Identification of the population source of free-ranging cats threatening endemic species on Tokunoshima Island, Japan
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Identification of the population source of free-ranging cats threatening endemic species on Tokunoshima Island, Japan Kazuaki Kazato 1,2 & Yuya Watari 3
&
Tadashi Miyashita 1
Received: 27 May 2020 / Accepted: 17 August 2020 / Published online: 25 August 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Free-ranging cats Felis silvestris catus are harmful to endemic species, especially on islands. Effective management practices require an understanding of their habitat use and population source at the landscape level. We aimed to identify the source of the free-ranging cat population on Tokunoshima Island, Japan, which harbors a variety of endemic organisms as well as human settlements. Trapping data for the whole island were provided by local governments, and landscape factors (residential, agricultural, and woodlot areas and cattle barn density) affecting cat density were explored. An analysis of live-capture data indicated that the density (per 1 km2) of free-ranging cats was positively correlated with the densities of cattle barns and woodlot areas and negatively correlated with residential areas. An interview survey revealed that nearly half of the cattle barns feed free-ranging cats. The source habitat of free-ranging cats appears to be areas with a high density of cattle barns and a high percentage of woodlots in human-dominated landscapes. Feeding cats in cattle barns may strengthen the bottom-up process of population growth on the island. To reduce the impact of cats on endemic species on Tokunoshima Island, efforts to stop feeding cats in cattle barns are important. Reaching a consensus with stakeholders will require further studies of the ecological risks posed by free-ranging cats. Keywords Felis silvestris catus . Habitat selection . Invasive species management . Hyper-predation
Introduction Invasive alien species are major drivers of global biodiversity loss. In particular, exotic mammals are responsible for 58% of species extinctions worldwide (Doherty et al. 2016). Invasive predator management is urgently required for the conservation Communicated by: Krzysztof Schmidt Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-020-00528-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Yuya Watari [email protected] 1
Laboratory of Biodiversity Science, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
2
Present address: NIPPON KOEI Co., Ltd., 5-4 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8539, Japan
3
Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan
of biodiversity (Butchart et al. 2010; Mack et al. 2000; McGeoch et al. 2010; Doherty et al. 2017). Free-ranging domestic cats Felis silvestris catus (including outdoor pet cat, stray cats and feral cats; see Spotte 2014) are one of the most successful invasive species, being established throughout the world, causing a detrimental impact on native species in areas from is
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