Experimental confirmation of interspecific competition between native and introduced mice

Abstract

AbstractThis paper tests the hypothesis that Pseudomys novaehollandiae shows competitive superiority over Mus musculus. Experimental removals of P. novaehollandiae on four I ha treatment plots and additions on a further four I ha plots show significant effects of interspecific competition when compared to two I ha unmanipulated control plots. Significant effects of P. novachollandiae populations on the abundance of M. musculus populations were observed for number of captures/day, abundance/trapping session and for the recruitment of new individuals over the post‐removal period, thus allowing rejection of the null hypothesis in each case. There was an apparent ceiling on the total rodent abundance which is indicative of a resource limitation. The resource in short supply appears to be space, but it is not clear if the competition is for food or shelter resources contained within such space or for the space per se, but the latter seems less likely.The confirmation of this interspecific competition supports the inferences drawn from a considerable amount of indirect evidence, largely descriptive, obtained from previous studies in the Myall Lakes National Park. This study also shows that competition is one of the mechanisms controlling the replacement of species in the succession following disturbance and lends support to the habitat accommodation model proposed for such succession. These points support previous statements on the importance of interspecific competition as a determinant of the structure of these small‐mammal communities.