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Trends in Urban Rat Ecology: a Framework to Define the Prevailing Journal of Urban Ecology, 2017, 1–8 doi: 10.1093/jue/jux005 Commentary COMMENTARY Trends in urban rat ecology: a framework to define the Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jue/article/3/1/jux005/3870491 by guest on 02 December 2020 prevailing knowledge gaps and incentives for academia, pest management professionals (PMPs) and public health agencies to participate Michael H. Parsons,1,2,* Peter B. Banks,3 Michael A. Deutsch,4 Robert F. Corrigan,5 and Jason Munshi-South6 1Department of Biology, Hofstra University, 1000 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA, 2Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, 441 East Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458, USA, 3School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia, 4Arrow Exterminating Company, Inc., 289 Broadway, Lynbrook, NY 11563, USA, 5RMC Pest Management Consulting, Richmond, IN 47374, USA and 6Department of Biological Sciences, The Louis Calder Center—Biological Field Station, Fordham University, Armonk, NY 10504, USA *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Submitted: 23 January 2017; Received (in revised form): 21 March 2017; Accepted: 17 May 2017 Abstract City rats are among the most important but least-studied wildlife in urban environments. Their presence, compounded by the rate of human urbanization and effects of climate change, frequently bring potentially infectious organisms into contact with people and other wildlife. Urban rat control, however, is ineffective, largely because so little is known about their ecology. It is therefore, essential that we exploit new research avenues if we are to better understand and manage these risks. The hallmark of robust science includes replication at the level of the individual and urban landscape, allowing researchers to study behaviors and populations over time. However, unlike most wildlife, urban rats are confined to environments where there are numerous incentives to exterminate, but few reasons to study them. Thus, gaining access to rats presents an exceptional challenge for re- searchers. To address this problem, we first identified prevailing knowledge gaps in the literature and then used a five-step ‘wicked problem’ framework to define the issues, identify stakeholders, and systematically examine options for remediation. We discuss pest management professionals (PMPs) as an important conduit between private enterprise and the research community and suggest that businesses supporting research be rewarded through part-compensation, or allowances (credits) from the health department. This allows urban rats to be studied like all other ecological research subjects—in the field, while animals are alive. Appropriate incentives could enable scientists and PMPs to work together toward ‘smart’ ecologically based rodent manage- ment, hereby enhancing options for control while preparing for the challenges of continued urbanization. Key words: disease transmission, ecologically based rodent management (EBRM), Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus, urbanization, wicked problems VC The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 1 2|Journal of Urban Ecology, 2017, Vol. 3, No. 1 Introduction ecological knowledge-base that is not yet available due to the lack of science. Similarly, Makundi and Massawe (2011) have in- The present rate of human urbanization, compounded by climate dicated that an essential strategy for improved rat control is to change and inefficient rat control is leading to a proliferation of build scientific capacity. Yet, in the face of increasing popula- rodent-related risks (Harvell et al. 2002). From 2000 to 2030, the tion growth, at a time when more exotic vectors are carried global human population is expected to grow by 2.2-billion, with across borders—researchers are finding deeply rooted knowl- 2.1 billion of this increase in urban areas (Cohen 2003). By 2050, edge gaps that persist generationally across the urban rat be- almost 70% of all people will live in cities. These densely packed havior and ecology literature (Banks and Hughes 2012; Feng and cities will inevitably proliferate the resources that support com- Himsworth 2014; Parsons et al. 2015; Cornwall 2016). mensal or anthropo-dependent wildlife (Hulme-Beaman et al. 2016), especially rodents (Childs et al. 1998). In 1982, commensal rodents already cost the world’s economy more than US$300 bil- The early literature lion (Stenseth et al. 2003). These costs, however, were estimated Classic field studies in the 1940s attempted to address a few of from food losses and did not factor the impact on native