Abstract
This study identifies techniques to maximize trap efficiency and minimize trapping effort when using live traps to capture the invasive alien Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus), which was introduced in Italy near the Swiss borders. We explored the effects of time of day, season, number of checks in the capture session and type of live trap (single or multi-capture). Moreover, the vegetation around traps (characteristics of the tree supporting the trap, vegetation growth, vegetation cover, vegetation richness and similarity index) was tested. Squirrels were caught more frequently in the morning, but trapping success was not affected by the type of trap used. Squirrel trap response varied significantly in relation to the season, and a higher trapping success in the first days of the trapping session suggests the importance of prebaiting. We reject the hypothesis that vegetation around traps affected the capture success of Pallas’s squirrel in deciduous forests. Thus, recommendations to improve the trapping efficiency of this species are to (1) use single capture live traps with at least one week of prebaiting, (2) increase the capture effort in winter and (3) set traps where access is easy and where there are signs of high activity of individuals of the alien species.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Provincia di Varese and all the students involved in the survey. Special thanks to Sandro Bertolino, Ambrogio Molinari, Marina Morandini and Giovanni Zardoni. We are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful and constructive comments and suggestions. This work was achieved under the LIFE09 NAT/IT/000095 EC-SQUARE Project. This is Paper 7 of the ECSQUARE project.
References
Andelt, W.F. and T.P. Woolley. 1996. Responses of urban mammals to odor attractants and a bait-dispensing device. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 24: 111–118.Search in Google Scholar
Babińska, J. and E. Bock. 1969. The effect of prebaiting on captures of rodents. Acta Theriol. 14: 267–271.10.4098/AT.arch.69-20Search in Google Scholar
Banks, P.B. 1998. Responses of Australian bush rats, Rattus fuscipes, to the odor of introduced Vulpes vulpes. J. Mammal. 79: 1260–1264.10.2307/1383017Search in Google Scholar
Bertolino, S. 2008. Introduction of the American grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Europe: a case study in biological invasion. Curr. Sci. 95: 903–906.Search in Google Scholar
Bertolino, S. 2009. Animal trade and non-indigenous species introduction: the world-wide spread of squirrels. Divers. Distrib. 15: 701–708.10.1111/j.1472-4642.2009.00574.xSearch in Google Scholar
Bertolino, S. and P.W.W. Lurz. 2013. Callosciurus squirrels: worldwide introductions, ecological impacts and recommendations to prevent the establishment of new invasive populations. Mammal. Rev. 43: 22–33.10.1111/j.1365-2907.2011.00204.xSearch in Google Scholar
Bertolino, S., N. Cordero di Montezemolo, D.G. Preatoni and A. Martinoli. 2014. A grey future for Europe: Sciurus carolinensis is replacing native red squirrels in Italy. Biol. Invasions. 16: 53–62.10.1007/s10530-013-0502-3Search in Google Scholar
Burnham, K.P. and D.R. Anderson. 2004. Multimodel inference understanding AIC and BIC in model selection. Sociol. Methods. Res. 33: 261–304.10.1177/0049124104268644Search in Google Scholar
Cassini, G.H. and M.L. Guichón. 2009. Variaciones morfológicas y diagnosis de la ardilla de vientre rojo, Callosciurus erythraeus (Pallas, 1779), en Argentina. Mastozool. Neotropical. 16: 39–47.Search in Google Scholar
Chitty, D. and D.A. Kempson. 1949. Prebaiting small mammals and a new design of live trap. Ecology 30: 536–542.10.2307/1932457Search in Google Scholar
Clavero, M. and E. Garciaberthou. 2005. Invasive species are a leading cause of animal extinctions. Trends Ecol. Evol. 20: 110.10.1016/j.tree.2005.01.003Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Close, B., K. Banister, V. Baumans, E.V. Bernoth, N. Bromage, J. Bunyan, W. Erhardt, P. Flecknell, N. Gregory and H. Hackbarth. 1996. Recommendations for euthanasia of experimental animals: part 1. Lab. Anim. 30: 293–316.10.1258/002367796780739871Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Close, B., K. Banister, V. Baumans, E.V. Bernoth, N. Bromage, J. Bunyan, W. Erhardt, P. Flecknell, N. Gregory and H. Hackbarth. 1997. Recommendations for euthanasia of experimental animals: part 2. Lab. Anim. 31: 1–32.10.1258/002367797780600297Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Edalgo, J. and J.T. Anderson. 2007. Effects of prebaiting on small mammal trapping success in a Morrow’s honeysuckle-dominated area. J. Wildl. Manag. 71: 246–250.10.2193/2006-344Search in Google Scholar
