Individual heterogeneity influences the effects of translocation on urban dispersal of an invasive reptile.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Invasive reptiles pose a serious threat to global biodiversity, but early detection of individuals in an incipient population is often hindered by their cryptic nature, sporadic movements, and variation among individuals. Little is known about the mechanisms that affect the movement of these species, which limits our understanding of their dispersal. Our aim was to determine whether translocation or small-scale landscape features affect movement patterns of brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis), a destructive invasive predator on the island of Guam.

Methods

We conducted a field experiment to compare the movements of resident (control) snakes to those of snakes translocated from forests and urban areas into new urban habitats. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical mo

SUBMITTER: Feuka AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8761355 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature