University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln USDA National Wildlife Research Center Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species Symposia August 2007 IMPACTS OF INTRODUCED SPECIES ON AN ISLAND ECOSYSTEM: NON-NATIVE REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS IN THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS Renata J. Platenberg US Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife, St. Thomas,Virgin Islands, USA Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nwrcinvasive Part of the Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons Platenberg, Renata J., "IMPACTS OF INTRODUCED SPECIES ON AN ISLAND ECOSYSTEM: NON-NATIVE REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS IN THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS" (2007). Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species. 39. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nwrcinvasive/39 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the USDA National Wildlife Research Center Symposia at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. IMPACTS OF INTRODUCED SPECIES ON AN ISLAND ECOSYSTEM: NON-NATIVE REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS IN THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS RENATA J. PLATENBERG , US Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife, St. Thomas,Virgin Islands, USA Abstract: Island ecosystems are highly sensitive to the impacts of introduced species. Non-native invasive snakes, lizards, and amphibians can introduce diseases into native populations and have other deleterious effects through predation, competition, and habitat manipulation. The United States (US) Virgin Islands are situated on the Puerto Rican Shelf in the Caribbean Sea and have a long history of human impacts and species introductions. Two species, the green iguana ( Iguana iguana ) and the red-legged tortoise ( Geochelone carbonaria ) were historically introduced and have become naturalized with little apparent impact to the local ecosystem. Recent years, however, have seen the introduction of several highly invasive species that have proved to have severe impacts when introduced elsewhere, specifically the Cuban treefrog ( Osteopilus septentrionalis ), cane toad ( Bufo marinus ), and the red-eared slider ( Trachemys scripta ). The distribution of non-native herpetofauna has been documented on all main islands of the US Virgin Islands and potential routes for introduction and dispersal have been identified. Additional species are still being identified, having arrived via cargo shipments from other Caribbean ports. Key Words: colonization, dispersal, herpetofauna, island conservation, invasive species, US Virgin Islands. Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species: Proceedings of an International Symposium (G. W. Witmer, W. C. Pitt, K. A. Fagerstone, Eds). USDA/APHIS/WS, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO. 2007. INTRODUCTION Historically, the Virgin Islands have been Situated near the eastern terminus of the Greater important for human colonization and settlement. Antillean chain of islands in the northern Caribbean The first inhabitants are dated to about 1500 BC Sea, the United States (US) Virgin Islands (USVI) and limited agriculture was in practice by Pre- comprise four major inhabited islands and more Taino Indians by about 600 AD, with a heavy than 50 smaller offshore cays. St. Thomas, St. John, reliance on marine resources for food (Brewer and Water Island are the three main inhabited 2005). They likely brought familiar and reliable northern islands, located on the Puerto Rican Shelf food sources (e.g., tortoises and iguanas) from to the east of Puerto Rico, while St. Croix is on a island to island as they made their way along the separate shelf to the south. The islands are mostly Antillean chain. By the time Columbus volcanic in origin, with steep slopes and irregular “discovered” the islands in 1492, the Island Caribs coastlines, surrounded by coral reefs and seagrass had already become established on St. Croix and beds. The terrain is characterized by these steep throughout the region (Rogozi ń ski 1999). The hillsides with thin soils and a low permeability of ensuing centuries saw the elimination of the local underlying rock dominated by dry tropical forest. inhabitants with an expansion of European The highest elevation is on St. Thomas (474 m), colonists and extensive deforestation to make way which has an area of 74 km 2 and is the most for sugar cane plantations. Control of the Virgin densely populated of the islands (USDA-NRCS Islands passed from the Danish to the US in 1917, 1998). St. Croix (217 km 2) is more rural with who established a naval base active through World extensive agriculture, and St. John (50 km 2) enjoys War II. Tourism took off in the 1950s, and the the protection of the US National Park Service over USVI has become a major tourist destination noted approximately two-thirds of its area. Combined, all for tax-free shopping and marine recreation. offshore cays comprise about 3% (12 km 2) of the The demands for space by a rapidly growing territory’s area, most of which are designated population of over 100,000 people have resulted in wildlife refuges (Platenberg et al. 2005). The mild extensive loss and degradation of natural subtropical climate is influenced by easterly trade ecosystems in the USVI, especially on densely winds with little variation in average seasonal populated St. Thomas (Platenberg et al. 2005). temperatures (Rogozi ń ski 1999). Sprawling residential communities and commercial 168 centers have replaced or fragmented much of the unknown. They may have been quietly eating up all native forest. Resorts, condominiums, and marinas their competitors for some time before anyone have been constructed on coastal wetlands and noticed. These invaders are almost always marine recreational activities have damaged fragile accompanied by other compounding effects, such mangrove swamps, coral reefs, and seagrass beds. as habitat loss and fragmentation from development Human development has led to increased pollution, and agriculture, climate change, pollution, and particularly non-point source pollution that other direct and indirect influences. Although there ultimately contaminates wetlands and marine may be considerable anecdotal evidence attributing environments. The introduction of exotic and feral native species declines to a particular invader, animals and the spread of exotic landscaping plants actually proving this can be complicated. have had a major impact on wildlife and habitats. The non-native herpetofauna in the USVI can be Moreover, the natural ecosystems are subject to the grouped into three categories according to their effects of short- and long-term wet and dry climatic ostensible effect on native populations: high cycles, and to periodic disturbances from impact, presumed low impact, and unknown hurricanes. Most of the land within the USVI is impact. Each of these categories are discussed in divided into small privately-owned parcels that turn. make survey and implementation of conservation measures difficult. High Impact Species The Spanish and subsequent European High impact species are those recently colonizers introduced plants, animals, and introduced, deliberately or accidentally, via human pathogens from Europe, Africa, and South America mechanisms from outside the region, and that share (Rogozi ń ski 1999); the most detrimental to native ecological niches or otherwise interfere with native wildlife being the ship rat ( Rattus rattus ) and the species. Potential impacts include direct predation small Indian mongoose ( Herpestes javanicus ). of native species, competition for limited resources Some species arrived unnoticed during this early (e.g., breeding sites, prey), and disease period of international trade, such as the house transmission. These species may also present other gecko ( Hemidactylus mabouia ). Other widespread dangers to naïve species, through toxicity or other species undoubtedly took advantage of the impacts. Examples of high impact species in the increased dispersal opportunities to colonize new USVI include the Cuban treefrog, cane toad, and areas within the region. Recent improvements in corn snake. shipping, along with increasing human populations The Cuban treefrog has been present in the and demands for non-regional produce and USVI since the 1970s (MacLean 1982) and is landscaping and building materials, have enabled distributed across all three main islands (St. the dispersal of another group of opportunistic Thomas, St. John and St. Croix). This species is invaders (e.g., corn snake, Elaphe guttata , and native to Cuba and nearby islands, and is thought to Cuban treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis ). have invaded Florida, from where it has dispersed across the Caribbean. It arrived in the USVI as a HERPETOFAUNAL INTRODUCTIONS stowaway in horticultural plants and construction A full 25% of the extant native terrestrial materials, most likely from Florida. It exhibits herpetofauna in the USVI consists of non-native remarkable abilities for colonization, hitch-hiking species (Platenberg and Boulon 2006). Identifying on a variety of transportation methods (Meshaka the impacts of non-native reptiles and amphibians 1996b) and surviving under suboptimal and even on native communities is measurable in some cases, harsh conditions (Townsend et al. 2000). It is as in the case of the brown treesnake (Boiga omnivorous, and will eat anything it can shove into irregularis ) in Guam (e.g., Rodda and Fritts 1992, its mouth, including