Anthropogenic factors predict movement of an invasive species

Abstract

AbstractHumans are playing an increasingly large role in the expansion of invasive species' distributions, but few (if any) studies have evaluated anthropogenic factors associated with intentional translocation of invasives. The wild pig (Sus scrofa) is an extremely destructive and rapidly expanding invasive species whose movement is thought to be facilitated by humans. We sought to (1) identify a suite of genetic markers that can be applied to population genetic analyses of wild pigs, (2) find quantitative evidence of human‐mediated dispersal of wild pigs, and (3) determine which anthropogenic factors were associated with their translocation. We identified 43 polymorphic microsatellite loci and employed population genetic analyses to evaluate population structure and movement of wild pigs among populations in California, USA. Hierarchical Bayesian models were used to evaluate the influence of anthropogenic covariates on wild pig movement, and to predict migration risk. Natural dispersal of wild pigs among populations was low, as indicated by a large number of genetic clusters (K = 21), significant population differentiation, and low rates of recent migration. This suggests that the observed movement resulted from human‐mediated translocation. Movement of pigs was positively predicted by the number of domestic pig farms, the number of captive game hunting farms, the amount of public land, the number of wild pigs harvested by hunters, and the number of game outfitters. While hunting has been hypothesized to play a role in wild pig movement, our study is the first to provide quantitative evidence of such a relationship. We argue that future efforts to manage invasive species must consider the potential role of humans in their dispersal.