The enemy within: consequences of the invasive bullfrog on native anuran populations

• Published in: Biological invasions Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 373 - 378
• Main Authors: Silveira, Stephanie da Silva, Guimarães, Murilo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.02.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bayesian analysis; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Developmental Biology; Ecology; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Habitat utilization; Indigenous species; Introduced species; Invasion Note; Invasive species; Life Sciences; Microenvironments; Microhabitats; Native species; Niches; Nonnative species; Occupancy; Plant Sciences; Habitat use; Niche theory; Exotic frog; Co-occurrence
• ISSN: 1387-3547; 1573-1464
• DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02385-4

The bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus , is one of the most important invasive anurans, affecting especially native anurans due to their similar habits. Here we used a hierarchical co-occurrence model fit in a Bayesian framework to investigate the effects of the bullfrog on two native frog species from southern Brazil, testing the hypothesis that bullfrog presence changes the activity of native species and their relationship with habitat. We found that both occupancy and detection probabilities of native species were similar with bullfrog presence or absence at a site. However, we observed changes in activity and microhabitat use preferences of both native species when the bullfrog was present, suggesting that the presence of the invasive species altered the behavior of the native species. Changes induced by invasive species can result in severe long-term consequences for native species since niche differentiation may not mediate the ability of species to persist together indefinitely. Graphic abstract