Why invasive Patagonian beavers thrive in unlikely habitats: A demographic perspective
Understanding the demography of an invasive species is crucial to better guide managers seeking to slow the spread of the invader. Habitat differences can affect demographic rates, which may in turn impact the speed of the invasion, but this has been rarely addressed. We studied the demography of in...
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Acceso en línea: | https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00222372_v98_n1_p1_Pietrek http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00222372_v98_n1_p1_Pietrek |
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paper:paper_00222372_v98_n1_p1_Pietrek2023-06-08T14:47:39Z Why invasive Patagonian beavers thrive in unlikely habitats: A demographic perspective Biological invasions Castor canadensis Density dependence Habitat heterogeneity Patagonia Predator release biological invasion biotelemetry demography density dependence forest-steppe habitat type heterogeneity invasive species rodent subpopulation survival Argentina North America Patagonia Tierra del Fuego [(PRV) Argentina] Castor canadensis Castoridae Understanding the demography of an invasive species is crucial to better guide managers seeking to slow the spread of the invader. Habitat differences can affect demographic rates, which may in turn impact the speed of the invasion, but this has been rarely addressed. We studied the demography of invasive North American beavers (Castor canadensis) in 2 contrasting habitat types of the island, forest and steppe, on Tierra del Fuego in southern Patagonia. We used repeated observations, mark-resight methods, telemetry, and camera traps to estimate colony size and demographic rates of beavers in the 2 habitats. Colony size and the number of offspring (“kits”) produced per colony per year were higher in the steppe, contrary to the belief that forest is better habitat. This may be the result of the longer time since invasion in the forests of Tierra del Fuego and that the forest subpopulation is showing density-dependent regulation. Survival of beavers was high in all age classes and was higher than survival rates recorded in North America. Our work shows that plasticity of habitat use and predator release have likely facilitated beaver invasion in Patagonia. The higher productivity and detectability of beavers in the steppe call for active management in a habitat previously assumed to be subprime. © 2016 American Society of Mammalogists, www.mammalogy.org 2017 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00222372_v98_n1_p1_Pietrek http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00222372_v98_n1_p1_Pietrek |
institution |
Universidad de Buenos Aires |
institution_str |
I-28 |
repository_str |
R-134 |
collection |
Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA) |
topic |
Biological invasions Castor canadensis Density dependence Habitat heterogeneity Patagonia Predator release biological invasion biotelemetry demography density dependence forest-steppe habitat type heterogeneity invasive species rodent subpopulation survival Argentina North America Patagonia Tierra del Fuego [(PRV) Argentina] Castor canadensis Castoridae |
spellingShingle |
Biological invasions Castor canadensis Density dependence Habitat heterogeneity Patagonia Predator release biological invasion biotelemetry demography density dependence forest-steppe habitat type heterogeneity invasive species rodent subpopulation survival Argentina North America Patagonia Tierra del Fuego [(PRV) Argentina] Castor canadensis Castoridae Why invasive Patagonian beavers thrive in unlikely habitats: A demographic perspective |
topic_facet |
Biological invasions Castor canadensis Density dependence Habitat heterogeneity Patagonia Predator release biological invasion biotelemetry demography density dependence forest-steppe habitat type heterogeneity invasive species rodent subpopulation survival Argentina North America Patagonia Tierra del Fuego [(PRV) Argentina] Castor canadensis Castoridae |
description |
Understanding the demography of an invasive species is crucial to better guide managers seeking to slow the spread of the invader. Habitat differences can affect demographic rates, which may in turn impact the speed of the invasion, but this has been rarely addressed. We studied the demography of invasive North American beavers (Castor canadensis) in 2 contrasting habitat types of the island, forest and steppe, on Tierra del Fuego in southern Patagonia. We used repeated observations, mark-resight methods, telemetry, and camera traps to estimate colony size and demographic rates of beavers in the 2 habitats. Colony size and the number of offspring (“kits”) produced per colony per year were higher in the steppe, contrary to the belief that forest is better habitat. This may be the result of the longer time since invasion in the forests of Tierra del Fuego and that the forest subpopulation is showing density-dependent regulation. Survival of beavers was high in all age classes and was higher than survival rates recorded in North America. Our work shows that plasticity of habitat use and predator release have likely facilitated beaver invasion in Patagonia. The higher productivity and detectability of beavers in the steppe call for active management in a habitat previously assumed to be subprime. © 2016 American Society of Mammalogists, www.mammalogy.org |
title |
Why invasive Patagonian beavers thrive in unlikely habitats: A demographic perspective |
title_short |
Why invasive Patagonian beavers thrive in unlikely habitats: A demographic perspective |
title_full |
Why invasive Patagonian beavers thrive in unlikely habitats: A demographic perspective |
title_fullStr |
Why invasive Patagonian beavers thrive in unlikely habitats: A demographic perspective |
title_full_unstemmed |
Why invasive Patagonian beavers thrive in unlikely habitats: A demographic perspective |
title_sort |
why invasive patagonian beavers thrive in unlikely habitats: a demographic perspective |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00222372_v98_n1_p1_Pietrek http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00222372_v98_n1_p1_Pietrek |
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1768545633109540864 |