Discovery of a Novel Invasive Rodent Species on Wake Atoll with a Desert Southwest USA Origin

Authors

Antoinette J. Piaggio, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, ColoradoFollow
Eric Lanners, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
Daniel R. Taylor, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, ColoradoFollow
Aaron B. Shiels, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, ColoradoFollow
Marjorie Matocq, University of Nevada, Reno
John Eisemann, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2024

Citation

BioInvasions Records (2024) 13(3): 675–683

doi: 10. 3391/bir.2024.13.3.09

Handling editor: Tsungai Zengeya

Thematic editor: Tim Adriaens

Comments

United States government work

Abstract

Invasive species, particularly omnivorous rodents, have damaged island ecosystems around the world. The unique flora and fauna of island systems have typically not evolved with omnivorous rodents and are heavily impacted by their introduction. Wake Atoll of the southern Pacific Ocean is a 707-hectare coral island complex of three islands managed by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DoD restricts civilian access to the atoll but aircraft and seacraft regularly visit the island to transport military equipment and to sustain the year-round military and contractor personnel stationed on the atoll. Wake Atoll had been invaded by Rattus rattus complex rats and R. exulans (Pacific rats). A 2012 eradication effort successfully removed the larger-bodied R. rattus complex species but the smaller-bodied R. exulans escaped eradication and continue to be numerous. During routine small mammal monitoring in February 2022, two individuals of another species of rodent were discovered and in August 2022 a pregnant female of this larger-bodied species was captured. Here, we report the mitochondrial DNA-based identification of the three individuals discovered on Wake Atoll in 2022. Based on mtDNA, we were able to ascertain that these individuals are likely Neotoma albigula, a species whose native range is restricted to the south-central United States and Mexico. All three Wake Atoll specimens shared the same mtDNA haplotype, which had 99–100% sequence similarity to several N. albigula specimens collected in south-central New Mexico. We propose that one or more live N. albigula may have been transported from one of the active military bases that routinely supply operations conducted on Wake Island. This work highlights that novel invasive species are an ongoing problem and can arise from species not formerly known to be invasive. Further, management of this problem must focus on biosecurity efforts to reduce the probability of novel or recurring invasions.