European rabbit survival and recruitment are linked to epidemiological and environmental conditions in their exotic range

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dc.contributor.authorFordham, D.
dc.contributor.authorSinclair, R.
dc.contributor.authorPeacock, D.
dc.contributor.authorMutze, G.
dc.contributor.authorKovaliski, J.
dc.contributor.authorCassey, P.
dc.contributor.authorCapucci, L.
dc.contributor.authorBrook, B.
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstracthe European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, is threatened within its native range, yet it is a highly successful colonizing pest species across its worldwide introduced range, causing large economic losses and widespread environmental degradation.To date, there has been no long-term empirical evidence documenting the relative roles of climatic, epidemiological and biological factors in limiting life-history determinants of rabbit range and abundance. Using 12 years of capture–mark–recapture data from their exotic range in Australia, we constructed candidate Cormack–Jolly–Seber models to test the influence of environmental, competition and disease conditions on rabbit survival and recruitment. Our results show that: (i) population-level disease infection rate has the largest overall impact on rabbit survival, explaining 80% of variance in survival rates; (ii) environmental as well as epidemiological conditions constrain rabbit survival, especially for younger animals; (iii) temporal variation in rabbit kitten recruitment patterns are best described by a combination of climate, competition and disease settings (accounting for 68% of variance), while temperature alone has a strong negative influence on kitten recruitment; and (iv) recruitment responds positively to rabbit haemorrhagic disease, but negatively to myxomatosis – the former, probably being mediated through a disease driven effect on intraspecific competition for food. A strengthened understanding of climate change impacts on rabbit range and abundance can be achieved by accounting explicitly for potential synergisms between disease dynamics and climate. In this analysis, we provide the first step towards such an attempt for this important mammal species. Integrated approaches of this kind are essential for future forecasts of rabbit range and abundance, offsetting the conservation threat faced by O. cuniculus in its native range, and achieving effective management in exotic habitats.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityDamien A. Fordham, Ron G. Sinclair, David E. Peacock, Greg J. Mutze, John Kovaliski, Phillip Cassey, Lorenzo Capucci and Barry W. Brook
dc.identifier.citationAustral Ecology: a journal of ecology in the Southern Hemisphere, 2012; 37(8):945-957
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/j.1442-9993.2011.02354.x
dc.identifier.issn1442-9985
dc.identifier.issn1442-9993
dc.identifier.orcidFordham, D. [0000-0003-2137-5592]
dc.identifier.orcidSinclair, R. [0000-0001-6055-9488]
dc.identifier.orcidPeacock, D. [0000-0003-2891-8238]
dc.identifier.orcidCassey, P. [0000-0002-2626-0172]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/75009
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBlackwell Science Asia
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0989420
dc.rights© 2012 The Authors. Austral Ecology © 2012 Ecological Society of Australia
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2011.02354.x
dc.subjectCapture–mark–recapture
dc.subjectclimate change
dc.subjectinvasive species
dc.subjectmyxoma virus
dc.subjectmyxomatosis
dc.subjectpest management
dc.subjectrabbit haemorrhagic disease
dc.subjectRHD
dc.titleEuropean rabbit survival and recruitment are linked to epidemiological and environmental conditions in their exotic range
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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