Invasive Wild Pigs Research Articles

Ecology: Invasive wild pigs spread across US.

Ecology: Invasive wild pigs spread across US.

Modeling and mapping the probability of occurrence of invasive wild pigs across the contiguous United States.

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa), also known as wild swine, feral pigs, or feral hogs, are one of the most widespread and successful invasive species around the world. Wild pigs have been linked to extensive and costly agricultural damage and present a serious threat to plant and animal communities due to their rooting behavior and omnivorous diet. We modeled the current distribution of wild pigs in the United States to better understand the physiological and ecological factors that may determine their invasive potential and to guide future study and eradication efforts. Using national-scale wild pig occurrence data reported between 1982 and 2012 by wildlife management professionals, we estimated the probability of wild pig occurrence across the United States using a logistic discrimination function and environmental covariates hypothesized to influence the distribution of the species. Our results suggest the distribution of wild pigs in the U.S. was most strongly limited by cold temperatures and availability of water, and that they were most likely to occur where potential home ranges had higher habitat heterogeneity, providing access to multiple key resources including water, forage, and cover. High probability of occurrence was also associated with frequent high temperatures, up to a high threshold. However, this pattern is driven by pigs’ historic distribution in warm climates of the southern U.S. Further study of pigs’ ability to persist in cold northern climates is needed to better understand whether low temperatures actually limit their distribution. Our model highlights areas at risk of invasion as those with habitat conditions similar to those found in pigs’ current range that are also near current populations. This study provides a macro-scale approach to generalist species distribution modeling that is applicable to other generalist and invasive species.

The Fundamental and Realized Niche of a Solitary Population

Previous articleNext article No AccessLetters to the EditorsThe Fundamental and Realized Niche of a Solitary PopulationJonathan RoughgardenJonathan Roughgarden Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The American Naturalist Volume 108, Number 960Mar. - Apr., 1974 Published for The American Society of Naturalists Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/282902 Views: 51Total views on this site Citations: 13Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1974 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Jason Matthiopoulos Defining, estimating, and understanding the fundamental niches of complex animals in heterogeneous environments, Ecological Monographs 82 (Sep 2022).https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1545Paul O’Brien, Eric Vander Wal, Erin L. Koen, Carissa D. Brown, Jenn Guy, Floris M. van Beest, Ryan K. Brook Understanding habitat co-occurrence and the potential for competition between native mammals and invasive wild pigs ( Sus scrofa ) at the northern edge of their range, Canadian Journal of Zoology 97, no.66 (Jun 2019): 537–546.https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2018-0156TW Bodey, IR Cleasby, SC Votier, KC Hamer, J Newton, SC Patrick, ED Wakefield, S Bearhop Frequency and consequences of individual dietary specialisation in a wide-ranging marine predator, the northern gannet, Marine Ecology Progress Series 604 (Oct 2018): 251–262.https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12729Shannon L O’Brien, Joseph A Cook, Seth D Newsome Niche differentiation among small mammals of the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska, Journal of Mammalogy 99, no.11 (Nov 2017): 108–116.https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyx141Federico Vessella, Javier L?pez-Tirado, Marco Cosimo Simeone, Bartolomeo Schirone, Pablo J. Hidalgo A tree species range in the face of climate change: cork oak as a study case for the Mediterranean biome, European Journal of Forest Research 136, no.33 (May 2017): 555–569.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-017-1055-2Richard W. Malizia, Alycia L. Stigall Niche stability in Late Ordovician articulated brachiopod species before, during, and after the Richmondian Invasion, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 311, no.3-43-4 (Nov 2011): 154–170.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.08.017Johann Hohenegger, Elza Yordanova Depth-transport functions and erosion-deposition diagrams as indicators of slope inclination and time-averaged traction forces: applications in tropical reef environments, Sedimentology 48, no.55 (Oct 2001): 1025–1046.https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3091.2001.00407.xChristian Wissel Wechselwirkende Arten, (Jan 1989): 62–112.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74535-5_3Michael N. Bruton The ecological significance of alternative life-history styles, (Jan 1989): 503–553.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2605-9_25Thomas R. Alley Organism-environment mutuality epistemics, and the concept of an ecological niche, Synthese 65, no.33 (Dec 1985): 411–444.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00869278Edward W. Giering, Abraham Kandel The application of Fuzzy set theory to the modeling of competition in ecological systems, Fuzzy Sets and Systems 9, no.1-31-3 (Jan 1983): 103–127.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0114(83)80012-8Thomas R. Alley Competition theory, evolution, and the concept of an ecological niche, Acta Biotheoretica 31, no.33 (Sep 1982): 165–179.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01857239R.M. Nisbet, W.S.C. Gurney, M.A. Pettipher Environmental fluctuations and the theory of the ecological niche, Journal of Theoretical Biology 75, no.22 (Nov 1978): 223–237.https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-5193(78)90232-1

Natural Selection, the Costs of Reproduction, and a Refinement of Lack's Principle

Natural Selection, the Costs of Reproduction, and a Refinement of Lack's Principle