Sarah J. Davies’s research while affiliated with Stellenbosch University and other places

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Publications (34)


Population size of invasive toads estimated by a stage-structured model simulating alternative management strategies. Adult population size of invasive guttural toads, Sclerophrys gutturalis, in Cape Town estimated by a stage-structured model that simulates potential management strategies, as listed in Table 2. Colours (blue, red, grey and purple) indicate removal strategies that are hypothetically carried out by removing different age classes at contrasting spatial scales (accessible ponds vs. all ponds). Black indicates a no-removal scenario. Management was simulated to start in 2011 and to be interrupted in late 2020 (removal phase), after which the model simulating the invasive population would be allowed to run for a further 10 years until 2030. Estimated population size of each fictional management strategy is reported in Suppl. material 2.
Population size of invasive toads estimated by a stage-structured model simulating different removal proportions of pre-metamorphic individuals. Adult population size of invasive guttural toads, Sclerophrys gutturalis, in Cape Town estimated by a stage-structured model that simulates different removal proportions of pre-metamorphic individuals (eggs and tadpoles). Colours indicate different proportions of removal expressed in percentage. Black indicates a no-removal scenario. Management was simulated to start in 2011 and to be interrupted in late 2020 (removal phase), after which the model simulating the invasive population would be allowed to run for a further 10 years until 2030.
Cost-benefit evaluation of management strategies for an invasive amphibian with a stage-structured model
  • Article
  • Full-text available

December 2021

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136 Reads

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3 Citations

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Sarah J. Davies

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Management strategies for invasive populations should be designed to maximise efficacy and efficiency, i.e. to accomplish their goals while operating with the least resource consumption. This optimisation is often difficult to achieve in stage-structured populations, because costs, benefits and feasibility of removing individuals may vary with stage. We use a spatially-explicit stage-structured model to assess efficacy of past, present and alternative control strategies for invasive guttural toads, Sclerophrys gutturalis , in Cape Town. The strategies involve removal of variable proportions of individuals at different life-history stages and spatial scales. We also quantify the time necessary to implement each strategy as a proxy of financial resources and we correct strategy outcomes by implementation of time to estimate efficiency. We found that the strategy initially pursued in Cape Town, which did not target any specific stage, was less efficient than the present strategy, which prioritises adult removal. The initial strategy was particularly inefficient because it did not reduce the population size despite allocating consistent resources to remove eggs and tadpoles. We also found that such removal might be detrimental when applied at high levels. This counter-intuitive outcome is due to the ‘hydra effect’: an undesired increase in population size caused by removing individuals before overcompensatory density dependence. Strategies that exclusively remove adults ensure much greater management efficiency than those that also remove eggs and tadpoles. Available management resources should rather be allocated to increase the proportion of adult guttural toads that are removed or the spatial extent at which this removal is pursued.

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Opening the floor for discussion: A perspective on how scholars perceive attitudes to science in policymaking in South Africa

January 2021

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184 Reads

South African Journal of Science

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Sarah J. Davies

Policymakers are a vital group with whom scientific research should be communicated, especially when the reason for many research projects is linked to relevance for socio-political and economic management. Science communication has a vital role in transforming research into policy, and a core element of this process is understanding the target group, namely policymakers. Science and policy influence each other deeply, so researchers and policymakers should improve their understanding of each other and of the processes involved in both fields in order to better collaborate. Accordingly, an in-depth understanding of how scholars perceive policymakers is a precondition for scientists to achieve any desired management and policy impacts. In December 2019, six researchers and one research manager from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, gathered to discuss their understanding of policymakers. The discussion was part of a Science Communication Masterclass hosted by the South African Research Chair in Science Communication and Econnect Communication, Australia. The purpose of the group discussion was to develop a science communication strategy that would enhance the sharing of scientific research outputs with policymakers in South Africa. We explored five questions to help us record our perception of policymakers: (1) Who do we think the policymakers are? (2) How do we think that policymakers perceive research? (3) What concerns do we believe that policymakers have about research? (4) What information do we think policymakers are interested in? (5) What forms of communication do we think policymakers prefer? This Commentary presents our view on how we think researchers perceive policymakers, as discussed in the Science Communication Masterclass. We hope to initiate a discussion around science communication with policymakers, and improve current practices.


