: molar shape analysis and indirect clues about the vessel’s last journey. J Archaeol Sci 35:2953–2959

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dilks PJ, Towns DR (2002) Developing tools to detect and respond to rodent invasions of islands: workshop report and recommendations. Department of Conservation, Wellington

    Google Scholar 

  • Dowding JE, Lovegrove TG, Ritchie J, Kast SN, Puckett M (2006) Mortality of northern New Zealand dotterels (Charadrius obscurus aquilonius) following an aerial poisoning operation. Notornis 53:235–239

    Google Scholar 

  • Farabollini F, File SE, Johnston AL, Wilson CA (1987) An analysis of sex differences in the open field and tests of exploration and anxiety. Br J Pharmacol 90:265

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgerald BM, Karl BJ, Moller H (1981) Spatial organisation and ecology of a sparse population of house mice (Mus musculus) in a New Zealand forest. J Anim Ecol 50:489–518

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frafjord K (2016) Influence of reproductive status: home range size in water voles (Arvicola amphibius). PLoS ONE 11:e0154338

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gabriel S, Johannesdottir F, Jones E, Searle J (2010) Colonization, mouse-style. BMC Biol 8:131

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Goldwater N (2007) Ecology of house mice within the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary. Master of Science in Environmental Science Unpublished Thesis, The University of Auckland, New Zealand

  • Goldwater N, Perry GLW, Clout MN (2012) Responses of house mice to the removal of mammalian predators and competitors. Austral Ecol 37:971–979

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gosling SD (2001) From mice to men: what can we learn about personality from animal research? Psychol Bull 127:45–86

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Helmus MR, Mahler DL, Losos JB (2014) Island biogeography of the Anthropocene. Nature 513:543–546

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Howald GR, Donlan CJ, Galván JP, Russell JC, Parkes J, Samaniego A, Wang Y, Veitch D, Genovesi P, Pascal M, Saunders A, Tershy B (2007) Invasive rodent eradication on islands. Conserv Biol 21:1258–1268

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Innes J, Watts C, Fitzgerald NL, Thornburrow D, Burns B, MacKay J, Speedy C (2011) Behaviour of invader ship rats experimentally released behind a pest-proof fence, Maungatautari, New Zealand. In: Veitch CR, Clout MN, Towns DR (eds) Island invasives: eradication and management. IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Gland, pp 437–440

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones HP, Holmes ND, Butchart SHM, Tershy BR, Kappes PJ, Corkery I, Aguirre-Muñoz A, Armstrong DP, Bonnaud E, Burbidge AA, Campbell K, Courchamp F, Cowan PE, Cuthbert RJ, Ebbert S, Genovesi P, Howald GR, Keitt BS, Kress SW, Miskelly CM, Oppel S, Poncet S, Rauzon MJ, Rocamora G, Russell JC, Samaniego-Herrera A, Seddon PJ, Spatz DR, Towns DR, Croll DA (2016) Invasive mammal eradication on islands results in substantial conservation gains. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 113:4033–4038

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krebs CJ, Kenney AJ, Singleton GR (1995) Movements of feral house mice in agricultural landscapes. Aust J Zool 43:293–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lapeidra O, Schoener TW, Leal M, Losos JB, Kolbe JJ (2018) Predator-driven natural selection on risk-taking behavior in anole lizards. Science 360:1017–1020

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lidicker WZJ (1966) Ecological observations on a feral house mouse population declining to extinction. Ecol Monogr 36:27–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKay JWB, Russell JC, Murphy EC (2007) Eradicating mice from islands: successes, failures and the way forward. No. 27. In: Witmer GW, Pitt WC, Fagerstone KA (eds) Managing vertebrate invasive species: proceedings of an international symposium. USDA/APHIS/WA, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKay JWB, Murphy EC, Anderson SH, Russell JC, Hauber ME, Wilson DJ, Clout MN (2011) A successful mouse eradication explained by site-specific population data. In: Veitch CR, Clout MN, Towns DR (eds) Island invasives: eradication and management. IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Gland, pp 198–203

    Google Scholar 

  • McNab BK (1963) Bioenergetics and the determination of home range size. Am Nat 97:133–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mikesic DG, Drickamer LC (1992) Effects of radiotransmitters and fluorescent powders on activity of wild house mice (Mus musculus). J Mammal 73:663–667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison SA, Macdonald N, Walker K, Lozier L, Shaw MR (2007) Facing the dilemma at eradication’s end: uncertainty of absence and the Lazarus effect. Front Ecol Environ 5:271–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nathan HW, Clout MN, MacKay JWB, Murphy EC, Russell JC (2015) Experimental island invasion of house mice. Popul Ecol 57:363–371

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman DG (1994) Effects of a mouse, Mus musculus, eradication programme and habitat change on lizard populations of Mana Island, New Zealand, with special reference to McGregor’s skink, Cyclodina macgregori. N Z J Zool 21:443–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips RA (2010) Eradications of invasive mammals from islands: why, where, how and what next? Emu 110:i–vii

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pocock MJO, Hauffe HC, Searle JB (2005) Dispersal in house mice. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 84:565–583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pouliquen O, Leishman M, Redhead TD (1990) Effects of radio-collars on wild mice Mus domesticus. Can J Zool 68:1607–1609

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruscoe WA, Murphy EC (2005) House mouse. In: King CM (ed) The handbook of New Zealand mammals, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Auckland

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell JC, Towns DR, Anderson SH, Clout MN (2005) Intercepting the first rat ashore. Nature 437:1107

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Russell JC, McMorland AJC, MacKay JWB (2010a) Exploratory behaviour of colonizing rats in novel environments. Anim Behav 79:159–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell JC, Miller SD, Harper GA, MacInnes HE, Wylie MJ, Fewster RM (2010b) Survivors or reinvaders? Using genetic assignment to identify invasive pests following eradication. Biol Invasions 12:1747–1757

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samaniego-Herrera A, Anderson DP, Parkes JP, Aguire-Muñoz A (2013) Rapid assessment of rat eradication after aerial baiting. J Appl Ecol 50:1415–1421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singleton GR, Krebs CJ (2007) The secret world of wild mice. In: Fox JG et al (eds) The mouse in biomedical research, 2nd edn. Academic Press, Burlington

    Google Scholar 

  • St Clair JJH (2011) The impacts of invasive rodents on island invertebrates. Biol Conserv 144:68–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephens PA, Sutherland WJ (1999) Consequences of the Allee effect for behaviour, ecology and conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 14:401–405

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor LR, Woiwod IP, Perry JN (1978) The density-dependence of spatial behaviour and the rarity of randomness. J Anim Ecol 47:383–406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tennyson AJD, Taylor GA (1999) History, flora and fauna of Te Haupa (Saddle) Island, Hauraki Gulf. Tane 37:69–89

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorsen M, Shorten R, Lucking R, Lucking V (2000) Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) on Fregate Island, Seychelles: the invasion; the subsequent eradication attempts and implications for the island’s fauna. Biol Conserv 96:133–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tobin PC, Berec L, Liebhold AM (2011) Exploiting Allee effects for managing biological invasions. Ecol Lett 14:615–624

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Worton BJ (1989) Kernel methods for estimating the utilization distribution in home-range studies. Ecology 70:164–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

For permits and funding, we thank the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DoC). The Animal Ethics Committee of the University of Auckland approved this project. We are also grateful for assistance by H. Nathan and many others, for data sharing by N. Goldwater, and for comments by several colleagues, editors, and referees. MEH was supported by the Harley Jones Van Cleave Professorship of the University of Illinois during the preparation of this manuscript for publication.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    J. W. B. MacKay, J. C. Russell, M. N. Clout & M. E. Hauber

  2. Wildland Consultants Ltd, PO Box 46-299, Herne Bay, Auckland, New Zealand

    J. W. B. MacKay

  3. Department of Statistics, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    J. C. Russell

  4. Department of Conservation, Private Bag 4715, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand

    E. C. Murphy

  5. Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, 61801, USA

    M. E. Hauber

Authors
  1. J. W. B. MacKay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. C. Russell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. N. Clout
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. C. Murphy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. E. Hauber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. E. Hauber.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

MacKay, J.W.B., Russell, J.C., Clout, M.N. et al. See how they run: increased ranging behavior counters potential Allee effects in experimentally introduced house mice on an island. Biol Invasions 21, 1669–1681 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-01927-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-01927-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation