Register      Login
Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > WR > WR07123
REVIEW
Contents Vol 35(3)

The genetics of mammalian invasions: a review

Jeremy B. Searle
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Biology, University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, England, UK.

B Email: jbs3@york.ac.uk

Wildlife Research 35(3) 185-192 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR07123
Submitted: 30 August 2007  Accepted: 26 March 2008   Published: 20 May 2008

Abstract

This review takes a broad perspective on mammalian invasions and considers genetic aspects of both natural colonisation and conservation-related translocations as a backdrop to the genetics of introductions of wildlife-management concern. Genetics can help characterise invading populations in useful ways and can reveal, with greater or lesser precision, the geographical sources of invasions, their timing and how many individuals were involved. Invading mammals may affect the genetics of natives indirectly or directly, and it is important to be able to document this. There is a need to consider both ‘organism invasion’ and ‘gene invasion’. Genetics often provides an unexpected perspective on invasion biology. Examples illustrating all these points are provided through the article.


Acknowledgements

My interest in mammalian invasions has been stimulated particularly by collaboration with Janice Britton-Davidian, Keith Dobney, Chrissen Gemmill, İslam Gündüz, Maarit Jaarola, Kim King, Petr Kotlík, Silvia Mascheretti, Robbie McDonald, Natália Martínková, Maria da Luz Mathias, Victor Rambau, Paddy Sleeman, Peter Stuart, Susan Thaw, Tom White and current members of my laboratory. I am very grateful to all these people and to other colleagues with whom I have worked on this topic. My research has benefited from funding provided by the Arts and Humanity Research Council, the European Union, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Royal Society of London and the University of York. I would like to thank my laboratory and family for giving me the time to write this review, and to Angela Douglas, Mabel Giménez, Petr Kotlík, Rodrigo Vega, Tom White, Mark Williamson and anonymous referees for comments on the paper. Finally, I am grateful to Soggy Roy and Piran White for inviting me to the Invasion meeting and to write the paper.


References

Abdelkrim, J. , Pascal, M. , and Samadi, S. (2005). Island colonization and founder effects: the invasion of the Guadeloupe islands by ship rats (Rattus rattus). Molecular Ecology 14, 2923–2931.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Andersen B. G., and Borns H. W.Jr (1997). ‘The Ice Age World.’ (Scandinavian University Press: Oslo.)

Avise J. C. (2000). ‘Phylogeography: the History and Formation of Species.’ (Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.)

Barnes, I. , Matheus, P. , Shapiro, B. , Jensen, D. , and Cooper, A. (2002). Dynamics of Pleistocene population extinctions in Beringian brown bears. Science 295, 2267–2270.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Chapman N. G. (1991). Chinese muntjac Muntiacus reevesi. In ‘The Handbook of British Mammals’ 3rd edn. (Eds G. B. Corbet and S. Harris.) pp. 526–532. (Blackwell: Oxford.)

Chapman, D. I. , Chapman, N. G. , Mathews, J. G. , and Wurster-Hill, D. M. (1983). Chromosome studies of feral muntjac deer (Muntiacus sp.) in England. Journal of Zoology 201, 557–559.
Davis S. J. M. (1987). ‘The Archaeology of Animals.’ (Batsford: London.)

Deffontaine, V. , Libois, R. , Kotlík, P. , Sommer, R. , Nieberding, C. , Paradis, E. , Searle, J. B. , and Michaux, J. R. (2005). Beyond the Mediterranean peninsulas: evidence of central European glacial refugia for a temperate forest mammal species, the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus). Molecular Ecology 14, 1727–1739.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Flowerdew J. R. (1991). Wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus. In ‘The Handbook of British Mammals’ 3rd edn. (Eds G. B. Corbet and S. Harris.) pp. 220–229. (Blackwell: Oxford.)

Frankham R., Ballou J. D., and Briscoe D. A. (2002). ‘Introduction to Conservation Genetics.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Fredga, K. , Jaarola, M. , Ims, R. A. , Steen, H. , and Yoccoz, N. G. (1990). The ‘common vole’ in Svalbard identified as Microtus epiroticus by chromosome analysis. Polar Research 8, 283–290.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Gurnell J. (1991). Red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris. In ‘The Handbook of British Mammals’ 3rd edn. (Eds G. B. Corbet and S. Harris.) pp. 177–186. (Blackwell: Oxford.).

Gurnell, J. , Wauters, L. A. , Lurz, P. W. W. , and Tosi, G. (2004). Alien species and interspecific competition: effects of introduced eastern grey squirrels on red squirrel population dynamics. Journal of Animal Ecology 73, 26–35.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Strachan C., Jefferies D. J., Barreto G. R., Macdonald D. W., and Strachan R. (1998). The rapid impact of resident American mink on water voles: case studies in lowland England. In ‘Behaviour and Ecology of Riparian Mammals’. (Eds N. Dunstone and M. Gorman.) pp. 339–358. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Stuart, P. , Mirimin, L. , Cross, T. F. , Sleeman, D. P. , Buckley, N. J. , Telfer, S. , Birtles, R. J. , Kotlík, P. , and Searle, J. B. (2007). The origin of Irish bank voles Clethrionomys glareolus assessed by mitochondrial DNA analysis. Irish Naturalists’ Journal 28, 440–446.
Thaw S., Jaarola M., Dobney K. M., and Searle J. B. (2004). The origin of the Orkney vole Microtus arvalis oracadensis: a proxy for reconstructing human movements. In ‘Atlantic Connections and Adaptations’. (Eds R. A. Housley and G. Coles.) pp. 114–119. (Oxbow: Oxford.)

Thulin, C.-G. , Simberloff, D. , Barun, A. , McCracken, G. , Pascal, M. , and Islam, M. A. (2006). Genetic divergence in the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), a widely distributed invasive species. Molecular Ecology 15, 3947–3956.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Williamson M. (1996). ‘Biological Invasions.’ (Chapman and Hall: London.)

Wilson, G. A. , and Rannala, B. (2003). Bayesian inference of recent migration rates using multilocus genotypes. Genetics 163, 1177–1191.
| PubMed |