Abstract
Assessing the pathways by which alien species are introduced is essential if we are to identify potential risks and evaluate management decisions. Intentional introductions are responsible for the introductions of millions of animals throughout Latin America. We explore: (1) the relative role of several intentional introduction pathways (hunting, feeding, fur, biological control, the pet trade and others) in the general context of introductions of alien species; (2) the relative importance of the intentional pathways across the different taxa; (3) similar patterns as regards the composition of alien species across countries, (4) the underlying factors that drive the richness of alien species in Latin America, and (5) the potential impacts of alien species on the region. According to our results, 69 species of mammals and 62 species of birds were introduced into Latin America by means of intentional pathways, of which the most important taxa were Artiodactyls, Primates, Passeriformes and Psittaciformes. The main introductions pathways were the pet/ornamental trades (70.9%) for birds, and hunting (39.1%) and pet trade/ornamental purposes (37.7%) for mammals. The composition of species differed among countries, with a higher richness of species in those countries with a high percentage of urban populations, with a higher native species biodiversity, with a high % of GDP owing to imports (birds) and in those with a high number of trafficked species (mammals). This review stresses that the pet trade and hunting are important pathways for the introduction of alien species, some of which have had severe impacts on many countries.
Highlights
Biological invasion is one of the main drivers of global environmental change and the loss of native biodiversity (Bellard et al, 2016; Blackburn et al, 2019)
We aim to identify cases of alien species of birds and mammals that were introduced into Latin American countries through intentional pathways
The results show that the % of gross domestic product (GDP) imports was statistically and positively associated with the total number of introduced bird species per country, while the % of rural population and number of pieces confiscated/million inhabitants were negatively related to this variable (Model 1)
Summary
Biological invasion is one of the main drivers of global environmental change and the loss of native biodiversity (Bellard et al, 2016; Blackburn et al, 2019). A.J. Carpio et al / Global Ecology and Conservation 22 (2020) e00949 pathways have appeared to transport numerous species between different eco-regions (Kuhlenkamp and Kind, 2018). Mammals and birds were the first organisms to be intentionally introduced around the world for sport hunting, commercialization and domestication as livestock (e.g. feeding, fur, transport or work animals), pets or for pest control (Long, 2003; Lever, 2005; Clout and Russell, 2008; Blackburn et al, 2009). Most established mammals originate from intentional releases into natural environments (Blackburn et al, 2011). The establishment of alien species has, primarily occurred near human populations, after which they have spread into natural and semi-natural areas (Da Rosa et al, 2017; Carpio et al, 2017a)
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