Andrzej Zalewski

Mammmal Research Institute PAS

Norka amerykańska to niewielki ssak łasicowaty introdukowany w wielu krajach Europy, Azji i Ameryki Południowej i jedno z najważniejszych zwierząt futerkowych hodowanych na fermach. Jest jednocześnie gatunkiem inwazyjnym, co oznacza, że dziko żyjące populacje norki szybko kolonizują nowe obszary i silnie oddziałują na wiele rodzimych gatunków zwier...

The Enemy Release Hypothesis is often used to explain the success of non-native species invasions. Growing evidence indicates that parasite or pathogen species richness increases over time in invasive non-native species; however, this increase should not directly translate into release from enemy pressure as infection intensity of parasites (number...

Aim Theory predicts that the evolutionary adaptations of prey to reduce predator pressure often fail in confrontation with non‐native predators; thus, their predation usually leads to sharp declines of prey populations. However, over time, prey can develop anti‐predator adaptations, reduce predator impact and recover its population. We analyse the...

Many species show spatial variation in body size, often associated with climatic patterns. Studying species with contrasting geographical patterns related to climate might help elucidate the role of different drivers. We analysed changes in the body mass of two sympatric medium-sized carnivores—pine marten ( Martes martes ) and stone marten ( Marte...

Pathogens are one of the factors driving wildlife population dynamics. The spread of pathogens in wildlife is currently highly related to the transmission of pathogens from farmed animals, which has increased with the constant development of farming. Here, we analysed the spatio‐temporal variation in the prevalence of Aleutian mink disease virus (A...

The social system of animals involves a complex interplay between physiology, natural history, and the environment. Long relied upon discrete categorizations of “social” and “solitary” inhibit our capacity to understand species and their interactions with the world around them. Here, we use a globally distributed camera trapping dataset to test the...

Nest predation is one of the main factors shaping waterbird abundances, but the impact of different predator species varies considerably between habitats and sites. To identify nest predators and evaluate their spatio-temporal impact on waterbird broods, we carried out a study with artificial nests and camera traps placed in the reedbeds of two eut...

Many mesocarnivores are fossorial and use burrow systems to avoid predators. But fossorial animals cannot stay safely underground forever; they must also risk emerging overground to forage and find mates. To make this trade‐off effectively and maximise their own fitness, it is imperative they assess how risk varies in space and time and adapt their...

Understanding the drivers and consequences of global environmental change is crucial to inform predictions of effects on ecosystems. We used the mammal community of Białowieża Forest, the last lowland near‐primeval forest in temperate Europe, as a sentinel of global change. We analyzed changes in stable carbon (δ ¹³ C) and nitrogen (δ ¹⁵ N) isotope...

The cherry plum (Prunus cerasif-era Ehrh.) is considered an invasive plant species in numerous areas of the temperate climate zones around the world. Although this exotic tree can naturalize in a wide spectrum of forest ecosystems, its invasion mechanisms remain totally unknown. This study is the first approach aiming to investigate potential drive...

A typical consequence of breeding animal species for domestication is a reduction in relative brain size. When domesticated animals escape from captivity and establish feral populations, the larger brain of the wild phenotype is usually not regained. In the American mink (Neovison vison), we found an exception to this rule. We confirmed the previou...

Many endemic viruses circulate in populations without hosts showing visible signs of disease, while still having the potential to alter host survival or reproduction. Aleutian Mink Disease Virus (AMDV) circulates in many American mink (Neogale vison) populations in its native and introduced ranges. In this study, we analysed how AMDV infection in f...

Background Here we provide a comparative analysis of the genetic structure of populations (based on nad1 mtDNA) of Isthmiophora melis isolated from the American mink (Neogale vison), an introduced invasive species, commonly occurring in the territory of Poland, and from the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius). Methods A total of 133 specimens...

Abiotic factors are limitations that can affect animal activity and distribution, whether directly or indirectly. The objective of this study was to evaluate how abiotic factors influence the activity of two mustelid species inhabiting the same region but different habitats in NE Poland—pine marten inhabits forests and stone marten occupy built-up...

Food hoarding is a useful evolutionary adaptation which strongly affects animal fitness. However, its effectiveness depends on the trade-off between costs of gathering supplies and the benefits of using them by a hoarder when other food is hardly available. A field experiment conducted between November and April in a large urban park in Warsaw (Pol...

The study aimed to recognize whether the activity of a semi-aquatic invasive carnivore – the American mink Neovison vison – is related to the distribution of waterbird colonies. For this reason, we monitored mink occurrence in lake reedbeds and the fate of artificial nests imitating those of the great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus. The location...

COVID-19 lockdown has provided a unique example of a sudden and significant reduction of human presence in a rural area, especially in villages with high tourist pressure. We used camera-trapping to investigate the effect of reduction of human activity due to COVID-19 lockdown in a rural area on activity patterns of species considered urban exploit...

Large carnivores not only supress mesocarnivores via killing and instilling fear, but also facilitate them through carrion provisioning. Hence, mesocarnivores frequently face a trade-off between risk avoidance and food acquisition. Here we used the raccoon dog and red fox in Białowieża Forest, Poland as models for investigating how large carnivores...

The introduction and expansion of an invasive non-native species could have important consequences for the genetic patterns and processes of native species, moreover if the new arrival competes strongly for resources and space. This may result in the demographic decline of the native species. Knowing the effects on the levels of genetic diversity a...

Climate and environmental changes affect species' morphology and ecology, with different responses to shifting abiotic and biotic factors observed across species. Here, we tested how the structural body size of the pine marten and its population sex ratio shifted over time alongside climate change. We analysed temporal changes in morphological trai...

Change in body size is considered to be one of the animal responses to climate warming, although in many cases it is difficult to show whether it is evolutionary or a result of phenotypic plasticity. In this study, we analysed long-term changes in the body size and sex ratio of the European polecat Mustela putorius in relation to two factors: clima...

Aim Ongoing global changes can lead to the expansion of species' geographical range. Exploring the drivers of the successful ongoing expansion of the golden jackal across Europe is essential to understand the species' trophic ecology. We analysed which climatic and environmental factors affected the dietary composition of golden jackals and compare...

Parasites have the potential to negatively affect host populations, if infection intensity is high. For parasites in which part of life cycle takes place outside the host, host infection intensity is likely affected by climate condition. Therefore, the parasite's impact on the host populations could be related to climatic conditions and may be alte...

Climate and environmental changes affect species’ morphology and ecology; however, the response of a species to changes in abiotic and biotic factors is not always consistent. Here, we tested how the structural body size of the pine marten and its population sex ratio changed over time and alongside climate change. We analysed temporal changes in m...

Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV), which causes Aleutian disease (AD), is widely spread both in farmed mink and wild mustelids. However, only limited data is available on the role of wild animals in AMDV transmission and spread. Our aim was to shed light on AMDV transmission among wild mustelids and estimate the effect of intense farming practices...

Introduced alien species can negatively affect native competitors by reducing their populations or eliminating them from ecosystems. However, studies do not always find evidence for anticipated impacts, and changes in native populations can be difficult to estimate. Interactions between the invasive American mink Neovison vison and native European...

Parasites may negatively affect hosts condition, especially when infection intensity is high. Species introduced to a new habitat are often less exposed to a parasite pressure but may accumulate parasites in time. American mink (Neovison vison) introduced to Europe, Asia, and South America is an example of such invasive species. We analysed nematod...

Introductions of invasive species increase competitive interactions in a community proportionally to the similarity between the ecological niches of invasive and native species. Food represents one of the most important resources influencing competition, and differences in the trophic niche of native and invasive species can affect their ability to...

Background: Parasites may mediate the success of biological invasions through their effect on host fitness and thus, on host population growth and stability. However, a release from the pressure of parasites is strongly related to the genetic differentiation of the host. In invasive host populations, the number of available genetic variants, allow...

Background Spirometra erinaceieuropaei is a diphylobothriid tapeworm with a complex life-cycle including definitive, intermediate and paratenic (transport) hosts. Multiple routes of parasite transmission often make it impossible to determine what type of host a specific infected animal is considered to be. Spargana larvae cause sparganosis, a sever...

Understanding the diets of predators, prey selection and their impact on prey populations is pivotal to investigations on the ecology of predator and prey species. In this study, we observed a hand-reared European otter (Lutra lutra) foraging in the wild, in order to identify the type of prey captured by the predator. The study was carried out betw...

Invasive non-native species can become reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens and cause their spread during colonization, increasing the risk of zoonoses transmission to both wild hosts and humans. American mink (Neovison vison) are considered an important invasive mammal species responsible for carrying endoparasites. The aim of our study was to evaluat...

The adaptive potential of invasive species is related to the genetic diversity of the invader, which is influenced by genetic drift and natural selection. Typically, the genetic diversity of invaders is studied with neutral genetic markers, however, the expectation of reduced diversity has not been consistently supported by empirical studies. Here,...

In the geographic range of a species, environmental conditions vary greatly and in order to adapt to this variation, animals change their ecology, behaviour and/or morphological traits. Based on Bergmann’s rule, animals should adapt their body size to the accelerating climate change in the last few decades. However, do changes in climate conditions...

The perception and assessment of predation risk often cause changes in the activities of animals and induce behavioural responses that may in turn affect their movements and distribution. To simulate high predation risk in a midfield pond riparian habitat, we used fresh faeces from ranch American mink Neovison vison and recorded behavioural respons...

"Non-linear relationship between body size of terrestrial carnivores and their trophic niche breadth and overlap" Appendix A: Figure 1. The location of study regions in Central and Eastern Europe. Appendix B. Diet composition and body mass of terrestrial carnivores in different forest regions of Europe. Appendix C: Figure 2. Effects of carnivore...

Studying food partitioning of mammalian predators is important for understanding trophic structures and interactions between coexisting carnivore species. This is particularly pertinent in the light of expanding ranges of populations of generalist species whose habitat and diet overlap with more specialized species. Here, we tested the resource par...

Invasive alien predators pose a threat to native fauna and the studies of their feeding habits are crucial to understanding their impact on prey populations. Diet of the American mink Neovison vison, an invasive species in Europe, is relatively well studied based on scat analysis, however, the use of other methods of diet analysis enables a better...

The American mink, an invasive mammal introduced to Europe, severely impacts native biodiversity. The history of its invasion has been poorly investigated in central and eastern Europe, and the current variations in densities of mink populations are not well studied, thus making a reduction of its impact difficult. Here we analyse the temporal dyna...

Isolated patches resulting from habitat fragmentation can be surrounded by matrices with different permeabilities that can restrict dispersal and affect space use patterns. In this study, we examined the consequences of being isolated by matrices with different permeabilities on the space use patterns of the stone marten (Martes foina). We radio-tr...

Colonial breeding in birds provides protection from predators and may be particularly important when birds have to cope with an invasive predator. The probability of nest predation in a colony can vary depending on several factors, such as the nest’s location in the colony and the level of aggregation of nests. We studied the nesting success of col...

Lethal carnivore management, aimed at reducing carnivore impacts, is a global phenomenon threatening the persistence of many carnivores. In South Africa, carnivore persecution escalated during the expansion of pastoralism and the introduction of modern technology. Consequently most large carnivores have been extirpated from much of their historic r...

The American mink Neovison vison is an invasive carnivore which may significantly affect populations of the water vole Arvicola amphibius. However, its impact on this rodent species depends on the abundance, dispersion and configuration of the habitats suitable for water voles and their accessibility for the mink. Using live-trapping, we studied th...

