ISEBI · Individual Specialisation in Established Biological Invasions: importance and Ecological Impact
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2017-12-01 → 2020-11-30
- EU contribution
- €263,943
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Individual Specialisation in Established Biological Invasions: importance and Ecological Impact
Differences among individuals are the substance on which natural selection acts. However, little is known about how individual traits influence invasion dynamics, to the extent that it has been argued that either bold, aggressive, highly competitive individuals, or individuals that are shy or cautious, and less competitive, may make successful invaders. Thus empirically identifying the constituent individual traits of successful invaders is key; but what is also missing is an understanding of the consequences of any such individual variation among invasive individuals for the native biota and communities. This information is vital for informing management actions. This project utilises a natural experiment across invaded islands to determine the extent, covariance and persistence of individual variation across multiple traits (dietary, behavioural and cognitive) simultaneously in two invasive rat species in the wild. This approach explicitly tests how the fundamental ecological processes of competition and predation affect successful trait combinations, and will identify specific trait combinations, i.e. individual phenotypes, that cause particular individuals to have disproportionate impacts on native biota within an invasive species. The project examines hypotheses untested in either invasive species, or individuals of any species in natural contexts. This work has revealed substantial inter- and intra-specific variation in behavioural traits that have the potential to be exploited to achieve management objectives. The field research component of this project and its results have contributed to the design of experimental work that forms a component of a multi-million dollar grant awarded to the crown research institute Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua that is investigating the last survivors of eradication programs. Leveraging personality differences in these 'last 10%' to successfully remove them will ensure significant progress is made towards Predator Free 2050, New Zealand's 'moonshot' of eradicating numerous invasive mammalian predators. Success here will both inspire and enable advances in techniques around the world addressing this global problem.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Differences between individuals are the substance on which natural selection acts; and individual variation has been identified in many ecological dimensions including diet, habitat use and other behavioural traits. It is therefore surprising that this variation is rarely considered within an invasion biology framework, particularly given the enormous biological and economic costs imposed by established invasive species – those introduced by humans that aggressively expand outside their native range. Little is known about how individual traits influence established invasions, to the extent that it has been argued that either bold, highly competitive individuals, or individuals that are cautious and less aggressive, may be successful. The impacts of different individual invader phenotypes as risks for native biota are also largely unknown, yet this knowledge is key for effective management. This project will, for the first time, determine: i) the extent, covariance and persistence of variation in multiple traits (dietary, behavioural and cognitive) in individual invasive rats simultaneously and in the wild; ii) the impact of the fundamental ecological processes of competition and predation on effective trait combinations i.e. individual phenotypes; iii) the consequences of different phenotypes for native biota. With invasion rates continuing to increase globally, this multidisciplinary approach draws upon cutting-edge techniques from behavioural ecology, comparative psychology, conservation and invasion biology. It provides novel empirical tests of theory, examining hypotheses untested in individual invaders or individuals of any species in natural contexts. The results will have important implications for theoretical understanding of natural selection, and will integrate individual and community processes in the study of invasive species. They will also be of major importance for applied conservation management actions addressing a key EU and global problem.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER · ExeterCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
- THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND · AucklandNew Zealand
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union