Biol Invasions DOI 10.1007/s10530-010-9911-8 ORIGINAL PAPER Can the introduction of Xenopus laevis affect native amphibian populations? Reduction of reproductive occurrence in presence of the invasive species Francesco Lillo • Francesco Paolo Faraone • Mario Lo Valvo Received: 7 January 2010 / Accepted: 15 November 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Abstract Biological invasions are regarded as a populations of Bufo bufo do not appear to be affected form of global change and potential cause of by the alien species. Since the Sicilian population of biodiversity loss. Xenopus laevis is an anuran X. laevis shows a strong dispersal capacity, propor- amphibian native to sub-Saharan Africa with strong tionate and quick interventions become necessary to invasive capacity, especially in geographic regions bound the detriment to the Sicilian amphibians with a Mediterranean climate. In spite of the world- populations. wide diffusion of X. laevis, the effective impact on local ecosystems and native amphibian populations is Keywords Xenopus laevis Á Alien invasive species Á poorly quantified. A large population of X. laevis Sicily Á Amphibians conservation Á occurs in Sicily and our main aim of this work was to Biological invasion assess the consequences of introduction of this alien species on local amphibian populations. In this study we compare the occurrence of reproduction of native amphibians in ponds with and without X. laevis, and Introduction before and after the alien colonization. The results of our study shows that, when X. laevis establishes a Biological invasions are regarded as a form of global conspicuous population in a pond system, the pop- change (Ricciardi 2007). Many human activities, ulations of Discoglossus pictus, Hyla intermedia and such as agriculture, aquaculture, recreation and Pelophylax synklepton esculentus show clear signs of transportation, are the cause of intentional or acci- distress and the occurrence of reproduction of these dental spread of species away from their natural native amphibians collapses. In contrast, the ranges of distribution (Gherardi et al. 2008). Although most new species fail to establish viable populations, those that persist can threaten native F. Lillo Á F. P. Faraone Á M. Lo Valvo (&) biodiversity and ecosystem functionality, and may Dipartimento di Biologia Animale ‘‘G. Reverberi’’, have detrimental effects on human health as well as Universita` di Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123 Palermo, Italy economic impacts (Kolar and Lodge 2001). Com- e-mail: [email protected] pared to terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems F. Lillo have proven particularly vulnerable to invasive alien e-mail: [email protected] species (Sala et al. 2000). F. P. Faraone The direct link between invasiveness and impact e-mail: [email protected] on the host ecosystems of an alien species is not 123 F. Lillo et al. easily demonstrable (Ricciardi and Cohen 2007). The African clawed frog is a proficient generalist Alien invasive species are among the main causes of predator, implicated in ingestion of endangered and global amphibian decline (Beebee and Griffiths 2005; rare species [e.g., Gasterosteus aculeatus williamsoni Kats and Ferrer 2003). The introduction of predatory (Tinsley and McCoid 1996); Eucyclogobius newber- fish, crustaceans and non-native amphibians can ryi (Lafferty and Page 1997)], as well as amphibians. strongly threaten the native amphibian populations For example, stomach contents of African clawed via competition, predation, diffusion of diseases or frogs have been found to have low numbers of Bufo other interactions (e.g., Garner et al. 2006; Hecnar boreas (one of 39 stomachs; Crayon 2005). Similarly, and M’Closkey 1997; Kats and Ferrer 2003). in a previous study on Sicilian populations of African After the American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbei- clawed frog, we recorded the presence of a Bufo bufo anus) and cane toad (Bufo (Chaunus) marinus), the tadpole among 306 stomachs examined (Faraone African clawed frog Xenopus laevis is probably the et al. 2008b). The African clawed frog is also invasive amphibian species with the greatest world- considered as the probable origin of the spread, and wide diffusion. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa and a vector of, the chytridiomycosis fungus Batracho- is a totally aquatic species that lives in most types of chytrium dendrobatidis (Weldon et al. 2004). Despite water bodies with preference for stagnant or still the aforementioned observations that lead to a waters in ponds or sluggish streams (Tinsley et al. legitimate concern for native species, few studies 1996). The African clawed frog has specific adapta- provide details of the impact of African clawed frogs tions to aquatic life, including retention of the lateral on host ecosystems, particularly local populations of line system in adults, aquatic chemoreceptors (Elepfandt amphibians. Since the discovery of African clawed 1996a, b; Elepfandt et al. 2000) and a body structure frogs in Italy in 2004 (Lillo et al. 2005), the need for particularly adapted for swimming (Videler and Jorna an in-depth investigation on the possible conse- 1985). However, it also has a remarkable ability to quences of its introduction on ecosystems is vital. migrate overland (Eggert and Foquet 2006; Faraone The aim of this study is to clarify if the establish- et al. 2008a; Measey and Tisley 1998). ment of an invasive population of African clawed The worldwide spread of the African clawed frog frogs influences native amphibian populations. Spe- is due to trade started in the 1930s. After the cifically, we aimed to evaluate: development of a pregnancy assay using African 1. The difference in the reproductive occurrence clawed frogs as a test animal, as well as its use as a and population structure of native amphibians in model in development biology (Gurdon 1996; Keller ponds with and without African clawed frogs and Lodge 2007; Weldon et al. 2007). The afore- 2. The change in reproductive occurrence of mentioned biological characteristics and strong amphibian assemblages during the colonization adaptability of the African clawed frog has resulted process of the African clawed frog in its success as an invasive species, particularly in 3. The trophic overlap between an aquatic native geographic regions with a Mediterranean climate amphibian and the African clawed frog. (Lobos and Measey 2002; Tinsley and McCoid 1996). Non-native and invasive populations of Afri- can clawed frog are present in the US states of Arizona and California (Crayon 2005), Ascension Materials and methods Island (Tinsley and McCoid 1996), Chile (Lobos and Measey 2002), France (Fouquet 2001), Wales Study area and amphibian species (Measey and Tisley 1998), Sicily (Lillo et al. 2005) and Portugal (Rebelo et al. 2010). Although many We conducted our study in the catchment basins of studies investigate the biology and the ecology of the rivers Belice Destro and Jato, Sicily, Italy. This African clawed frogs in their invasive environments area is 15 km wide (37°520–38°00N) and 27 km long (e.g., Fouquet and Measey 2006; Lobos and Jaksic (12°560–13°140E) and is mainly agricultural land, 2005; Measey and Tisley 1998), to our knowledge no cultivated with vineyards, olive groves and corn- studies examine the effects of this alien species on fields. It also includes a large reservoir (Lake Poma) populations of native amphibians. and hundreds of agricultural ponds with surface areas 123 Can the introduction of Xenopus laevis affect native amphibian populations? ranging between 100 and 2,000 m2. Faraone et al. sampling was repeated a few days later, otherwise the (2008a) showed that this region has a large invasive pond was discarded for the analysis. population of African clawed frog, with a distribution During 2007, to evaluate the consequences of the surface of *225 km2 in 2005. presence of African clawed frogs in the ponds, we The catchment basins include five native amphib- selected, between the 68 ponds sampled, 45 ponds ians: the common toad Bufo bufo, the endemic that appeared optimal for reproduction of native Sicilian green toad B. siculus, the painted frog amphibians. These ponds was divided in two groups: Discoglossus pictus, the Italian tree frog Hyla inter- one group of ponds included those impacted by the media and the Italian complex of green frog Pelo- presence of African clawed frogs (IMP; n = 26) and phylax synklepton esculentus. The agricultural ponds one group of control ponds without the alien species are important sites for reproduction of all these (CTR; n = 19). We compared the IMP and CTR amphibians except for the Sicilian green toad that is ponds (t test) about their environmental variables rare in agricultural ponds and prefers temporary (Table 1). ponds for reproduction (Sicilia et al. 2006), so our We used a v2 test to compare the different occur- study focuses on the other four native amphibians. rence of reproduction of native amphibians between IMP and CTR ponds. The number of ponds sampled Sampling and analysis for each species was the following: 26 IMP ponds and 18 CTR ponds for green frogs; 18 IMP ponds and On 34 occasions between 2005 and 2008, we 10 CTR ponds for common toads; 18 IMP ponds conducted sampling trips at 68 ponds within the and 11 CTR ponds for painted frogs; 17 IMP ponds study area. Each pond was sampled at least one time and 14 CTR ponds for Italian tree frogs. In the case of for season. During each sampling period we recorded no significant differences between IMP and CTR (1) the presence/absence of African clawed frogs in ponds we evaluated the difference of relative abun- the ponds, (2) the occurrence of reproduction of the dance of tadpoles collected by dipnets as described native amphibians in the same ponds, and (3) the by Scott and Woodward (1994). The method consists colonization of new ponds by African clawed frog of dragging the net (25 9 20 cm) for a note tract from year to year.