European Environment Agency. 2012. The impacts of invasive alien species in Europe. Technical report No 16/2012. European Enviroment Agency, Copenhagen. pp. 114.Search in Google Scholar
Genovesi, P. 2005. Eradications of invasive alien species in Europe: a review. In: (L. Capdevila-Argüelles and B. Zilletti, eds.) Issues in bioinvasion science. Springer, Dordrect. pp. 127–133.10.1007/1-4020-3870-4_12Search in Google Scholar
Genovesi, P., C. Carboneras, M. Vilà and P. Walton. 2014. EU adopts innovative legislation on invasive species: a step towards a global response to biological invasions? Biol. Invasions 17: 1307–1311.10.1007/s10530-014-0817-8Search in Google Scholar
Grodziński, W., Z. Pucek and L. Ryszkowski. 1966. Estimation of rodent numbers by means of prebaiting and intensive removal. Acta Theriol. (Warsz) XI: 297–314.10.4098/AT.arch.66-10Search in Google Scholar
Guichón, M.L. and P.C. Doncaster. 2008. Invasion dynamics of an introduced squirrel in Argentina. Ecography 31: 211–220.10.1111/j.0906-7590.2008.5308.xSearch in Google Scholar
Gurnell, J. 1980. The effects of prebaiting live traps on catching woodland rodents. Acta Theriol. (Warsz) 25: 255–264.10.4098/AT.arch.80-20Search in Google Scholar
Gurnell, J. 1996. The Effects of food availability and winter weather on the dynamics of a grey squirrel population in Southern England. J. Appl. Ecol. 33: 325–328.10.2307/2404754Search in Google Scholar
Gurnell, J. and J. Little. 1992. The influence of trap residual odour on catching woodland rodents. Anim. Behav. 43: 623–632.10.1016/S0003-3472(05)81021-8Search in Google Scholar
Gurnell, J., L.A. Wauters, P.W.W. Lurz and G. Tosi. 2004. Alien species and interspecific competition: effects of introduced eastern grey squirrels on red squirrel population dynamics. J. Anim. Ecol. 73: 26–35.10.1111/j.1365-2656.2004.00791.xSearch in Google Scholar
Hori, M., M. Yamada and N. Tsunoda. 2006. Line census and gnawing damage of introduced Formosan squirrels (Callosciurus erythraeus taiwanensis) in urban forests of Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan. In: (F. Koike, M.N. Clout, M. Kawamichi, M. De Poorter and K. Iwatsuki, eds.) Assessment and control of Biological Invasion Risks. Shoukadoh Book Sellers, Kyoto. pp. 204–209.Search in Google Scholar
Kettunen, M., P. Genovesi, S. Gollasch, S. Pagad, U. Starfinger, P. ten Brink and C. Shine. 2009. Technical support to EU strategy on invasive alien species (IAS). Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), Brussels. pp. 44.Search in Google Scholar
Kozlowski, T.T. 2012. Seed germination, ontogeny, and shoot growth. Elsevier, Amsterdam. pp. 443.Search in Google Scholar
Leary, S., W. Underwood, R. Anthony, S. Cartner, D. Corey, T. Grandin, C. Greenacre, S. Gwaltney-Brant, M.A. McCrackin, R. Meyer, D. Miller, J. Shearer and R. Yanong. 2013. AVMA guidelines for the euthanasia of animals, 2013 ed. American Veterinary Medical Association, Schaumburg, IL. pp. 102.Search in Google Scholar
Martinoli, A., S. Bertolino, D.G. Preatoni, A. Balduzzi, A. Marsan, P. Genovesi, G. Tosi and L. Wauters. 2010. Headcount 2010: the multiplication of the grey squirrel populations introduced to Italy. Hystrix. Ital. J. Mammal. 21: 127–136.Search in Google Scholar
Mayle, B., M. Ferryman and P. Harry. 2007. Controlling grey squirrel damage to woodlands. Forestry Authority, UK. pp. 16.Search in Google Scholar
Miyamoto, A., N. Tamura, K. Sugimura and F. Yamada. 2004. Predicting habitat distribution of the alien Formosan squirrel using logistic regression model. Glob. Environ. Res. Engl. Ed. 8: 13–22.Search in Google Scholar
Oshida, T., M. Yasuda, H. Endo, N.A. Hussein and R. Masuda. 2001. Molecular phylogeny of five squirrel species of the genus Callosciurus (Mammalia, Rodentia) inferred from cytochrome b gene sequences. Mammalia 65: 473–482.10.1515/mamm.2001.65.4.473Search in Google Scholar
Palmer, R.R. and J.L. Koprowski. 2014. Feeding behavior and activity patterns of Amazon red squirrels. Mammalia 78: 303–313.10.1515/mammalia-2013-0083Search in Google Scholar
Pearson, D.E. and L.F. Ruggiero. 2003. Transect versus grid trapping arrangements for sampling small-mammal communities. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 31: 454–459.Search in Google Scholar
Perry, H.R. Jr, G.B. Pardue, F.S. Jr Barkalow and R.J. Monroe. 1977. Factors affecting trap responses of the gray squirrel. J. Wildl. Manag. 41: 135–143.10.2307/3800103Search in Google Scholar
R Core Team. 2013. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna.Search in Google Scholar
Stickel, L.F. 1948. The trap line as a measure of small mammal populations. J. Wildl. Manag. 12: 153–161.10.2307/3796410Search in Google Scholar
Stuyck, J., K. Baert, P. Breyne and T. Adriaens. 2009. Invasion history and control of a Pallas squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus population in Dadizele, Belgium. Proceedings of the Science Facing Aliens conference. Brussels, May 11, 2009. Biodiversity Platform, Brussels. pp. 46.Search in Google Scholar
Tamura, N. 1989. Snake-directed mobbing by the Formosan squirrel Callosciurus erythraeusthaiwanensis. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 24: 175–180.10.1007/BF00292100Search in Google Scholar
Tamura, N., M. Nakane, S. Satuo and F. Hayashi. 1987. Home range size of the formosan squirrel Callosciurus eryhtareus thaiwanensis, estimated by radio tracking. J. Mammal. Soc. Jpn. 12: 69–72.Search in Google Scholar
Tamura, N., F. Hayashi and K. Miyashita. 1988. Dominance hierarchy and mating behavior of the Formosan squirrel, Callosciurus erythraeus thaiwanensis. J. Mammal. 69: 320.10.2307/1381382Search in Google Scholar
Tobin, M.E., R.T. Sugihara and R.M. Engeman. 1994. Effects of initial rat captures on subsequent capture success of traps. Paper 62. Proceedings of the Sixteenth Vertebrate Pest Conference. Available at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/vpc16/62.Search in Google Scholar
Tosi, G. and A. Zilio. 2002. Conoscenza delle risorse ambientali della provincia di Varese. Settore politiche per l’agricoltura e gestione faunistica, Provincia di Varese.Search in Google Scholar
Trippi, V.S. 1963a. Studies on ontogeny and senility in plants. I. Changes of growth vigor during the juvenile and adult phases of ontogeny in Tilia parviflora, and growth in juvenile and adult zones of Tilia, Ilex aquifolium and Robinia pseudoacacia. Phyton. Int. J. Exp. Bot. 20: 137–145.Search in Google Scholar
Trippi, V.S. 1963b. Studies on ontogeny and senility in plants. III. Changes in the proliferative capacity in vitro during ontogeny in Robinia pseudoacacia and Castanea vulgaris and in adult and juvenile clones of R. pseudoacacia. Phyton. Int. J. Exp. Bot. 20: 153–159.Search in Google Scholar
Vander Wall, S.B., C.J. Downs, M.S. Enders and B.A. Waitman. 2008. Do yellow-pine chipmunks prefer to recover their own caches. West North Am. Nat. 68: 319–323.10.3398/1527-0904(2008)68[319:DYCPTR]2.0.CO;2Search in Google Scholar
Veitch, C.R. and M.N. Clout. 2002. Turning the tide: the eradication of invasive species. Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 27. Proceedings of the International Conference on Eradication of Island Invasives. International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland. pp. 422.Search in Google Scholar
Vernes, K. 2004. Breeding biology and seasonal capture success of northern flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and Red Squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in Southern New Brunswick. Northeast Nat. 11: 123–136.10.1656/1092-6194(2004)011[0123:BBASCS]2.0.CO;2Search in Google Scholar
Wauters, L.A. and P. Casale. 1996. Long-term scatterhoarding by Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris). J. Zool. 238: 195–207.10.1111/j.1469-7998.1996.tb05389.xSearch in Google Scholar
Wauters, L.A. and A.A. Dhondt. 1987. Activity budget and foraging behaviour of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758) in a coniferous habitat. Z. Für Säugetierkd 52: 341–353.Search in Google Scholar
Wauters, L.A. and A.A. Dhondt. 1989. Body weight, longevity and reproductive success in red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris). J. Anim. Ecol. 58: 637–651.10.2307/4853Search in Google Scholar
Wauters, L.A., J. Gurnell, A. Martinoli and G. Tosi. 2002. Interspecific competition between native Eurasian red squirrels and alien grey squirrels: does resource partitioning occur? Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 52: 332–341.10.1007/s00265-002-0516-9Search in Google Scholar
Wauters, L.A., M. Vermeulen, S. Van Dongen, S. Bertolino, A. Molinari, G. Tosi and E. Matthysen. 2007. Effects of spatio-temporal variation in food supply on red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris body size and body mass and its consequences for some fitness components. Ecography 30: 51–65.10.1111/j.2006.0906-7590.04646.xSearch in Google Scholar
Weihong, J., C.R. Veitch and J.L. Craig. 1999. An evaluation of the efficiency of rodent trapping methods: the effect of trap arrangement, cover type, and bait. N. Z. J. Ecol. 23: 45–51.Search in Google Scholar
Zong, C., S. Mei, F. Santicchia, L. Wauters, D. Preatoni and A. Martinoli. 2014. Habitat effects on hoarding plasticity in the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). Hystrix. Ital. J. Mammal. 25: 14–17.Search in Google Scholar
Supplemental Material:
The online version of this article (DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2015-0006) offers supplementary material, available to authorized users.
©2016 by De Gruyter
