Alien shades of grey: New occurrences and relevant spread of Sciurus carolinensis in Italy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1515/eje-2016-0002Keywords:
alien species, distribution range, Eastern grey squirrel, Eurasian Red squirrel, impacts, Sciiurus vulgarisAbstract
The eastern grey squirrel is listed among the worst invasive species throughout the world. This species of American origin is currently replacing the native Eurasian red squirrel in most of the Great Britain, as well as in parts of Ireland and Italy. It may debark trees and exert damages to woodlands and tree plantations. Therefore, its spread may be deleterious for biodiversity and environment, emphasising the need for a rapid detection in new areas of occurrence. In this work, we reported for the first time, the presence of new populations of this invasive species in Tuscany (Central Italy) and some updates and analyses regarding the status of this species in Veneto (North-Eastern Italy). Occurrences were collected through citizen-science contributory approach supported by photos, road-kills, and/or hair-tube sampling. Field investigations ad hoc were carried out in Veneto and Tuscany to confirm the repeated reports in the surroundings of Arezzo and in the province of Siena. Although records can be possibly related to erratic or single individuals escaped from captivity, reproductive nuclei have also been detected in both regions, with the observations of juveniles and/or lactating females. The occurrence of the species in these regions is still scarce and localised, but considering the surrounding favourable wooded habitats, a rapid removal of the animals would be required to prevent their spread.
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the more you get: the role of colonization pressure and
propagule pressure in invasion ecology. Diversity and Distribution,
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consequences and control. Ecological Applications, 10, 689-710.
Martinoli, A., Bertolino, S., Preatoni, D.G., Balduzzi, A., Marsan, A.,
Genovesi, P., Tosi, G. & Wauters, L.A. (2010) Headcount 2010:
the multiplication of the grey squirrel populations introduced
to Italy. Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy, 21, 127-136.
Mazza, G., Tricarico, E., Genovesi, P. & Gherardi, F. (2014) Biological invaders
are threats to human health: an overview. Ethology, Ecology
and Evolution, 26, 112-129.
Mayle, B.A. & Broome, A.C. (2013) Changes in the impact and control of
an invasive alien: the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Great
Britain, as determined from regional surveys. Pest Management
Science, 69, 323-333.
Molinari, A., Wauters, L.A. & Tosi, G. (2008) Monitoraggio dello scoiattolo
comune (Sciurus vulgaris L.) con l’utilizzo di hair-tubes in
foreste di conifere della provincia di Sondrio. Il Naturalista
Valtellinese, 19, 113-124.
Monaco, A. (2014) Alieni. La minaccia delle specie alloctone per la biodiversità
del Lazio. Palombi Editori, Roma, Italy: 251 pp.
Mori, E. & Menchetti, M. (2014) “Sometimes they come back”: citizen
science reveals the presence of the Italian red squirrel in Campania.
Quaderni del Museo di Storia Naturale di Ferrara, 2, 91-94.
Reynolds, J.C. (1985) Details of the geographic replacement of the red
squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) by the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
in eastern England. The Journal of Animal Ecology, 54,
149-162.
Romeo, C., Wauters, L.A., Ferrari, N., Lanfranchi, P., Martinoli, A., Pisanu,
B., Preatoni D.G. & Saino, N. (2014) Macroparasite fauna of
alien grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis): composition, variability
and implications for native species. PloS one, 9, e88002.
Signorile, A.L. (2004) Spreading and behaviour of the grey squirrel (Sciurus
carolinensis Gmelin): a comparison between the Italian and
the British situations. MSc Thesis, Imperial College London, UK.
Signorile, A.L. & Evans, J. (2007) Damage caused by the American grey
squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) to agricultural crops, poplar plantations
and semi-natural woodland in Piedmont, Italy. Forestry,
80, 89-98.
Simberloff, D., Martin, J.L., Genovesi, P., Maris, V., Wardle, D.A., Aronson,
J., Courchamp, F., Galil, B., Garcìa-Berthou, E., Pascal, M.,
Pysek, P., Sousa, R., Tabacchi, E. & Vilà, M. (2013) Impacts of biological
invasions: what’s what and the way forward. Trends in
Ecology & Evolution, 28, 58-66.
Teerink, B.J. (1991) Hair of West-European Mammals. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Wauters, L.A., Gurnell, J., Martinoli, A. & Tosi, G. (2002a) Interspecific
competition in tree squirrels: Eurasian red squirrels and alien
grey squirrels: does resource partitioning occur? Behavioral
Ecology and Sociobiology, 52, 332-341.
Wauters, L.A., Tosi, G. & Gurnell, J. (2002b) Interspecific competition in
tree squirrels: do introduced grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)
deplete tree seeds hoarded by red squirrels (S. vulgaris)? Behavioral
Ecology and Sociobiology, 51, 360-367.
Williams, F., Eschen, R., Harris, A., Djeddour, D., Pratt, C., Shaw, R.S.,
Varia, S., Lamontagne-Godwin, J., Thomas, S.E. & Murphy, S.T.
(2010) The economic cost of invasive non-native species on
Great Britain. CABI report, 198.
Pieters, S. & Stuyck, J. (2015) Successful eradication of suburban
Pallas’ squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus (Pallas 1779) (Rodentia,
Sciuridae) population in Flanders (northern Belgium). Biological
Invasions, 17, 2517-2526.
Allendorf, F.W. & Lundquist, L.L. (2003) Introduction: population biology,
evolution, and control of invasive species. Conservation
Biology, 17, 24-30.
Amerini, R. & Battiston, R. (2016) La sottile linea di confine tra lo scoiattolo
rosso Sciurus vulgaris e lo scoiattolo grigio Sciurus carolinensis
in Veneto: problematiche annunciate e prospettive di sviluppo
(Rodentia: Sciuridae). In: Bonato, L., Trabucco, R., Bon, M.(eds.) Atti 7° Convegno Faunisti Veneti. Bollettino del Museo di
Storia Naturale di Venezia, suppl. 66, 292.
Bartolomei, R., Sgrosso, S. & Aloise, G. (2016) Espansione recente di
Sciurus meridionalis Lucifero, 1907 in Basilicata. Hystrix, the Italian
Journal of Mammalogy, supp. 2016, 68.
Battiston, R. & Amerini, R. (2013) Distribuzione dello scoiattolo comune
Sciurus vulgaris (Rodentia: Sciuridae) nella provincia di Vicenza:
sinurbazione e colonizzazione di aree planiziali in contesti antropizzati.
Natura Vicentina, 16, 17-27.
Bertolino, S., Lurz, P.W., Sanderson, R. & Rushton, S.P. (2008) Predicting
the spread of the American grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in
Europe: a call for a co-ordinated European approach. Biological
Conservation, 141, 2564-2575.
Bertolino, S., Di Montezemolo, N.C., Preatoni, D.G., Wauters, L.A. &
Martinoli, A. (2014) A grey future for Europe: Sciurus carolinensis
is replacing native red squirrels in Italy. Biological Invasions,
16, 53-62.
Bertolino, S., Colangelo, P., Mori, E. & Capizzi, D. (2015) Good for management,
not for conservation: an overview of research, conservation
and management of Italian small mammals. Hystrix, the
Italian Journal of Mammalogy, 26, 25-35.
Cagnacci, F., Cardini, A., Ciucci, P., Ferrari, N., Mortelliti, A., Preatoni,
D.G., Russo, D., Scandura, M., Wauters. L.A. & Amori, G. (2012)
Less is more: a researcher’s survival guide in time of economic
crisis. Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy, 23, 1-7.
Čanády, A., Mošanský, L. & Krišovský, P. (2015) Are there sex differences
in the body size of the Eurasian red squirrel in Slovakia? European
Journal of Ecology, 1, 5-12.
Chung-MacCoubrey, A.L., Hagerman, A.E. & Kirkpatrick, R.L. (1997) Effects
of tannins on digestion and detoxification activity in gray
squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Physiological Zoology, 70, 270-
277.
Conrad, C.C. & Hilchey, K.G. (2011) A review of citizen science and community-
based environmental monitoring: issues and opportunities.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 176, 273-291.
Colautti, R.I. & MacIsaac, H.J. (2004) A neutral terminology to define
‘invasive’ species. Diversity and Distribution, 10, 135-141.
Dagnall, J.L., Duckett, J.G. & Gurnell, J. (1995) A simple negative staining
technique for the identification of mammal hairs. Journal of
Zoology, London, 237, 670-675.
Debrot, S., Fivaz, G., Mermod, C. & Weber, J.M. (1982) Atlas des pois
de mammifères d’Europe. Institut de Zoologie de l’Université de
Neuchàtel, Paris, France.
Duncan, R.P., Blackburn, T.M. & Sol, D. (2003) The ecology of bird introductions.
Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics,
34, 71-98.
Gaggi, A. & Paci, A.M. (2014) Atlante degli Erinaceomorfi, dei Soricomorfi
e dei piccoli Roditori dell’Umbria. Dimensione Grafica Snc
Edizioni, Spello (Perugia), Italy.
Genovesi, P. & Shine, C. (2004) European Strategy on Invasive Alien Species.
Nature and Environment, n. 137. Council of Europe publishing
(eds), Strasbourg, France.
Gurnell, J. & Pepper, H. (1993) A critical look at conserving the British
red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris. Mammal Review, 23, 125-136.
Gurnell, J., Lurz, P.W.W., Shirley, M.D.F., Cartmel, S., Garson, P.J., Magris,
L. & Steel, J. (2004) Monitoring red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris and
grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis in Britain. Mammal Review, 34,
51-74.
Gurnell, J., Rushton, S.P., Lurz, P.W.W., Sainsbury, A.W., Nettleton, P.,
Shirley, M.D.F., Bruemmer, C. & Geddes, N. (2006) Squirrel Poxvirus:
landscape scale strategies for managing disease threat.
Biological Conservation, 131, 287-295.
Gurnell, J., Kenward, R.E., Pepper, H. & Lurz, P.W.W. (2008) Grey squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis. (eds S Harris & DW Yalden. Mammals of
the British Isles: handbook, 4th edn), pp 66-72. The Mammal
Society, Southampton, UK.
Harris, S., Morris, P., Wray, S. & Yalden, D. (1995) A review of British
mammals: population estimates and conservation status of British
mammals other than cetaceans. Peterborough: The Joint Nature
Conservation Committee.
Kenward, R.E. & Holm, J.L. (1993) On the replacement of the red squirrel
in Britain. A phytotoxic explanation. Proceedings of the Royal
Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 251, 187-194.
Lockwood, J.L., Cassey, P. & Blackburn, T.M. (2009) The more you introduce
the more you get: the role of colonization pressure and
propagule pressure in invasion ecology. Diversity and Distribution,
15, 904-910.
Lowe, S., Browne, M., Boudjelas, S. & De Poorter, M. (2000) 100 of the
world’s worst invasive alien species: a selection from the global
invasive species database. The Invasive Species Specialist Group
(ISSG), Gland, Switzerland.
Mack, R.N., Simberloff, D., Lonsdale, W.M., Evans, H., Clout, M. & Bazzaz,
F.A. (2000) Biotic invasions: causes, epidemiology, global
consequences and control. Ecological Applications, 10, 689-710.
Martinoli, A., Bertolino, S., Preatoni, D.G., Balduzzi, A., Marsan, A.,
Genovesi, P., Tosi, G. & Wauters, L.A. (2010) Headcount 2010:
the multiplication of the grey squirrel populations introduced
to Italy. Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy, 21, 127-136.
