invasive vertebrates in cuba: knowledge and its value for...
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First Caribaea Initiative Research and Conservation Workshop “Animal invasive species in the Antilles: the relevance of scientific research
to conservation”
Invasive Vertebrates in Cuba: knowledge and its value for
conservation
Fort de France, Martinique, 2016
Rafael Borroto-Páez and Osmany Alvarez Garcia
Forest cover
Important wetlands and mangroves (29.6%) karstic areas (66%)
77 Protected Areas with National Significance
134 PA with Local Significance
20.20% of Cuban territory
Area: 109 884,01 km2
More than 3000 islands and keys Cuban archipelago
Sierra Maestra
Nipe-Sagua-Baracoa
National System of Protected Areas
Cuba is a very important part of the Caribbean Hotspot
6 519 species of plants.
Mollusk: 1393 sp. (95,8% endemic)
Many vertebrates: 655 (57 fishes, 62, amphibians, 155 reptiles, 368 birds, 32
mammals)
Many endemic vertebrates: 255
Many endemic species considered threatened : 167.
High rate of extinction : The current biodiversity of Cuban endemic terrestrial mammals is only 32% of all known species
Objetives
Review and order the available information about introduced vertebrates in Cuba, enhance the knowledge
about the introduction events, the species and their impacts in any ambit but with special emphasis in the
biodiversity conservation
Create a baseline about introduced and invasive vertebrates useful for building capacities, assessments and researches in the biosecurity, agriculture, public
health and conservation
Information Sources
Extensive bibliography review • Scientific journals and invasive species books and reports (Lever, Long, Kraus, Welcome, Keiko, etc) • Management Plans of Protected Areas (123 manuscript in CNAP) • Vertebrates catalogs, check-list, and lists (Barbour, Schwartz, Garrido, Jaume, Herderson, Powell, Rafaelle,
Kirkconnell, Varona, Borroto-Paez, etc.) • Old Project reports • History book (Colon, Oviedo, Las Casas, Gomara, De Ribera, Arrate, la Pezuela, Urrutia, etc.). • Old natural history books (de la Sagra, Pichardo, Rodriguez-Ferrer, Gundlach, Poey, Barbour, etc.) • Old Agriculture books and journals • Grey literature (game information and calendar, magazine)
Interview to rural peoples, farmers and hunters Field work and expeditions
Information included introduced vertebrates by the following reason:
Agriculture (livestock, aquiculture, poultry, etc) Food Pet
Biological control Hunting
Laboratory animal Only zoo vertebrates that are free or become invasive
Accidental or unintentional transportation
Output Database: Taxa: Class, family, genus and species Common name Introduction time Mode of entry Population sources Pathway Status: transported, stablished, invasive. Habitat invaded Impact description Level of Impact (Hawkins et al., 2015) Distribution: Prot. areas, offshore islands. Reference Ungraduated student thesis from University of Habana. Papers and chapters: • Mamiferos introducidos e invasores (in Mamiferos en Cuba, 2011) • Introduce amphibians and reptiles in Cuba archipelago, Herpt. Conser. Biol. 2016 • Cuban mammal biodiversity and conservation: past, present, and invasive mammals (in
press) • Introduced and invasive birds in Cuba (in prep.) • Introduced vertebrates in Cuba: and overview (in prep. ) Book: Catalog of Introduced Vertebrates in Cuba and their impacts
Output (cont.). Critique review to protected area management plans and recommendations
What we found in bibliography review: • Deficient general knowledge about Invasive Vertebrate (IV). • Forgotten information in the time. • Some cryptic species. • Invasive species considered as native (specially birds) in catalogs. • High level of public tolerance to common IV.
INTRODUCED VERTEBRATES: 168
INVASIVE VERTEBRATES: 88 (52.7%)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
Hunting sp.
Cuniculus
2 Dasyprocta
Silvilagus
Pecari
many
ornamental
birds
1 Rodentia
2 Perissodactyla
3 Primates
5 Artiodactyla
2 Clarias spp.
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
Northern
Bobwhile
no
years
no
years
no
n
o
17 species
black rat
mouse
cat
dog
pig
horse
donkey
cow
european rabbit
sheep
goat
Chicken
Turkey
Pigeon
Common Peafolwl
Domestic Duck
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
mongoose
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
brown rat
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
years
no
n
o
cayman
common carp
trout
sun fish
cachama
+20 fresh
water fishes
+12
fresh
water
fishes
Cumulative growth in Cuban introductions of vertebrates
79,5 %
32,1 %
47,6 %
16,6 %
58,1 %
What we found in Management Plan of PA review:
• Wrong taxonomic information • Some protected areas no included IV • Some protected areas included very incomplete information • Many invasive vertebrates included as native • Deficient perception of the impacts. • Not action to assessment the impacts. • Few actions for management and control
Principal invasive vertebrates identified on protected areas management plans (N= 123) and offshore islands.
Invasive vertebrates No. of
Protected Areas
No.of
offshore Islands
Rattus rattus 85 64
Bubulcus ibis 63 19
Bus tauro 57 6
Canis lupus familiaris 51 19
Felis silvestris catus 48 17
Herpestes auropunctatus 42 3?
Colinus virginianus 36 2
Odocoileus virginianus 36 5
Mus musculus 35 15
Passer domesticus 34 8
Sus scrofa 32 6
Lithobates catesbeianus 31 1
Molothrus bonariensis 26 3
Rattus norvegicus 25 4
Cyanerpes cyaneus 26 2
Hemidactylus angulatus 19 9
Clarias sp 17 -
Monkeys (3 sp.) 3 3
Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibian Fishes
Colinus virginianus (Codorniz): Origin: EE. UU.
Clear historic evidences: Gundlach, 1865-1866, 1876 y 1893, Pichardo (1854), Garcia (1987), Bond (1963).
The descrition of a Cuban subspecie (Colinus virginianus cubensis) have been the principal cause to continue considering as a native species by cuban ornithologist. Existing 22 subspecies based in color variation
Cryptic species
Aparecido de San Diego Cyanerpes cyaneus
Historic evidence: Bernal Diaz del Castillo in Verdadera Historia de la Conquista de la Nueva España. Rodriguez- Ferrer (1876) introduced by a hurricane in XIX century. de Schauensee and Meyer (1964) suggest introduction by human mean. Raffaelle et al 1998 suggest possiblely introduced sp. Garrido (2001) suggest introduction in first year of the conquest (1515-1519) by Juan de Grijalva from México, as a gift to Diego Velázquez.
Original Distribution: México, Central America and South America
Impacts: could be competition by foods and nest site.
Cryptic species ..
Pájaro vaquero Molothrus bonariensis
Invasion chonology :
late century XIX in Trinidad and Lesser Antilles
Barbados1916
Puerto Rico 1940´s ( or 1955)
Mona Island 1971
La Española 1972
Cuba late 1970´s nd early 1980´s.
Impacts:
Birds nest parasite: Solibio (Icterus melanopsis,
Bien Te Veo (Vireo altiloquus)
Mayito (Agelaius humeralis)
Competition for food
Crop damages (rice)
Some ornithologist consider native because the dispersion was “natural”
Garza ganadera
Bubulcus ibis
Invasion chronology: South America late 1870´s.
Guyana 1911- 1912
La Florida 1940s
Aruba 1944
Antilles 1950’s
Cuba 1953
Origin: South of Eurasia y Africa
As Lever (2005) was an intencional introduction in South America
Principal Impacts: Predation: eggs, small vertebrates as lizard, frog . Ectoparasite dispersion. Competition
Some ornithologist consider native because the dispersion was “natural”
Introduced chonology:
Nueva Providencia, Bahamas in 1974,
Cuba late 1980´s, confirmed in 1990.
Introduced in many Caribbean island
Impacts: Competion by food and nest site
Damages in grain stores, crops and gardens
.
Original Distribution: Part of Europa, south Asia and North Africa Streptopelia decaocto
Tórtola de Collar
Today is one of the more abundant birds in some urban places
Some ornithologist consider native because the dispersion was “natural”.
House Sparrow Gorrión Passer domesticus
Possibly the more abundant birds in Cuba
Original Distribution: Part of Eurasia and North Africa
Introduction event: Possibly an intentional introduction around 1850-1860 with political implication. It is not clear about the exact date and way of introduction.
Impacts: Political Spread disease and parasite Urban disturb Block drain Crop damages Garden damages Electric hazard Predation of small vertebrates Airport interference Excrement accumulation Competition for food and nest site
Some ornithologist consider native because the dispersion was “natural”.
However is commonly included in the list of Cuban birds
House Sparrow
Impacts
Dendrocygna autumnalis Origin possibly from México
D. bicolor: Very rare birds before 1967. First nest found in 1967. Reach high densities in late 1970,s and early 1980, and was a pest in rice crops.
Impacts: Damages in rice crop
Competition with other aquatic birds
Dendrocygna bicolor
D. autumnalis: Intencional introduction in 1931 for game.
Now stablished in rice crops in Camagüey.
Yaguasines
Some ornithologist consider native because the dispersion was “natural”.
Gonatodes albogularis fuscus: Sudamericano
Hemidactylus turcicus: Mediterraneo
Hemidactylus mabouia: Africa
Hemidactylus angulatus: Africa
Hemidactylus frenatus: Africa and Asia
Spherodactylus argus: Jamaica
Species considered as natives Origin
Introduction way
Slave trade
Trade and commerce
Commensal species
Distributed in the beginning in coastal zone and harbor.
Some herpetologist consider native because the dispersion could be “natural”
Impacts: Phobia to reptiles Competition Damages pain wall
First impact
Black rat (Rattus rattus ) introduction after 1510 could be important causes for extinction of Cuban endemic small mammals by depredation, competition, diseases, and parasites.
Boromys torrei Boromys ofella Nesophontes micrus Rattus rattus
Impacts to Conservation
First possible extinction in recent time
Mesocapromys nanus
Recent extinction of Cuban mammals
FEW attempts in monitoring, investigation and assessment
Possible Causes: Invasive mammals predation and competition
Feral cat Feral dog Mongoose Black rat
Fire (intentional and accidental) Drought Floods
Cienaga de Zapata
Second possible extinction
Mesocapromys
sanfelipensis
Recent extinction on Cuban mammals
More attempts in monitoring, investigation and assessment. Other keys of San Felipe must be assessed comprehensively
Juan Garcia key, Cayos de San Felipe
Many Causes: •Invasive mammals predation and competition
Large Black rat infestation Domestic dog (trained to hunting)
•Imprudent application of a biological rodenticide for rat control. •Fire (intentional) to reduce mosquitos. •Hunting. •Human activities (charcoal, cutting, fishing, army, etc.)
Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
Pico Cristal National Park (18.540,00)
(82.772,00 ha)
Population reduced and restricted distribution to two localities: National Parks: Pico Cristal and Alejandro de Humboldt. Black rats, wild cat and will dogs are real threatened to the Solenodon .
Almiqui Solenodon cubanus
Threats Invasive sp. Hab. Destruct. Restricted Dist.
Black rat (Rattus rattus) density estimates in Solenodon habitat in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park , Guantanamo (March 2012) by trapping removal
method.
Black rat Reported in 64 islands
Plot Date Area in m2 Rats/ha ± S.E. Leslie Regression Model Ricker Semi-log
Regression Model 1 March 2012 1200 313.66 ± 18.4 322.25 ± 2.9 2 March 2012 1200 176.92 ± 4.1 146.58 ± 0.9 3 May 2010 750 268.0 ± 4.8 214.3 ± 0.9
Rattus rattus is reported in 64 small islands and keys in Cuba
Black rats in habitat and refuge of Mesocapromys auritus in Cayo Fragoso
350 g
Black rats in Cayo Salinas, Cayos de Ana Maria in the habitat and refuge of Mesocapromys angelcabrerai
Native and introduced vertebrates reported with predation and crushing impacts on Cuban terrestrial snails (N).
Native vertebrates predators N Invasive vertebrate predator N Invasive vertebrate crushing N
Birds (unidentified )
Cuban Kite (Chondrohierax wilsonii
Guareao (Aramus guarauna)
Great Lizard-Cuckoo (Saurothera merlini)
Hutia conga (Capromys pilorides)
Snail Kite (Rosthramus sociabilis)
Toad (Bufo peltacephalus)
Great Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger)
Chipojo (Anolis baracoae)
Chipojo (Anolis equestris)
Anolis (Anolis sp.)
Cuban frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)
Almiqui (Solenodon cubanus)
Bat (unidentified)
Green Woodpeckers (Xiphidiopicus percussus)
Cuban small frog (Eleutherodactylus spp.)
Chameleons (Chamaeleolis spp.)
Cuban lizards (Anolis spp.)
Ruddy Quail-Dove (Geotrygon montana)
Key West Quail-Dove (Geotrygon chysia)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
90
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Black rat (Rattus rattus)
Wild pig (Sus scrofa)
House mouse (Mus musculus)
Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Domestic Folk (Gallus gallus)
Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
Common Goose (Anser anser)
Domestic Duck (Cairina moschata)
Helmeted Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris)
Domestic sparrow (Passer domesticus)
American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
65
7
5
4
3
3
3
3
2
1
?
?
Cow (Bos taurus)
Horse (Equus caballus)
Goat (Capra hiscus)
Sheep (Ovis aries)
Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
2
2
2
2
1
Total reports 139 Total reports 96 9
Chondropometes exquisitum Sierra la Guira, Pinar del Rio
Polymita brocheri, Maisi, Guantanamo
Polymita picta, PN Alejandro de Humboldt
Cerion pinerium, Cayo Rico
Zachrysia auricoma, Sierra del Rosario, PR
Emoda sagraiana, Sierra San Carlos
Food category Solenodon hábitat
AHNP, Eastern Cuba
N=43
Island hábitat
Cayo Campo, South
Cuba N=40
Vegetal fiber 23.2 17.5
Insect 23.3 7.5
Crab - 17.5
Amphibian 1 2.7 -
Amphibian 2 2.7 -
Lizard 1 65.1 5.0
Lizard 2 6.9 -
Ophidian 1 23.3 -
Ophidian 2 2.3 -
Bird 2.3 20.0
Hutia 13.9 52.5
Solenodon 4.7 * -
Black rat 48.8 27.5
Mouse - 12.5
Diet of feral cats (Felis silvestris catus) as % of occurrence of food category in spots in two important conservation areas:
Solenodon cubanus habitat and island habitat
1, small animal; 2, large animal
Feral Cat
Reported in 17 islands
High level of Tolerance
Reported in 19 islands
Feral dog
Dog excrement with hutia bones and hair n Cienaga de Zapata NP
Impacts: Wild pig rooting impacts have been observed on Solenodon burrows. Wild pig can produce affectation in natural areas Predation small vertebrates, invertebrates as mollusk, crag, etc. Erosion by rummage action Mosquito
Feral pig predating crab
Present in 6 Islands
Feral pig Rooting in Guanahacabibes NP
Mongoose trapped in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, around Baracoa
More abundant in western Cuba and rare in the east until 1999 when they have been invading more areas, including the AHNP Significant new threat to Solenodon
Mongoose
Impact: predation (eggs, birds, small lizard, frog, Polymita). Rabies
A colony around 100 Monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) in Cayo Campo, Archipelago of Canarreos
Green monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops) in Cayo Cantiles, Archipelago of Canarreos (a colony of 40 animals)
Fishes
Impacts: possible predator of cave blind fishes Lucifuga (3 very rare and local endemic species). Predation Frog, fishes, etc.
Original distribution: Africa
Introduction date: 1999-2000
Clarias gariepinus
Josone Park. Varadero Beach, Matanzas
Cayo Saetia, north eastern Cuba
Institutions and NGO,s linked with Conservation and Invasive Vertebrates in Cuba
Institutions
• Protected Areas
• National Center of Protected
• Enterprise for the Conservation of the Flora and Fauna
• Center of Biosecurity
• University of Habana
• Institute of Ecology and Systematics
• Institute of Tropical Geography
• National Aquarium
• Institute of Health Plant
• Center of Coastal Ecosystems
• GaviotaTour, S.A.
• Institute of Oceanology
NGO,s
• Cuban Zoological Society
• Antonio Nunez Jimenez Foundation
• Cuban Geography Society
• Cuban Botanic Society
Conclusion • The compilation Invasive Vertebrates in Cuba is an important
baseline, including to other Caribbean islands.
• Increased the understand of the Invasive Species problem (stakeholders, protected area workers, rangers, scientific, students, etc.).
• The CNAP workshop to review of Protected Area Management Plans in 2014 included more and better information.
What we need?
• Need to assessment impacts.
• Need control and eradication.
• The protected area need continue building capacities about Invasive specie.
• Need for national and international funds for conservation .
Bibliography related
Borroto-Páez, R., M. Tejeda, F. Lewis and M. E. Rodríguez. 1990. Fluctuación poblacional de Mus musculus (L) y Rattus rattus (L) en cultivo de la caña de azúcar. Rev. Biol. 4(2): 121- 132.
Borroto-Páez, R., and M. E. Rodríguez. 1990. Observaciones del subnicho trófico de Mus musculus (L) y Rattus rattus (L) en el cultivo de la caña de azúcar. Cien. Biol., 23: 59-63.
Borroto-Páez, R. 2009. Invasive Mammals in Cuba. Biological Invasions. 11 (10): 2279-2290.
Borroto-Páez, R. 2011. Los mamíferos invasores o introducidos. 220-241 pp. In. Mamíferos en Cuba. (Borroto-Páez. R. and C. A. Mancina, Eds.) UPC Print, Vaasa, Finland, 271 pp.
Borroto-Páez, R. and C. A. Woods, 2012. Status and impact of introduced mammals in the West Indies. 241-258. In: Borroto-Páez, R., C. A. Woods and F. E. Sergile (eds). Terrestrial Mammals of the West Indies. Contributions. Florida Museum of Natural History and Wocahoota Press, FL.
Borroto-Páez, R. 2013. Nidos y refugios de ratas negras (Rattus rattus) en Cuba. SOLENODON 11: 109-119.
Borroto-Páez, R., I. Ruíz Plasencia, J. Hernández Albernas, E. Hernández Pérez, E. Ruíz Rojas, and Á. Daniel Álvarez. 2013. Valoración rápida de gatos ferales y otros mamíferos invasores en cayo Santa María, norte de Villa Clara, Cuba. Solenodon 11: 120-130.
Borroto-Páez, R. and D. Reyes Pérez. 2015. Observaciones sobre el Guareao (Aramus guarauna) en Cuba central. Revista Cubana de Ciencias Biológicas 4(2): 111-114.
Borroto-Páez, R., R. Alonso Bosch, B. A. Fabres, O. Alvarez García. 2015. Introduced Amphibians and Reptiles in the Cuban Archipelago. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 10(3):985–1012.
López-Ricardo, Y. and R. Borroto-Páez. 2012. Alimentación de la Lechuza (Tyto alba furcata) en Cuba central: Presas introducidas y autóctonas. Tesis de Diploma, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana. 84 pp.
Mancina, C, R. Borroto-Páez, A. Hernández Muñoz, and E. Hernández Pérez. 2014. Mamíferos Terrestres del Archipiélago Sabana-Camagüey, Cuba: sinopsis y comentarios. Pp. 339-359. In: Fauna terrestre del Archipiélago Sabana-Camagüey, Cuba. Editorial Científico Técnica.
Mancina, CA, E. García Tió, R. Borroto-Páez, H. M. Díaz and F. A. Cervantes. 2015. Taxonomic identity of invasive rabbits in Cuba: first record of Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus (Mammalia: Lagomorpha). Checklist 11(6): 1820.
Muchas Gracias