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Modeling co-occurrence between toxic prey and naïve predators in an incipient invasion

Biodiversity and Conservation volume 25, pages 2723–2741 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Biological invasions can represent important threats to endemic species, including those within the invaders’ food webs. The Asian common toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) was introduced to Madagascar in 2011. This introduction presents a potentially dangerous prey item to a relatively naïve, highly diverse endemic carnivore fauna. Using a multivariate niche modeling approach (background test), we assessed the predicted niche overlap between D. melanostictus and six endemic carnivores in eastern Madagascar. The overlap between this potential prey and predators was assessed on four environmental niche axes: temperature, precipitation, vegetation cover and elevation. Our results showed a mixture of niche overlap and divergence between D. melanostictus and the six carnivores for environmental axes tested. There was significant overlap with five of the carnivores on temperature and NDVI axes. On the precipitation axis, there was significant overlap between D. melanostictus with two species. Our results suggested that wide-ranging, locally rare carnivores may overlap extensively with D. melanostictus. The six carnivores that inhabit the eastern rainforest of Madagascar will likely share multiple, niche axes with this novel potential prey item. Species that eat the non-native common toad and are susceptible to its toxins are at conservation risk because their populations may not be robust enough to adapt quickly to this threat. We advocate closely monitoring these emerging interactions and suggest a preemptive conservation strategy for carnivores potentially at risk.

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Acknowledgments

The non-TEAM carnivore occurrence data from Ranomafana National Park and the carnivore data from Ialatsara and Matsinjo were collected by BDG, SK, and Johny Randrianantenaina as part of BDG’s Masters Thesis with funding provided by Virginia Tech, National Geographic Society Committee on Research and Exploration, Sigma Xi Virginia Tech Master’s Degree and Grants-in-Aid Awards, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, and Burd Sheldon McGinnes Graduate Fellowship. Carnivore data from the Makira-Masoala region were collected by ZJF, in collaboration with SK and MJK, with funding from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Idea Wild, National Geographic Society-Waitts grant (#W96-10), Peoples Trust for Endangered Species, Virginia Tech Chapter of Sigma Xi, Virginia Tech Department of Fish & Wildlife, and logistical and financial support from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Madagascar Program. Carnivore data from the Betampona Strict Reserve was collected by FR and funding for these surveys was provided by Saint Louis Zoo Wildcare Institute and the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center.

Author’s contribution

KAB, ZJF, and SEJ developed the concept for the manuscript; KAB and GY performed the analyses; ZJF, BDG, FR, SK, MJK, JCR, EL and PCW collected the data; KAB, ZJF, SEJ, GY, BDG, FR, SK, MJK, JCR, EL and PCW contributed to writing; KAB, ZJF and SEJ led the writing.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Geography and Geology, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 2EE, UK

      Kerry A. Brown & Gabriel Yesuf

    2. Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 101 Rouse Life Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

      Zach J. Farris, Sarah Karpanty & Marcella J. Kelly

    3. Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

      Brian D. Gerber

    4. Department of Biology, University of Missouri – St. Louis, One University Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63121, USA

      Fidisoa Rasambainarivo

    5. Centre ValBio, Ranomafana, Madagascar

      Jean Claude Razafimahaimodison, Eileen Larney & Patricia C. Wright

    6. Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA

      Patricia C. Wright

    7. Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

      Steig E. Johnson

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    Communicated by Dirk Sven Schmeller.

    Kerry A. Brown, Zach J. Farris contributed equally to this work.

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    Brown, K.A., Farris, Z.J., Yesuf, G. et al. Modeling co-occurrence between toxic prey and naïve predators in an incipient invasion. Biodivers Conserv 25, 2723–2741 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1198-3

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    Keywords

    • Asian common toad
    • Background test
    • Carnivores
    • Ecological niche models
    • Invasive alien species
    • Madagascar