Lethal carnivore management is a prevailing strategy to reduce livestock predation. Intensity of lethal management varies according to land-use, where carnivores are more intensively hunted on farms relative to reserves. Variations in hunting intensity may result in the formation of a source–sink system where carnivores disperse from high-density t...

Most studies on habitat selection among animals are conducted at local scales, whereas reliable determination of species requirements at larger spatial scales can be problematic. We used data available for NATURA 2000 sites to determine the habitat requirements of two relatively widespread and common species—pine marten Martes martes and stone mart...

This study examines the occurrence of invasive American mink Neovison vison and native water voles Arvicola amphibius along the shorelines of eutrophic lakes and at small midfield ponds in the Mazurian Lakeland, north-east (NE) Poland. The main hypothesis tested in this study is that built-up areas and small midfield ponds are avoided by mink; ther...

Background: Population genetic diversity and structure are determined by past and current evolutionary processes, among which spatially limited dispersal, genetic drift, and shifts in species distribution boundaries have major effects. In most wildlife species, environmental modifications by humans often lead to contraction of species' ranges and/...

The ongoing decline of breeding wader populations in Europe has been mostly explained by habitat changes and the increasing impact of native predators, but the influence of non-native invasive predators has been neglected. A seven year study of the nesting success of the northern lapwing, common redshank and black-tailed godwit was carried out in B...

Attempts to mitigate the impact of invasive species on native ecosystems increasingly target large land masses where control, rather than eradication, is the management objective. Depressing numbers of invasive species to a level where their impact on native biodiversity is tolerable requires overcoming the impact of compensatory immigration from n...

Unintentional mortality of endangered carnivores due to non-selective trapping is important for conservation and warrants urgent attention. Currently, non-selective traps are being approved and used based on trap selectivity tests conducted according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines. We review these guidelines and...

Eradication and population reductions are often used to mitigate the negative impacts of non-native invasive species on native biodiversity. However, monitoring the effectiveness of non-native species control programmes is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of these measures. Genetic monitoring could provide valuable insights into temporal changes...

Microsatellite genotypes of the American mink samples. (XLSX)

Average proportion of mink assigned to the west and east sites of Koster Islands based on STRUCTURE. Background map: Europe Base Map—Level 1 Provinces, AND Products B.V. and AND Data Ireland Limited, ESRI. (PDF)

Pairwise FST (below diagonal) and harmonic mean estimate Dest across loci (above diagonal) comparison between samples taken from three sites (Koster Islands, North and South Coast) in Sweden in 2006–2011. Statistical significance for pairwise FST is given using the adjusted nominal level for multiple comparisons after Bonferroni correction. Sample...

Optimization α-score graph. (PDF)

Results of population genetic clustering based on the Bayesian modelling methods in STRUCTURE. The posterior probabilities averaged across 10 replicate runs at each level of K, proposed clusters (left), and the model value of the second order rate of change of the likelihood function (right). Analysis conducted for: all samples (level 1, upper pane...

Population genetic clustering results based on the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) in relation to the number of clusters identified by the find.cluster function in DAPC analysis. (PDF)

The average proportion of membership for the clusters identified by STRUCTURE and DAPC compared with the sample site of American mink in Sweden N—number of mink analysed. Average membership higher than 0.4 is shown in grey cells. (PDF)

The EU NON-NATIVE SPECIES RISK ANALYSIS – RISK ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE for Neovison vison was made as an argument to introduce this species on the EU Invasive Alien Species list. The first Union list of 37 plant and animal species was introduced in August 2016 and another 12 were added in August 2017. However, this accounts for just 3% of all IAS belie...

The seasonal and spatial variation of the stone marten's (Martes foina) diet was studied in the villages of Biaowieza Forest, north-eastern Poland. Stone marten diet varied significantly among seasons, years and villages of different size. The most important food sources were fruits and birds: 41.5 and 32.9 % of consumed biomass (% Bio), respective...