Ecology Colloquium Series - Aliens Among Us: How Exotic Predators Influence the Distribution of Native Species in Northeastern Madagascar

October 12, 2016 @ 01:20 pm to 02:10 pm

Asia Murphy, Penn State

301D Life Sciences

Across the world, the increased presence of exotic predators in ecological communities is negatively affecting native populations, particularly native prey species. Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot with high rates of endemism, but despite its importance, little research has examined how exotic predators influence the distribution of native prey species on the landscape. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted camera trap surveys at seven forest sites over multiple years (2008-2015) in Madagascars largest protected area complex, the Masoala-Makira landscape. We examined whether habitat features (e.g., percent rainforest cover), the presence of three exotic predators (domestic dog Canis familiaris, feral cat Felis silvestris, and small Indian civet Viverricula indica), or both factors influenced the landscape occupancy and detection probability of nine native ground-dwelling birds and small mammals using two-species occupancy models in program PRESENCE._ In most instances, habitat features were more important than exotic predator presence when explaining native ground-dwelling bird and small mammal occupancy probability. However, from three to five native species were detected less often where exotic predators occurred. Our findings emphasize the importance of acknowledging the influence of exotic predators on researchers abilities to detect native species, particularly when attempting to close knowledge gaps in the ecology of under-studied species.

Contact

Dr. David Eissenstat
dme9@psu.edu