Invading and expanding: range dynamics and ecological consequences of the greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) invasion in Ireland

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dc.contributor.authorMcDevitt, Allan D.
dc.contributor.authorMontgomery, W. Ian
dc.contributor.authorTosh, David G.
dc.contributor.authorLusby, John
dc.contributor.authorReid, Neil
dc.contributor.authorWhite, Thomas A.
dc.contributor.authorMcDevitt, C. Damien
dc.contributor.authorO'Halloran, John
dc.contributor.authorSearle, Jeremy B.
dc.contributor.authorYearsley, Jon M.
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Council
dc.contributor.funderHeritage Council, Ireland
dc.contributor.funderGenetics Society, United Kingdom
dc.contributor.funderVincent Wildlife Trust, United Kingdom
dc.contributor.funderDepartment of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland
dc.contributor.funderDepartment of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Marine, Ireland
dc.contributor.funderKerry County Council
dc.contributor.funderCork County Council
dc.contributor.funderGalway County Council
dc.contributor.funderNorthern Ireland Environment Agency
dc.contributor.funderQueen's University Belfast
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-17T11:43:40Z
dc.date.available2016-02-17T11:43:40Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractEstablishing how invasive species impact upon pre-existing species is a fundamental question in ecology and conservation biology. The greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) is an invasive species in Ireland that was first recorded in 2007 and which, according to initial data, may be limiting the abundance/distribution of the pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus), previously Ireland's only shrew species. Because of these concerns, we undertook an intensive live-trapping survey (and used other data from live-trapping, sightings and bird of prey pellets/nest inspections collected between 2006 and 2013) to model the distribution and expansion of C. russula in Ireland and its impacts on Ireland's small mammal community. The main distribution range of C. russula was found to be approximately 7,600 km 2 in 2013, with established outlier populations suggesting that the species is dispersing with human assistance within the island. The species is expanding rapidly for a small mammal, with a radial expansion rate of 5.5 km/yr overall (2008-2013), and independent estimates from live-trapping in 2012-2013 showing rates of 2.4-14.1 km/yr, 0.5-7.1 km/yr and 0-5.6 km/yr depending on the landscape features present. S. minutus is negatively associated with C. russula. S. minutus is completely absent at sites where C. russula is established and is only present at sites at the edge of and beyond the invasion range of C. russula. The speed of this invasion and the homogenous nature of the Irish landscape may mean that S. minutus has not had sufficient time to adapt to the sudden appearance of C. russula. This may mean the continued decline/disappearance of S. minutus as C. russula spreads throughout the island.en
dc.description.sponsorshipIrish Research Council (Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship; Embark Scholarship); Genetics Society, United Kingdom (Heredity Fieldwork Grant)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionPublished Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleide100403
dc.identifier.citationMcDevitt AD, Montgomery WI, Tosh DG, Lusby J, Reid N, White TA, et al. (2014) Invading and Expanding: Range Dynamics and Ecological Consequences of the Greater White-Toothed Shrew (Crocidura russula) Invasion in Ireland. PLoS ONE 9(6): e100403. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0100403
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0100403
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.issued6en
dc.identifier.journaltitlePLOS ONEen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/2335
dc.identifier.volume9en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen
dc.rights© 2015 McDevitt et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are crediteden
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectSorex minutusen
dc.subjectPygmy shrewen
dc.subjectInterspecific competitionen
dc.subjectClethrionomys glareolusen
dc.subjectHabitat qualityen
dc.subjectBufo marinusen
dc.subjectCane toadsen
dc.subjectExpansionen
dc.subjectDispersalen
dc.subjectEvolutionen
dc.titleInvading and expanding: range dynamics and ecological consequences of the greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) invasion in Irelanden
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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