or these needs, but these studies employed methods that would Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jue/article/3/1/jux005/3870491 by guest on 02 December 2020 threatened wildlife (Banks and Hughes 2012; Smith, Dickman, likely be no longer feasible today due to ethical and logistical and Banks 2016), fires of unknown origin (from gnawing of wires; concerns. For instance, Davis, Emlen, and Stokes (1948) marked, Pimentel, Zuniga, and Morrison 2005), or the lack of medical as- released and recaptured dozens of wild rats in Baltimore, USA, says to directly associate rat-caused diseases with their vectors to determine how far they were moving. However, the practice (Corrigan 1997). By comparison, the number of deaths caused by of releasing rodents in the city would be seen as risky by con- air pollution, historically considered ‘extreme’, amount to US$225 temporary standards. His team later captured and released un- billion (Bank 2016). Compounding this problem, climate forecasts familiar rats into wild colonies to monitor whether they suggest an increasing trend in terrestrial temperatures survived or were expelled (Davis and Christian 1956). These (McMichael, Woodruff, and Hales 2006), resulting in longer warm studies would often result in immigrants being mauled in vio- seasons and shorter cool seasons (Gray et al. 2009). These sea- lent conflicts with resident animals. Calhoun (1948) mitigated sonal changes limit the cold-stress that influences the range and these risks by capturing and maintaining urban rats in captivity. distribution of insects and arachnids (Bale and Hayward 2010). He was particularly interested in learning the point at which an- Taken together, these trends suggest rodents will be exposed to imals must either emigrate or attack each other when deprived more people, while the arthropod fauna and infectious organisms of food, potentially valuable information. Yet captive animals they vector will persist longer (Lau et al. 2010). Conversely, hu- rapidly lose their wild-type behaviors from both acclimation to mans are increasingly vectoring antimicrobial resistant microbes new conditions and rapid genetic adaptation (Calhoun 1950). back into wildlife via rodents and rodent-predators (Vittecoq et al. Furthermore, like the other classic experiments, one would also 2016). The science behind mitigating these expenses and risks (e.g. be hard-pressed to run such experiments within contemporary efficient rat control and pathogen monitoring) has not progressed animal ethics guidelines (Sikes and Gannon 2011). As we move as fast as the wildlife are evolving (Himsworth et al. 2013b). forward, ethical concerns will become even more prominent as Traditional methods for rat control have been ineffective in rodents become linked to pro-social behaviors (e.g. the possible the urban landscape, as evidenced by the low confidence rodent ability of rats to experience social empathy, contentment, re- control experts have for poison control over the long-term morse and sorrow (Bartal et al. 2014; Langford and de C (Himsworth et al. 2013a). Following decades of traditional Williams 2014; Sivaselvachandran et al. 2016). approaches to Integrated Pest Management (IPM), metropolitan areas such as Baltimore, MD, USA, have as many rats today as they did in the 1950s— despite improvements in both income Prominent knowledge gaps and human density (Easterbrook et al. 2005). These concerns Owing to logistical difficulties, there has been waning interest have been recognized for over two decades. In 1996, the Board in studying urban rats. It has been over 40 years since Jackson of Agriculture of the US-based National Research Council sug- (1972) called for behavioral-based rodent control applications, gested that IPM plans were not faithful to their underlying prin- and 30 years since Macdonald (1985) suggested pheromones ciples (Singleton et al. 1999a). Three theoretical problems have might be used to disrupt rat mating tactics—if only we under- been commonly cited. (1) As long as rat populations have access stood how rats respond to scents in the urban environment. to food and harborage, they rapidly rebound from any void in Since this time ecologists have identified a number of persistent their densities (Emlen, Stokes, and Winsor 1948). (2) By attempt- knowledge gaps in the literature. For instance, new research is ing to control rodents through poison baits, we place selective required to lend insights into rats’ decision-making metrics, pressure on them to evolve counter-mechanisms such as neo- gender and age-dependent behaviors, changes in behavior over phobia or resistance (Damin-Pernik et al. 2016; Takacs, time (e.g. disambiguating
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