“Italian Immigrants” Flourish on Long Island Russell Burke Associate Professor Department of Biology

“Italian Immigrants” Flourish on Long Island Russell Burke Associate Professor Department of Biology talians have made many important brought ringneck pheasants (Phasianus mentioned by Shakespeare. Also in the contributions to the culture and colchicus) to North America for sport late 1800s naturalists introduced the accomplishments of the United hunting, and pheasants have survived so small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javan- States, and some of these are not gen- well (for example, on Hofstra’s North icus) to the islands of Mauritius, Fiji, erally appreciated. Two of the more Campus) that many people are unaware Hawai’i, and much of the West Indies, Iunderappreciated contributions are that the species originated in China. Of supposedly to control the rat popula- the Italian wall lizards, Podarcis sicula course most of our common agricultural tion. Rats were crop pests, and in most and Podarcis muralis. In the 1960s and species — except for corn, pumpkins, cases the rats were introduced from 1970s, Italian wall lizards were imported and some beans — are non-native. The Europe. Instead of eating lots of rats, the to the United States in large numbers for mongooses ate numerous native ani- the pet trade. These hardy, colorful little mals, endangering many species and lizards are common in their home coun- Annual Patterns causing plenty of extinctions. They also try, and are easily captured in large num- 3.0 90 became carriers of rabies. There are 80 2.5 bers. Enterprising animal dealers bought 70 many more cases of introductions like them at a cut rate in Italy and sold them 2.0 60 these, and at the time the scientific 50 1.5 to pet dealers all over the United States. 40 community has either supported or 1.0 30 Not all of these lizards made it to home Lizards/survey-NY ignored them. Lizards/survey-Italy 20 terrariums, however — in at least four 0.5 In more recent years, as the list of 10 cities in North America, lizards escaped 0.0 0 introductions with disastrous results has J FMAMJ JA SOND and survived in suburban neighbor- Month grown, many scientists have vigorously hoods. One of these populations began Number of Podarcis sicula observed in surveys by month. Italian data opposed further species introductions. in Garden City, just a few miles west of from Foà et al. (1992b); New York data from Burke and Ner (2005). Invasive species are now recognized as Triangles represent average number of lizards at Italian site in 1988 Hofstra University. This population has (Foà et al., 1992b); circles and squares represent average number of one of the most important causes of spread in all directions, and recently the lizards at New York site in 1999 and 2000, respectively. native species endangerment and extinc- Italian lizards have been seen on the tion, and a considerable portion of con- Hofstra campus. servation resources worldwide are The scientific community’s view of two most common bird species in the devoted to combating the spread of the release (deliberate or accidental) of United States — starlings (Sturnus vul- invasive species. Invasive species hit us animals and plants into new places has garis) and English sparrows (Passer in the wallets as well. For example, changed over the years. In the past, domesticus) — were both introduced zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), a amateur and professional scientists often here from Europe. Starlings got their species originally from Europe, were actively promoted the introduction of beginning in Central Park in 1890, carried to the Great Lakes in the ballast foreign species into new habitats. For when someone decided that New York water of large ships. They have spread example, professional wildlife biologists should be home to all the bird species rapidly throughout lakes of the Midwest 14 HOFSTRAHORIZONS and eastern United States, now causing tions. We know Italian wall lizards are Long Island Rail Road property as a safe billions of dollars of damage annually to doing very well on Long Island because corridor, and spread into neighborhoods factory and power plant water intake there are many places where they are that border the tracks. Second, there are systems. Australian melaleuca very abundant, and there must be thou- people who deliberately release lizards (Melaleuca quinquenervia) trees were sands scattered throughout Long Island. in new places. That’s almost certainly brought to southern Florida in the early This all started when a small number of how lizards got to Leeds Pond Preserve 1900s to help dry up swamps, but have lizards were released from a pet shop on the north shore, The New York spread out of control, forming thick just off Hempstead Turnpike in Garden Botanical Garden, and Planting Fields forests that exclude all native trees. City in 1966. Six years later, according Arboretum in Oyster Bay. Finally, Melaleuca forests are so successful at to a Cornell University undergraduate lizards are moved accidentally by peo- absorbing ground water that they alter student doing a research project here, ple. For example, people moving mulch local water flow patterns and regional from areas where lizards are common climate. Because melaleuca bark is are probably also moving lizard eggs. highly flammable yet the trunk is fire Why have they done so well in resistant, lightning fires in melaleuca North America? Both species of wall forests quickly become extremely hot lizards have lived in urban and subur- crown fires that spread into natural ban parts of Italy for thousands of years, forests, clearing them of all vegetation and they really don’t live in any habitats and preparing them for further invasion in Italy that could be called natural any- by the surviving melaleucas. Gypsy more. They have adapted to living near moths (Porthetria dispar), originally humans; in fact, one of the places brought to the United States for silk they’re most common here is a nursery production, failed entirely in that school where people (especially chil- regard, but escaped from laboratories in dren) pass right in front of them all day. 1868. Since then they have become one The lizards carry on with their lives, of the most devastating forest pests in hunting and socializing, undisturbed our country, stripping the leaves of trees unless people get too close. Here on across millions of acres in the northeast Long Island, they have spread through and heading south through the neighborhoods where they can find Appalachian Mountains. As a result of shelter in which to hide, but near open these three species and many others, spaces where they can hunt for food. So U.S. taxpayers now spend $100-200 bil- far they have colonized suburban areas, lion annually to monitor, contain, and gardens and parks here — they don’t control invasive species. Scientists Photo by Bill Davis. ©2003 Newsday, Inc. Reprinted with permission. even seem to like more natural habitats today pay close attention to the spread on Long Island. of species, and work hard to limit fur- Two other reasons the lizards are ther introductions. Invasive species juvenile lizards were abundant, and the spreading quickly and building up large ecology is perhaps the most rapidly population was expanding. They had populations in their new country are growing subfield of ecology. spread out in a semicircular pattern to that they have no significant competi- Against this backdrop of introduc- about 1/4 mile from the original release tors or predators here. There are no tions causing ecological disaster, where site. Ten years later they had spread other lizard species on Long Island — do the scaly little Italian immigrants fit over 0.6 mile around the release site, none of the native species that exist in in? I am frequently asked whether the and by the early 1990s they were seen nearby New Jersey made it here, and no Italian wall lizards have a negative effect as much as 11/2 miles from the original other lizard species have been intro- on their new environment, like so many release site. Now they exist in some duced. And perhaps because there are other invasive species have. I’m asked large, more or less continuous popula- no other lizards here, there are really no this by gardeners who have them in tions spread throughout entire neigh- predators that specialize on lizards. In their gardens, homeowners who have borhoods in Nassau County, and a num- Italy, lizards are commonly eaten by a them in their basements, amateur her- ber of small isolated populations as far variety of snakes and birds. On Long petologists who want them in their west as The New York Botanical Garden Island, we have one snake species that backyards, and biologists who study in the Bronx and as far east as Hampton might occasionally eat lizards (milk invasive species generally. And another Bays on the beach. They are still snakes, Lampropeltis triangulum), but so common question is, How do they sur- spreading, mostly through three meth- far there is little overlap in the ranges of vive the cold Long Island winters? ods. First, they disperse on their own, milk snakes and wall lizards. I’ve seen My students and I have been work- primarily along power lines and railroad some of our common birds looking at ing on the answers to all of these ques- right-of-ways. They make good use of lizards, but there’s no evidence that HOFSTRAHORIZONS 15 birds eat lizards here. The one predator of any consequence here is cats, which also eat wall lizards in Italy. One Long Island homeowner showed me her prize lizard catcher — and a collection of lizard tails. The cat was not always fast enough to get entire lizards, but man- aged to get the tails of its escaping prey.

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