Abstract
Interactions between invasive species can be difficult to predict and can result in unanticipated impacts of significance for native fauna. Here we show that introduced European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) create habitat that enables invasive redback spiders (Latrodectus hasselti Thorell, 1870) to establish and prey upon the nationally endangered, endemic Cromwell chafer beetle (Prodontria lewisii Broun, 1904). We examined the spatial relationship between rabbit holes and redback spider occurrence, recorded all prey caught in redback spider webs over a 4-month period, and tested the role rabbit holes play in providing habitat for redback spiders experimentally, by filling in rabbit holes in areas used by spiders and monitoring subsequent occupation of the areas over four months. Redback spiders predominately resided in old rabbit holes, with the highest densities of spiders coinciding with high densities of rabbit holes. Cromwell chafer beetles were commonly caught in webs. Filling in rabbit holes eliminated the presence of redback spiders at all treated sites and reduced prey capture in those areas. Conservation management to protect Cromwell chafer beetles should focus on eliminating rabbits and their holes from beetle habitat.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Australian Museum (2016) Animal species: redback spider, Latrodectus hasselti (On-line). http://australianmuseum.net.au/Redback-Spider/. Accessed 15 April 2015
Barratt BIP (2007) Conservation status of Prodontria (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) species in New Zealand. J Insect Conserv 11:19–27
Barratt BIP, Ferguson CM, Barton DM, Philip B (2014) Prodontria lewisii Broun (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): Population monitoring; optimising laboratory rearing, and progress on translocation experiment in the Cromwell Chafer Nature Reserve. Report for the Department of Conservation AgResearch Publication Number 195
Bergstrom DM, Lucieer A, Kiefer K, Wasley J, Belbin L, Pedersen TK, Chown SL (2009) Indirect effects of invasive species removal devastate World Heritage Island. J Appl Ecol 46(1):73–81
Biosecurity New Zealand (2007) Import risk analysis: vehicle and machinery. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Wellington
Bird P, Mutze G, Peacock D, Jennings S (2012) Damage caused by low-density exotic herbivore populations: the impact of introduced European rabbits on marsupial herbivores and Allocasuarina and Bursaria seedling survival in Australian coastal shrubland. Biol Invasions 14:743–755
Bryan SA, van Heezik Y, Vink CJ, Seddon PJ, Phillips CB, Barratt BIP (2015) Invasive redback spiders (Latrodectus hasselti) threaten an endangered, endemic New Zealand beetle (Prodontria lewisii). J Insect Conserv 19:1021–1027
Cooke BD (2012) Rabbits: manageable environmental pests or participants in new Australian ecosystems? Wildl Res 39:279–289
Eldridge DJ, Simpson R (2002) Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) impacts on vegetation and soils, and implications for management of wooded rangelands. Basic Appl Ecol 3:19–29
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) (2015) ArcGIS Desktop Help 10.3 Spatial Statistics Toolbox. http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/10.3/tools/spatial-statistics-toolbox/optimized-hot-spot-analysis.htm. Accessed 1 Dec 2015
Ferreira SM, McKinlay B (1999) Conservation monitoring of the Cromwell chafer beetle (Prodontria lewisii) between 1986 and 1997. Department of Conservation, Wellington
Ferreira SM, McKinlay B (2000) Recent vegetation trends at the Cromwell Chafer Beetle Nature Reserve. NZ J Bot 38:235–244
Ferreira SM, Ravenscroft NOM, McKinlay B (1999) Activity patterns and population characteristics of the New Zealand endemic Cromwell chafer, Prodontria lewisii (Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae). NZ J Zool 26:29–241
Forster L (1995) The behavioural ecology of Latrodectus hasselti (Thorell), the Australian redback spider (Araneae: Theridiidae): a review. Rec West Aust Mus Suppl 52:13–24
Gurevitch J (2006) Commentary on Simberloff: meltdowns, snowballs and positive effects. Ecol Lett 9(8):919–921
Hitchmough R, Bull L, Cromarty P (2005) New Zealand threat classification system lists. Department of Conservation, Wellington
IUCN Red List (2008) http://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed 20 Nov 2014
Kamimura K, Matsuse IT, Yoshida M (1998) Cold hardiness of Latrodectus hasselti (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Japan. Parasitol Int 47:283–389
Levine JM, Vilà M, D’Antonio CM, Dukes JS, Grigulis K, Lavorel S (2003) Mechanisms underlying the impacts of exotic plant invasions. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 270:775–781
Matsuse IT, Kamimura K, Yoshida M (1999) The tolerance of Latrodectus hasseltii (Araneae: Theridiidae) to low temperatures in Japan. Med Entomol Zool 50(1):71–73
Nihei N, Yoshida M, Kaneta H, Shimamaru R, Kobayashi M (2004) Analysis on the dispersal pattern of newly introduced Latrodectus hasseltii (Araneae: Theridiadae) in Japan by spider diagram. J Med Entomol 41:269–276
Norbury D (1996) The effect of rabbits on conservation values. Department of Conservation, Wellington
Norbury G (2001) Conserving dryland lizards by reducing predator-mediated apparent competition and direct competition with introduced rabbits. J Appl Ecol 38:1350–1361
Norbury G, Heyward R, Parkes J (2009) Skink and invertebrate abundance in relation to vegetation, rabbits and predators in a New Zealand ecosystem. NZ J Ecol 33:24–31
Ord JK, Getis A (1995) Local spatial autocorrelation statistics: distributional issues and an application. Geogr Anal 27(4):286–306
RStudio Team (2015). RStudio: integrated development for R. RStudio, Inc., Boston, MA. http://www.rstudio.com/
Simberloff D (2006) Rejoinder to: Don’t calculate effect sizes; study ecological effects. Ecol Lett 9(8):921–922
Simberloff D, van Holle B (1999) Positive interactions of non-indigenous species: invasional meltdown? Biol Invasions 1:21–32
Sinclair R (2005) Long-term changes in vegetation, gradual and episodic, on the TGB Osborn Vegetation Reserve, Koonamore, South Australia (1926–2002). Aust J Bot 53:283–296
Taylor RH (1979) How the Macquarie Island parakeet became extinct. NZ J Ecol 2:42–45
Vink CJ, Derraik JGB, Phillips CB, Sirvid PJ (2011) The invasive Australian redback spider, Latrodectus hasseltii Thorell 1870 (Araneae: Theridiidae): current and potential distributions, and likely impacts. Biol Invasions 13:1003–1019
Watt JC (1979) Conservation of the Cromwell chafer, Prodontria lewisii (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) species in New Zealand. J Insect Conserv 11:19–27
White EM, Wilson JC, Clarke AR (2006) Biotic indirect effects: a neglected concept in invasion biology. Divers Distrib 12(4):443–455
Acknowledgements
Thanks to the Alexandra Department of Conservation Office for logistical support and to Mike McConachie who provided technical help with ArcGIS.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Spencer, J., van Heezik, Y., Seddon, P.J. et al. Synergy between two invasive species, redback spiders and rabbits, threaten the endangered Cromwell chafer beetle. Biol Invasions 19, 1379–1387 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1352-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1352-6