Interesting/Little Known introduced populations

Lionfish (Pteoris miles) in the Mediterranean are not new but largely overlooked (with the Atlantic invasion receiving most of the attention (P. volitans)). Initial populations are thought to have arrived in the tankers of ships from the Red Sea, and warming waters facilitated their movement into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. This issue is dire as their range is quickly expanding further west. Although they are mostly seen in the south east and increasingly in the south western coasts of Turkey, they are projected to further expand towards European coasts in the near future.

I do not have 1 source on the subject, lots of information is available online.
 
Oriental turtle dove - it seems to have established itself (a flock of 60 birds was seen few days back) in Czech republic in vinicity of Nove Mlyny ponds, but there are sightings also further a field. While 10 years ago, it was rare, nowadays it´s pretty easy to twitch the species there. Origin are either escaped or released captive birds.

And update on Steller´s sea eagle in Czechia. While there used to be at least 2 escaped birds living wild here, nowadays only 1 remains. An adult bird (escaped as 1 of 2 immature birds from Prague zoo in 2017) that settled at fish ponds near town Chlum u Trebone. Several trials to catch it failed. Local ornitologists would like to get rid of it because it became territorial and disturbs white-tail sea eagle pairs to the point they are not able to raise chicks at the locality anymore. The Steller´s itself tried to build own nest with a white-tailed one this season but it led nowhere.
 
Here's a rather interesting case of a small introduced species has changed predator-prey dynamics among large mammals.

The big-headed ant Pheidole megacephala has recently colonised the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, and has disrupted the mutualism between whistling-thorn trees Vachellia drepanolobium and native acacia ants Crematogaster spp. This has left the trees more vulnerable to browsing by elephants and resulted in the habitat becoming more open. This has in turn forced lions in the area to switch from mainly preying on zebras, which are better able to detect their predators in the open landscape, to now feeding primarily on buffalo.

The abstract for the study can be seen here:
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126...dtAw5xnSFHVPtJoxsq7r6C6A9uRoCzX7PbURVWaYSazU8
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Here's a rather interesting case of a small introduced species has changed predator-prey dynamics among large mammals.

The big-headed ant Pheidole megacephala has recently colonised the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, and has disrupted the mutualism between whistling-thorn trees Vachellia drepanolobium and native acacia ants Crematogaster spp. This has left the trees more vulnerable to browsing by elephants and resulted in the habitat becoming more open. This has in turn forced lions in the area to switch from mainly preying on zebras, which are better able to detect their predators in the open landscape, to now feeding primarily on buffalo.

The abstract for the study can be seen here:
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126...dtAw5xnSFHVPtJoxsq7r6C6A9uRoCzX7PbURVWaYSazU8
Click to expand...
I recently found a colony of Pheidole megacephala less than a mile from where I currently live. Bizarre that a tropical species has been able to established itself here.
 
Pertinax said:
I do like Egyptians, with the piratical eye patch, the bright colours and that steam-engine huffing noise the males make. They may be coming to you shortly anyway. They are already colonising East Dorset now so West Dorset may be next. A pair were photographed perched on the battlements of Corfe Castle recently...
Click to expand...
What do you call a crocodile with a colostomy?
 
Chlidonias said:
That is interesting.

According to this paper Field and experimental data indicate that the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is susceptible to infection with European brown hare syndrome (EBHS) virus and not with rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) virus | Veterinary Research | Full Text they were introduced to "various European countries including France (1953), Spain (1980), Switzerland (1982) and Italy"
Click to expand...
And also to Cuba, where the introduced rabbits established on the island were assumed to be European Rabbits but this study found that all examined individuals were Eastern Cottontails:
Taxonomic identity of invasive rabbits in Cuba: first record of Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus (Mammalia: Lagomorpha)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top