Figure 1. Boundaries of the Greater Cape Floristic Region, in which the CAPE Invasive Alien Animals Working Group functions.
Figure 2. Time-line and turnover of sector participants in the CAPE Invasive Alien Animals Working Group. Since 2008 there have been 24 meetings, with between one and four meetings a year except for a hiatus in 2016. The number of participants has fluctuated between 8 and 30 people per meeting, and includes 102 unique individuals over time. The relative representation from six main sectors is shown here.
Figure 3. Taxa and topics discussed over time at the CAPE Invasive Alien Animals Working Group meetings. The bars span the period over which a species appeared on the agenda for discussion. Ticks on the X-axis represent the dates that meetings took place.
Coordinating invasive alien species management in a biodiversity hotspot: The CAPE Invasive Alien Animals Working Group

August 2020

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726 Reads

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9 Citations

Bothalia - African Biodiversity and Conservation

Background: The effectiveness of invasive alien species management in South Africa, and elsewhere, can be improved by ensuring there are strong links and feedbacks between science and management. The CAPE Invasive Alien Animals Working Group (CAPE IAAWG) was established in 2008 to enhance cooperation among stakeholders such as implementing agencies and researchers, and thereby improve the management of inva-sive animals in the Greater Cape Floristic Region. Objectives: In this article we highlight where and how the working group has advanced our understanding of research and the implementation of management objectives and consider the working group's successes and failures. Methods: We analyse the attendance of meetings by different stakeholders and the frequency of discussion topics on meeting agendas throughout the sequence of meetings from 2008 to 2019. We document insights based on published accounts or the experiences of the authors from eight different management projects. Results: Meetings are attended by stakeholders from NGOs, universities, and local, provincial and national government agencies as well as private individuals. Topics of discussion ranged from details of specific alien animal invasions (e.g. the House Crow in Cape Town), to considering the risks posed by broad groups (e.g. earthworms), to specific management techniques (e.g. guidelines for trapping invasive alien birds). Through the eight projects described here the CAPE IAAWG has: (i) contributed to capacity building through funding and advising on postgraduate research projects; (ii) provided ad hoc support to staff of agencies that implement invasive alien animal control ; (iii) acted as a focal point for a community of practice that is supportive of decision making and policy development; and (iv) played a vital role in linking research, management and policy in a manner accessible to a broader range of stakeholders. The projects undertaken by the group reveal several lessons for managing invasive animals: (i) the importance of logistics and contract efficiency, (ii) the need for effective stakeholder engagement by the project team, (iii) the need to effectively address conflicts between role players, and (iv) the importance of including ethical and animal rights considerations in the decision making processes. Conclusion: The CAPE IAAWG has been a valuable forum to improve management effectiveness and support implementation decisions. Due to its small cost and time footprint, the


South Africa’s Centre for Invasion Biology: An Experiment in Invasion Science for Society

March 2020

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330 Reads

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18 Citations

This chapter describes the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology in South Africa, and reviews how its structure and functioning has evolved over time. The Centre has been guided in its activities by a set of principles that included conducting research on biological invasions that is world-class but relevant to South Africa, embracing interdisciplinarity, and bridging the gap between the natural and social sciences. The performance of the Centre has been assessed using five broad key performance areas (Research; Education and training; Networking; Information brokerage; and Service provision), and we use this as a framework for describing the Centre’s achievements over the 15 years since its establishment in 2004. The Centre has consistently exceeded its annual target of between 60 and 80 peer-reviewed publications per year. Between the inception of the Centre in 2004 and the end of 2018, 1745 peer-reviewed papers with Centre-affiliated authors were published in journals listed on the Web of Science, and many important contributions to the field globally have been made. Up to the end of 2018, 129 Master’s degrees and 64 PhDs have been awarded, and 67 post-doctoral associates have been supported. Many of the Centre’s graduates are now employed in the environmental management sector, in South Africa and abroad. The Centre has also built substantial networks in the field, both locally and globally. This has been achieved by establishing formal partnerships with government institutions; hosting external staff in key biodiversity management positions; appointing national and international research associates; hosting themed workshops; and establishing and participating in taxon- or issue-specific working groups. The extent of these networks is reflected in the wide range of researchers who co-authored papers with the Centre’s members (the 1729 ISI-accredited, peer-reviewed publications produced by the C∙I∙B to the end of 2018 included 4237 authors from 110 countries). Information brokerage and knowledge transfer has been promoted through publications, scientific talks, media interactions, newspaper articles, popular articles, popular talks, the Centre’s web page, and social media platforms. The Centre has also made important inputs to the development of policy and legislation in the field, and has supported management in many areas across the country. Although not all of the Centre’s ultimate goals have been met (for example, invasive species continue to spread, and to impact on people’s livelihoods, and public understanding of problems associated with invasions is still weak), the South African Centres of Excellence model has provided an example of how limited resources can be effectively leveraged to better understand problems of the environment, and to develop the understanding and capacity to manage them.


Experience and Lessons from Alien and Invasive Animal Control Projects in South Africa

March 2020

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172 Reads

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32 Citations

South Africa has a rich history of managing invasive alien animal populations. This chapter explores examples of animal control projects, their resourcing and degree of success or failure. Out of 1023 alien animal species present in South Africa, 80 are designated for compulsory control or eradication in national legislation, and 24 are currently being controlled with the aim of eradication or containment. Only two species have been successfully eradicated from mainland SA and its near-shore islands: Otala punctata (the Freckled Edible Snail) and Trogoderma granarium (the Khapra Beetle). These two projects took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and were rapid responses by small groups of role players to small infestations. In contrast, most current projects are larger, involving complex stakeholder management and considerable technical complexity. Three further invertebrate species are currently controlled through integrated pest management (Bactrocera dorsalis, the Oriental Fruit Fly) or nest removal (Vespula germanica, the German Wasp and Polistes dominula, the European Paper Wasp). No marine species are currently subject to control. Among vertebrates, 12 freshwater fish species have been controlled in localised areas, according to their specific listing in legislation and protected area management priorities; two amphibian, two bird and five mammal species are currently subject to control using a wide variety of techniques. Inter-institutional working groups have played a significant role in promoting the success of invasive alien species management in South Africa. Three working groups are actively addressing new and existing invasions, and promoting awareness and cooperation among a wide range of organisations, as well as recording the experience and learning of these groups.


Figure 1. Mean monthly rainfall (bars), maximal temperature (black dots and line), minimal temperature (grey dots and line) and relative humidity (black squares and dotted line) at the locations of Cape Town (invaded range) and Durban (native range) where guttural toads (Sclerophrys gutturalis) were sampled. For each location, the open arrows represent the sampling periods and the shaded area represents the breeding season of the guttural toad. This season represents the period during which males form breeding choruses, and it has been delimited according to our experience in the field (2011-2018). Climate data were sourced from the World Meteorological Organization, http://public.wmo.int/
Figure 2. Means values (± SE) of gonad residuals, percentage of body fat (body fat %) and scaled mass index for liver mass (SMI liver ) obtained from guttural toads (Sclerophrys gutturalis) sampled in Cape Town (CT) and Durban (D). Data are presented separately for each sex and sampling period. Means sharing a letter are not significantly different (P > 0.05) according to Tukey's post hoc pairwise comparisons. When no differences between sex or sampling period were detected through two-way ANOVAs, post hoc comparisons were not conducted.
Figure 3. Graphical representations of principal components analyses conducted on lean structural mass, storage organs and gonads, separately for each sex and sampling period. The total amount of variance explained by the two first dimensions (Dim1 and Dim2) is reported in the axes.
Invasive toads adopt marked capital breeding when introduced to a cooler, more seasonal environment

October 2019

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49 Reads

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14 Citations

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

Amphibians from cold and seasonal environments show marked capital breeding and sustained resource allocation to growth when compared with conspecifics from warmer, less seasonal environments. Capital breeding fuels reproduction by using only stored energy, and larger sizes and masses confer higher fecundity, starvation resistance and heat and water retention. Invasive populations act as experiments to explore how resources are allocated in novel environments. We investigated resource allocation of the southern African toad Sclerophrys gutturalis in a native source population (Durban) and in an invasive population recently (< 20 years) established in a cooler, more seasonal climate (Cape Town). After dissection, lean structural mass (bones and muscles), gonadal mass, liver mass and body fat percentage were measured in 161 native and invasive animals sampled at the beginning and the end of the breeding season. As expected, female gonadal mass decreased throughout the breeding season only in the invaded range. Thus, invasive female toads adopt a more marked capital breeding strategy than native conspecifics. Conversely, males from both populations appear to be income breeders. Also, male and female toads from the invaded range allocate more resources to growth than their native counterparts. Such a novel allocation strategy might be a response to the low temperatures, reduced rainfall and heightened seasonality encountered by the invasive population.


Figure 2. Means values (± SE) of gonad residuals, percentage of body fat (body fat %) and scaled mass index for liver mass (SMI liver ) obtained from guttural toads (Sclerophrys gutturalis) sampled in Cape Town (CT) and Durban (D). Data are presented separately for each sex and sampling period. Means sharing a letter are not significantly different (P > 0.05) according to Tukey's post hoc pairwise comparisons. When no differences between sex or sampling period were detected through two-way ANOVAs, post hoc comparisons were not conducted.
Figure 3. Graphical representations of principal components analyses conducted on lean structural mass, storage organs and gonads, separately for each sex and sampling period. The total amount of variance explained by the two first dimensions (Dim1 and Dim2) is reported in the axes.
Invasive toads adopt marked capital breeding when introduced to a cooler, more seasonal environment

September 2019

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158 Reads

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5 Citations

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

Amphibians from cold and seasonal environments show marked capital breeding and sustained resource allocation to growth when compared with conspecifics from warmer, less seasonal environments. Capital breeding fuels reproduction by using only stored energy, and larger sizes and masses confer higher fecundity, starvation resistance and heat and water retention. Invasive populations act as experiments to explore how resources are allocated in novel environments. We investigated resource allocation of the southern African toad Sclerophrys gutturalis in a native source population (Durban) and in an invasive population recently (< 20 years) established in a cooler, more seasonal climate (Cape Town). After dissection, lean structural mass (bones and muscles), gonadal mass, liver mass and body fat percentage were measured in 161 native and invasive animals sampled at the beginning and the end of the breeding season. As expected, female gonadal mass decreased throughout the breeding season only in the invaded range. Thus, invasive female toads adopt a more marked capital breeding strategy than native conspecifics. Conversely, males from both populations appear to be income breeders. Also, male and female toads from the invaded range allocate more resources to growth than their native counterparts. Such a novel allocation strategy might be a response to the low temperatures, reduced rainfall and heightened seasonality encountered by the invasive population.


royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos Emerging infectious diseases and biological invasions: a call for a One Health collaboration in science and management

May 2019

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84 Reads

Royal Society Open Science

The study and management of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and of biological invasions both address the ecology of human-associated biological phenomena in a rapidly changing world. However, the two fields work mostly in parallel rather than in concert. This review explores how the general phenomenon of an organism rapidly increasing in range or abundance is caused, highlights the similarities and differences between research on EIDs and invasions, and discusses shared management insights and approaches. EIDs can arise by: 1) crossing geographic barriers due to human-mediated dispersal; 2) crossing compatibility barriers due to evolution; 3) lifting of environmental barriers due to environmental change. All these processes can be implicated in biological invasions, but only the first defines them. Research on EIDs is embedded within the One Health concept – the notion that human, animal and ecosystem health are interrelated and that holistic approaches encompassing all three components are necessary to respond to threats to human well-being. We argue that sustainable development requires explicit consideration of biological invasions within One Health. Management goals for the fields are the same, and direct collaborations between invasion scientists, disease ecologists and epidemiologists on modelling, risk assessment, monitoring and management would be mutually beneficial.



Biological invasions and EIDs as components of One Health. The schematic combines an adaptation of the IPBES Conceptual Framework [29] with a schematic of the One Health concept. The IPBES Conceptual Framework illustrates the interplay between anthropogenic and natural drivers of change in nature (biodiversity and ecosystems) (black boxes and arrows) and how this connects ecosystem services to human well-being (+ve effects, blue box and arrows). We also identify connections to ecosystem disservices, such as those caused by EIDs and invasive species (−ve effects, red box and arrows). For simplicity, positive effects of invasive species are not shown. The One Health concept (green circle) encompasses the IPBES Conceptual Framework, with its interacting human, animal and environment components.
An example of indirect effects of invasive species on human health. Here, the indirect impact is water availability, which in South Africa is imperilled by invasive plants that are ‘thirsty’ (i.e. take up water at rates that significantly reduce water flows), climate change-induced drought and the competing requirements of drinking water for human populations, livestock production and other agricultural enterprises. How this issue is central to the One Health concept is illustrated by the interacting human, animal and environment components of the water availability problem as indicated by dashed circles. These circles indicate the main impacts of humans (the anthropogenic impacts), animals (the consumption of water by livestock and the consequent need to drill boreholes) and the environment (rainfall and plant communities).
A conceptual diagram of the barriers to biological invasions and EIDs and how they limit species invasions and disease emergence. Processes whereby barriers may be breached are shown in the central box, and an example of these (from the introduction of West Nile virus (WNV) to North America) is shown in the box to the right. Note the only prerequisite for biological invasions is that there is dispersal across a geographical barrier (evolution and environmental change are not required if conditions are already suitable). By contrast, an EID can arise either through evolution leading to the breakdown in a compatibility barrier or environmental change breaking an environmental barrier without there being dispersal over a geographical barrier (cf. table 1). Moreover, the order of the barriers crossed can vary. For example, in the emergence of HIV, a compatibility barrier was first crossed (non-human primate to human) before the global spread of the pandemic. The insect collage used under ‘species that are introduced’ in Figure 3 was sourced from Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Share-Alike License (CC-BY-SA 3.0; see https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Insect_collage.png). We acknowledge the original author of the work: ‘BugBoy52.40’.
A One Health approach to the management of EIDs and biological invasions. The continuum of possible invasion/EID management functions, their policy or programme objectives, and the research activities that support their development are shown. The rows of boxes represent the different fields involved in responding to EIDs and biological invasions: management programmes, policy development and scientific research. The columns represent different stages of response to EIDs and invasions and how, as indicated by numbered red arrows, emphasis may change from general research into risks of EIDs and invasions, to focus on: (1) particular potential threats; (2) species/EIDs detected as invading; and (3) ongoing management of EIDs and invasive species.
Emerging infectious diseases and biological invasions: A call for a One Health collaboration in science and management

March 2019

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1,113 Reads

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113 Citations

The study and management of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and of biological invasions both address the ecology of human-associated biological phenomena in a rapidly changing world. However, the two fields work mostly in parallel rather than in concert. This review explores how the general phenomenon of an organism rapidly increasing in range or abundance is caused, highlights the similarities and differences between research on EIDs and invasions and discusses shared management insights and approaches. EIDs can arise by: (i) crossing geographical barriers due to human-mediated dispersal, (ii) crossing compatibility barriers due to evolution, and (iii) lifting of environmental barriers due to environmental change. All these processes can be implicated in biological invasions, but only the first defines them. Research on EIDs is embedded within the One Health concept—the notion that human, animal and ecosystem health are interrelated and that holistic approaches.


Citations (27)


... Decision support virToad's ability to flexibly simulate competing management scenarios, and produce realistic predictions at spatiotemporal scales relevant to on-the-ground management, make it an invaluable decision support tool (Matzek et al. 2015;Schuwirth et al. 2019). Our simulation experiments revealed that management strategies targeting reproductive adults, such as handcapturing and trapping post-metamorphs, had the most potential to suppress cane toad invasions, supporting hypotheses of previous studies (Lampo and De Leo 1998;González-Bernal et al. 2015;Vimercati et al. 2021). Perhaps more importantly, our simulation experiments demonstrate that well-designed management responses can generate highly impactful longterm outcomes, even at low levels of effort; meanwhile, high effort but relatively ineffective strategies can prove futile. ...

Reference:

virToad: simulating the spatiotemporal population dynamics and management of a global invader
Cost-benefit evaluation of management strategies for an invasive amphibian with a stage-structured model

... In the case of the invasive population near Cape Town, eggs and tadpoles are presumed to have been unintentionally introduced via a consignment of aquatic ornamental plants in 1998(De Villiers 2006Measey et al. 2017). This urban-invasive Cape Town population has since shown rapid adaptation to the drier climate in the Cape region in the adult stage, altering their behavior, physiology, and reproductive strategy (Vimercati et al. 2018(Vimercati et al. , 2019Madelaire et al. 2020;Barsotti et al. 2021). ...

Invasive toads adopt marked capital breeding when introduced to a cooler, more seasonal environment

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

... One way to engage with people and affected communities is through "working groups" or "multi-stakeholder platforms". These have been created and used to manage a range of pest and natural resource management problems, including environmental management problems in Australia (Hajkowicz, 2008), water reforms in Bolivia and South Africa (Faysse, 2006), pest species in South Africa (Davies et al., 2020), and for conservation of pangolins in Singapore (Nash et al., 2020). Common across many of these groups is the desire to link research with policy and management implementation, but there is also a strong need to ensure that stakeholders are engaged and work for co-production of knowledge that is meaningful and accessible to a broad range of stakeholders (Davies et al., 2020). ...

Coordinating invasive alien species management in a biodiversity hotspot: The CAPE Invasive Alien Animals Working Group

Bothalia - African Biodiversity and Conservation

... However mechanical removal, if not done properly, can illicit undesirable community compensatory mechanisms; for example, in Lake Ohinewai, New Zealand, a removal programme led to the reduction in C. carpio abundance for a few years followed by population recovery by the fifth year, along with an increase in other invasive species, attributed to the reduction in interspecific competition (Tempero et al. 2019). In SA, literature on invasive fish control is restricted to small isolated systems where the commonly used methods include pesticides such as rotenone (Marr et al. 2012;Weyl at el. 2013;Dalu et al. 2020), and mechanical removal using multiple gears (Davies et al. 2020) including exclusion barriers to prevent reinvasion (van der Walt et al. 2019). ...

Experience and Lessons from Alien and Invasive Animal Control Projects in South Africa

... Collaboration on SCOPE projects set an early precedent for synthesis and the necessity of biologists, statisticians, modellers and managers to work together to address the growing concern regarding biological invasions and their management (Simberloff 2011b). This rise in synthesis is further demonstrated by the establishment of institutions like the Centre for Invasion Biology in South Africa, which has produced 1,745 peer-reviewed publications between 2004 and 2018; this work involved 4,237 authors from 110 countries across 1,729 of these publications (Richardson et al. 2020). Working groups and institutions will likely continue to contribute to an ongoing decline in The increase in the number of source titles publishing invasion science literature signals the growth of the discipline. ...

South Africa’s Centre for Invasion Biology: An Experiment in Invasion Science for Society

... This has facilitated its range expansion since it can inhabit niches that are intolerable to other amphibian species and can out-compete other species for resources. The species may also adapt its breeding behaviour to better suit the climate in which it finds itself, helping to maximise reproductive output (Vimercati et al., 2019). This may lead to alarming declines of native amphibians (Measey et al., 2017). ...

Invasive toads adopt marked capital breeding when introduced to a cooler, more seasonal environment

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

... Human population density can be an indicator of non-native species propagule pressure , as confirmed by our results for marsh frog, pike-perch and red-eared slider occurrences, all favoured by high population density. Population density was the second most important predictor for the marsh frog distribution preceded by the distance to the introduction point, which indicates that the most populated areas not only promote their introduction but might also facilitate their establishment and expansion, for example via garden ponds (Vimercati et al. 2017), increasing the connectivity between populations in the absence of streams (Atobe et al. 2014). Population density as a predictor should be investigated in detail for management purposes, to identify the main points of entry or activities, as per se does not provide specific information on the activities or places that need to be regulated. ...

Does restricted access limit management of invasive urban frogs?

Biological Invasions

... The explanatory power for TD, FD, and PD decreased notably at a 1.5° grid size, likely due to unique species distribution patterns influenced by topography. Amphibians, often constrained to mountain ranges or river systems, display bandlike distributions sensitive to scale changes (Davies et al. 2013;Fritz and Rahbek 2012;Qian et al. 2007;Wu et al. 2023;Zhang et al. 2023). Larger grids can largely average out microclimatic effects, reducing explanatory power of microclimate-relevant hypotheses, as observed in the energy and habitat heterogeneity hypotheses (Rahbek 2005). ...

Farm dams facilitate amphibian invasion: Extra-limital range expansion of the painted reed frog in South Africa
  • Citing Article
  • May 2013

Austral Ecology

... While in the past these were often studied in isolation in the investigation of emerging diseases, there is a greater understanding now that it is beneficial to investigate these factors together. This facilitates a coordinated approach to preventing and controlling disease outbreaks (33). ...

Emerging infectious diseases and biological invasions: A call for a One Health collaboration in science and management

... Documented extinctions continue to increase in the last decades and their population trends are a cause of concern, with more than 40% of amphibian species experiencing worlwide demographic declines (Stuart et al., 2004). The main drivers of these declining trends are pollution, infection diseases, invasive species, habitat loss/transformation and climate change (Luedtke et al., 2023;Nunes et al., 2019). ...

A global meta-analysis of the ecological impacts of alien species on native amphibians