Anglia Ruskin Research Online (ARRO)
Browse
Invasive alien predator causes rapid declines of native European ladybirds.pdf (471.63 kB)

Invasive alien predator causes rapid declines of native European ladybirds

Download (471.63 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-08-30, 13:51 authored by Helen E. Roy, Tim Adriaens, Nick J. B. Isaac, Marc Kenis, Thierry Onkelinx, Gilles San Martin, Peter M. J. Brown, Louis Hautier, Remy Poland, David B. Roy, Richard Comont, René Eschen, Robert Frost, Renate Zindel, Johan Van Vlaenderen, Oldřich Nedvěd, Hans Peter Ravn, Jean-Claude Grégoire, Jean-Christophe de Biseau, Dirk Maes
Aim: Invasive alien species (IAS) are recognized as major drivers of biodiversity loss, but few causal relationships between IAS and species declines have been documented. In this study, we compare the distribution (Belgium and Britain) and abundance (Belgium, Britain and Switzerland) of formerly common and widespread native ladybirds before and after the arrival of Harmonia axyridis, a globally rapidly expanding IAS. Location:  Europe. Methods:  We used generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) to assess the distribution trends of eight conspicuous and historically widespread and common species of ladybird within Belgium and Britain before and after the arrival of H. axyridis. The distribution data were collated largely through public participatory surveys but verified by a recognized expert. We also used GLMMs to model trends in the abundance of ladybirds using data collated through systematic surveys of deciduous trees in Belgium, Britain and Switzerland. Results:  Five (Belgium) and seven (Britain) of eight species studied show substantial declines attributable to the arrival of H. axyridis. Indeed, the two-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata, declined by 30% (Belgium) and 44% (Britain) over 5 years after the arrival of H. axyridis. Trends in ladybird abundance revealed similar patterns of declines across three countries. Main conclusion:  Together, these analyses show H. axyridis to be displacing native ladybirds with high niche overlap, probably through predation and competition. This finding provides strong evidence of a causal link between the arrival of an IAS and decline in native biodiversity. Rapid biotic homogenization at the continental scale could impact on the resilience of ecosystems and severely diminish the services they deliver.

History

Refereed

  • Yes

Volume

18

Issue number

7

Page range

717-725

Publication title

Diversity and Distributions

ISSN

1472-4642

Publisher

Wiley

File version

  • Accepted version

Language

  • eng

Legacy posted date

2013-07-29

Legacy creation date

2019-08-22

Legacy Faculty/School/Department

ARCHIVED Faculty of Science & Technology (until September 2018)

Usage metrics

    ARU Outputs

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC