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Novel Trophic Cascades: Apex Predators

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Novel Trophic Cascades: Apex Predators Opinion Novel trophic cascades: apex predators enable coexistence 1 2 3,4 Arian D. Wallach , William J. Ripple , and Scott P. Carroll 1 Charles Darwin University, School of Environment, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia 2 Trophic Cascades Program, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA 3 Institute for Contemporary Evolution, Davis, CA 95616, USA 4 Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA Novel assemblages of native and introduced species and that lethal means can alleviate this threat. Eradica- characterize a growing proportion of ecosystems world- tion of non-native species has been achieved mainly in wide. Some introduced species have contributed to small and strongly delimited sites, including offshore extinctions, even extinction waves, spurring widespread islands and fenced reserves [6,7]. There have also been efforts to eradicate or control them. We propose that several accounts of population increases of threatened trophic cascade theory offers insights into why intro- native species following eradication or control of non-na- duced species sometimes become harmful, but in other tive species [7–9]. These effects have prompted invasion cases stably coexist with natives and offer net benefits. biologists to advocate ongoing killing for conservation. Large predators commonly limit populations of poten- However, for several reasons these outcomes can be inad- tially irruptive prey and mesopredators, both native and equate measures of success. introduced. This top-down force influences a wide range Three overarching concerns are that most control efforts of ecosystem processes that often enhance biodiversity. do not limit non-native species or restore native communi- We argue that many species, regardless of their origin or ties [10,11], control-dependent recovery programs typically priors, are allies for the retention and restoration of require indefinite intervention [3], and many control biodiversity in top-down regulated ecosystems. efforts have had costly unintended consequences [4]. The eradication of non-native cats (Felis catus) from offshore Context determines ecological effect islands of Australia and New Zealand led to irruptions Globalization has weakened barriers that previously of non-native rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and rats bound species within distinct biogeographical regions, (Rattus exulans), harming native vegetation and bird popu- transforming historic communities into unprecedented lations [12,13]. Control of the non-native red fox (Vulpes novel ecosystems [1]. The spread of species into new areas vulpes) has likewise released rabbits and cats on mainland has generated alarm amongst conservation managers and Australia, with negative impacts on vegetation and small biologists, in particular when associated with the decline vertebrates [14]. Lastly, short-term increases of threat- and extinction of native species. Major efforts have thus ened populations do not guarantee recovery. For example, ensued to control or eradicate non-native species world- lethal control of red foxes for the recovery of woylies wide [2]. Nevertheless, most introduced species cannot (Bettongia penicillata) in southwestern Australia was realistically be eradicated [3] and many offer benefits initially a tremendous success, but the marsupial subse- [4]. We outline how the influence of non-native species quently crashed, possibly due to disease and cat predation can be context-specific, and modified by the presence of [15]. large (apex) predators. Trophic cascade theory highlights Biologists are increasingly questioning the merits of how apex predators shape ecosystems by limiting popula- the native–non-native dichotomy, and there is growing tion densities of their prey and smaller predators. Many recognition that eradication is often not viable or even apex predators have been eliminated locally or globally desirable [2]. Many non-native species benefit biodiversi- [5]. Their repatriation can shift the ecological context that ty, sometimes substituting for the ecological roles of ex- influences non-native ecologies, and enhance native–non- tinct taxa, and their eradication can harm the native native coexistence (Box 1). species we wish to protect [4,16]. Bird species introduced to Hawaii are promoting the recovery of several native Resisting novel ecosystems plants by dispersing their seeds [17], and North American Killing non-native species constitutes a substantial com- crayfish are assisting the recovery of threatened predators ponent of conservation efforts worldwide, reflecting the in Spain [18]. Environmental change can also generate view that introduced species threaten native species, novel interactions among native species, akin to those normally associated with non-native species [19]. For ex- Corresponding author: Wallach, A.D. ([email protected]). Keywords: apex predator; invasive species; top-down regulation. ample, climate warming has increased the impacts of 0169-5347/ native American bark beetles on their native conifer hosts, ß 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.01.003 greatly increasing death rates across vast western regions of the continent [20]. 146 Trends in Ecology & Evolution, March 2015, Vol. 30, No. 3 Opinion Trends in Ecology & Evolution March 2015, Vol. 30, No. 3 Box 1. Trophic cascades shines a new light on invasion impacts can be grouped roughly into ten major categories: biology they compete with natives (63%), prey on natives (30%), cause agricultural losses (21%), are agents and transmit- Ecologists have long debated the predominance of resource ters of disease (16%), damage equipment and disrupt availability (bottom-up) versus predation (top-down) as drivers of populations. Over the past two decades the consequences of valued human activities (10%), graze natives (8%), alter removing and repatriating apex predators have been studied across fire regimes (7%), cause soil loss and alter soil properties the globe, in a variety of habitats, and with a diversity of taxa (6%), and sting or poison humans and wildlife (5%) [36]. Consistent patterns have emerged demonstrating that apex (Table 1). predators structure ecosystems by limiting population irruptions of The IUCN does note some positive aspects of 69 of the both native and introduced species [37,52]. Apex predators are large-bodied predators that occupy the World’s Worst, although these are primarily focused on highest trophic level. These include, for example, large (>13– human use and tend to be taxonomically biased (Table 1). 16 kg) members of the Carnivora [41], and large (>3 m) sharks The values of these species to their recipient ecosystems [40]. Apex predators structure communities by limiting prey and thus remain an important topic of research [16]. For in- mesopredator densities, which can otherwise increase to the point that they severely diminish their resources. Ecosystems devoid of stance, across its non-native range the lantana shrub apex predators tend to experience high grazing and predation (Lantana camara) provides a broad variety of benefits pressure, a process that can cascade further to alter the ecological by promoting the regeneration of some native plant spe- community and shift ecosystems to alternative states [5,36]. cies, improving soil retention, and providing habitat for Trophic cascades theory is well suited to the study of invasion native animals, together with a range of medical uses and biology because both are concerned with the drivers and con- sequences of population irruptions, and both illustrate how species opportunities for local economies [11]. interactions can lead to shifts in ecological states [36,61]. State- The ability to move as the environment changes can shifts triggered by the loss of apex predators causing irruptions of determine whether species persist or perish [28]. Several non-native species have been documented on land (e.g., [37]) and at species that are declared pests in their introduced range sea (e.g., [62]). In addition, the focal species in both disciplines (apex are threatened or even extinct in their native range. The predators and non-native species) are subjected to lethal control that can lead to unintended deleterious outcomes [4,5]. ecosystems into which the World’s Worst have been intro- duced provide important habitat for those that are threat- ened in their native ranges. The conservation status of In the following we draw on trophic cascade theory to 33 of the World’s Worst has been assessed for the IUCN’s offer an alternative view on the reasons why some intro- Red List of Threatened Species, of which four (12%) fall duced species, in some contexts, have net harmful effects. within the threatened categories (common carp Cyprinus We focus on those introduced species considered to be carpio, rabbit, tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus, and wild particularly damaging, and argue that, depending on con- goat Capra aegagrus). Other species, such as red deer text, they too can provide net benefits. Apex predators limit (Cervus elaphus), although not threatened globally, are population irruptions of both native and introduced species nonetheless threatened or extinct regionally. Retaining and can provide better outcomes than lethal control. In species in their introduced ranges, particularly in light particular, we emphasize the need to study how apex of predicted environmental change, could help decrease predators, and other environmental
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