Tracking Invasive Animals with Electronic Tags to Assess Risks and Develop Management Strategies
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Biol Invasions (2016) 18:1219–1233 DOI 10.1007/s10530-016-1071-z PERPECTIVES AND PARADIGMS Tracking invasive animals with electronic tags to assess risks and develop management strategies Robert J. Lennox . Gabriel Blouin-Demers . Andrew M. Rous . Steven J. Cooke Received: 4 July 2015 / Accepted: 11 February 2016 / Published online: 20 February 2016 Ó Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 Abstract Invasive species alter ecosystem structure Keywords Telemetry Á Tagging Á Electronic tag Á and function when they establish in new habitats. Monitoring Á Invasive animals Although preventing or managing invasions is extre- mely important for maintaining biodiversity, doing so is difficult and requires efficient intervention. Remote Introduction monitoring of free-living animals with electronic tags (i.e. tags that transmit data remotely or log them for Monitoring individual animals is fundamental to the future retrieval) can contribute important knowledge study of natural history, ecology, animal behaviour, about invasive animal biology. A quantitative litera- and physiological ecology (Cooke et al. 2004; Patter- ture review identified instances in which electronic son et al. 2008; Spicer and Gaston 2009). Observations tagging has contributed to studying invasions. Elec- provide information about physiological processes, tronic tags were generally used for one of four individuals, populations, and communities that are purposes: (1) characterize spatial ecology; (2) identify necessary for effective management and conservation. interactions; (3) assess risk potential; or (4) evaluate Time and space constrain the ability of biologists to management options. Overall, electronic tags have make direct observations on animals, but the devel- considerable potential for developing, refining, and opment of electronic tagging tools (i.e. biotelemetry evaluating invasion management strategies that con- and biologging devices) has provided a method for tribute to conservation efforts. We explore the role of remote monitoring of free-living animals (Cooke et al. electronic tags as a component of integrated control 2004; Rutz and Hays 2009). Electronic tags can be program design and implementation for invasive attached or implanted to provide information about an animals. animal’s behaviour and physiology by logging infor- mation for later retrieval or by transmitting informa- tion to a receiver (including satellites) that R. J. Lennox (&) Á A. M. Rous Á S. J. Cooke communicates with the tag. These electronic tags Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, have generated ecological information that is not easy Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, to obtain via direct observation and have provided Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada insight into animal ecology that has been useful for a e-mail: [email protected] variety of basic and applied research and management programs (e.g., Cooke 2008; Hussey et al. 2015; G. Blouin-Demers Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie- Wilmers et al. 2015; Wilson et al. 2015). Despite these Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada advances, it is unclear to what extent electronic 123 1220 R. J. Lennox et al. tagging is used in the study of biological invasions, an and to the testing of potential control protocols before ecological problem that is considered a major con- implementation. tributor to the global biodiversity crisis (Gurevitch and Whether non-native species pose risks to local Padilla 2004). ecosystems is a prominent conservation concern Invasive animals are those that have been intro- because of the damaging impacts these species have duced beyond their native range and successfully when they become invasive. However, invasions are a survive, reproduce, spread, and may have negative multi-stage process and conservation efforts can suffer impacts on native communities where they have when monitoring individuals is difficult, particularly established (Box 1). The establishment of an invasive early on when intervention is most important. Given species in an ecosystem can lead to the erosion of the rapid expansion of electronic tagging technology ecological linkages among species by introducing new and its applicability for many conservation problems competition for resources or inciting antagonistic (Cooke 2008), we wondered whether and how elec- interactions such as predation or parasitism between tronic tags are being used for addressing this conser- invasive and native animals. Information about the vation problem. In this review, we evaluate the role behaviour (Holway and Suarez 1999) and the physi- that electronic tagging plays in invasive animal ology (Lennox et al. 2015) of invasive species is species research to determine the extent to which important for understanding their interactions within electronic tagging is integrated within such research, novel environments. For example, introduced animals and to identify opportunities for further integration as must rapidly adapt to locally available sources of food biological invasions continue to represent a prevalent and shelter and to locally abundant predators while conservation issue. maintaining contact with a small number of con- specifics for reproduction to establish as invasive species (Henry et al. 2013). These challenges require Approach behavioural acclimatization and the ability to do so indicates the likelihood that an animal will become Relevant literature for a quantitative review was invasive. Additionally, invasion success is a function identified in Thomson’s Web of Science database of physiological acclimatization, or the ability to (Thomson Scientific 2014). Web of Science was perform under local climatic conditions (e.g., Braby selected because it is comprehensive, has inter-search and Somero 2006). The behavioural and physiological repeatability, allows the incorporation of Boolean data that are useful for answering the fundamental operators within the search phrase, provides filters to questions about animal invasions can be obtained from remove spurious hits, and gives the option to down- free-living animals using electronic tags. Such infor- load results for quantitative analysis. However, Web mation is especially useful for developing and imple- of Science searches have limited searching power menting management strategies that aim to assess the because the engine searches only article topics for consequences of invasive animals at various stages of search terms (i.e. title, abstract, keywords, keywords an invasion (see Blackburn et al. 2011), as well as to plus; Thomson Scientific 2014). Therefore, the Web of predict, prevent, and control biological invasions. Science is useful to assess trends using quantitative Managing biological invasions calls for an inte- analysis, but does not provide exhaustive lists of grated approach based on scientific evidence about the literature for a comprehensive literature review. To biology of the invasive species. Electronic tags add to our review, we therefore performed auxiliary represent a valuable tool for studying invasions and searches using Google Scholar to identify the maxi- developing interventions by enabling rapid and accu- mum number of potentially relevant articles related to rate assessments of free-living animals. Indeed, elec- invasive species and telemetry. Whereas results from tronic tagging can provide information about the the auxiliary search are incorporated throughout the behaviour and physiology of animals to document manuscript, data for the quantitative analysis and movement patterns and habitat preferences, and model corresponding figures are restricted to the Web of interactions between invasive and native species in a Science results to ensure repeatability. new range. Resulting data can contribute to predic- Web of Science was searched for quantitative tions about whether the species will become invasive review materials on March 31 2014 for articles 123 Tracking invasive animals with electronic tags to assess risks 1221 containing words in the topic indicating research was native species, assessing invasion risks posed by non- being conducted on invasive animals (invas* and/or native species, and testing preventive or control ‘‘non-native’’ and/or alien and/or ‘‘non-indigenous’’ mechanisms for managing invasive species (Box 1). and/or ‘‘foreign species’’). Additionally, topic words The qualitative review expands on the findings from indicating that the study involved the use of electronic the Web of Science search by incorporating additional tags (telem* and/or biotelem* and/or tag* and/or studies that were not identified in the quantitative *logg* and/or track* and/or GPS (global positioning review, but that fit into the four categories that we system) and/or ‘‘global positioning’’ and/or transmitt* identified. and/or transpond* and/or radio and/or VHF and/or ‘‘very high frequency’’ and/or acoustic and/or ultra- sonic and/or PIT) were queried (Table 1; see also Findings Cooke et al. 2013). The results from Web of Science were refined to include results only up to the end of the Quantitative literature review year 2013 and only from the following disciplines: ecology, marine/freshwater biology, fisheries, zool- Our search of the Web of Science yielded 96 peer- ogy, biodiversity conservation, and environmental reviewed research articles that implemented electronic sciences. All resulting articles were considered after tags to study free-living invasive animals, often in the