Mazza, G., Tricarico, E., Genovesi, P. & Gherardi, F. (2014) Biological invaders
are threats to human health: an overview. Ethology, Ecology
and Evolution, 26, 112-129.
Mayle, B.A. & Broome, A.C. (2013) Changes in the impact and control of
an invasive alien: the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Great
Britain, as determined from regional surveys. Pest Management
Science, 69, 323-333.
Molinari, A., Wauters, L.A. & Tosi, G. (2008) Monitoraggio dello scoiattolo
comune (Sciurus vulgaris L.) con l’utilizzo di hair-tubes in
foreste di conifere della provincia di Sondrio. Il Naturalista
Valtellinese, 19, 113-124.
Monaco, A. (2014) Alieni. La minaccia delle specie alloctone per la biodiversità
del Lazio. Palombi Editori, Roma, Italy: 251 pp.
Mori, E. & Menchetti, M. (2014) “Sometimes they come back”: citizen
science reveals the presence of the Italian red squirrel in Campania.
Quaderni del Museo di Storia Naturale di Ferrara, 2, 91-94.
Reynolds, J.C. (1985) Details of the geographic replacement of the red
squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) by the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
in eastern England. The Journal of Animal Ecology, 54,
149-162.
Romeo, C., Wauters, L.A., Ferrari, N., Lanfranchi, P., Martinoli, A., Pisanu,
B., Preatoni D.G. & Saino, N. (2014) Macroparasite fauna of
alien grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis): composition, variability
and implications for native species. PloS one, 9, e88002.
Signorile, A.L. (2004) Spreading and behaviour of the grey squirrel (Sciurus
carolinensis Gmelin): a comparison between the Italian and
the British situations. MSc Thesis, Imperial College London, UK.
Signorile, A.L. & Evans, J. (2007) Damage caused by the American grey
squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) to agricultural crops, poplar plantations
and semi-natural woodland in Piedmont, Italy. Forestry,
80, 89-98.
Simberloff, D., Martin, J.L., Genovesi, P., Maris, V., Wardle, D.A., Aronson,
J., Courchamp, F., Galil, B., Garcìa-Berthou, E., Pascal, M.,
Pysek, P., Sousa, R., Tabacchi, E. & Vilà, M. (2013) Impacts of biological
invasions: what’s what and the way forward. Trends in
Ecology & Evolution, 28, 58-66.
Teerink, B.J. (1991) Hair of West-European Mammals. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Wauters, L.A., Gurnell, J., Martinoli, A. & Tosi, G. (2002a) Interspecific
competition in tree squirrels: Eurasian red squirrels and alien
grey squirrels: does resource partitioning occur? Behavioral
Ecology and Sociobiology, 52, 332-341.
Wauters, L.A., Tosi, G. & Gurnell, J. (2002b) Interspecific competition in
tree squirrels: do introduced grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)
deplete tree seeds hoarded by red squirrels (S. vulgaris)? Behavioral
Ecology and Sociobiology, 51, 360-367.
Williams, F., Eschen, R., Harris, A., Djeddour, D., Pratt, C., Shaw, R.S.,
Varia, S., Lamontagne-Godwin, J., Thomas, S.E. & Murphy, S.T.
(2010) The economic cost of invasive non-native species on
Great Britain. CABI report, 198.
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Copyright (c) 2016 Emiliano Mori, Rachele Amerini, Giuseppe Mazza, Sandro Bertolino, Roberto Battiston, Andrea Sforzi, Matti Menchetti
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How to Cite
Mori, E., Amerini, R., Mazza, G., Bertolino, S., Battiston, R., Sforzi, A., & Menchetti, M. (2016). Alien shades of grey: New occurrences and relevant spread of Sciurus carolinensis in Italy. European Journal of Ecology, 2(1), 13-20. https://doi.org/10.1515/eje-2016-0002
