INVAsive biology of XENopus laevis in Europe: ecology, impact and predictive models.

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dennis Rödder, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: from 2013 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 243138142

Xenopus laevis is one of the world’s most widely distributed amphibians with invasive populations having become established on four continents. The impacts of invasive X. laevis on native populations of amphibians and fish has been documented in several cases, yet systematic studies focusing not only on vertebrate but also invertebrate communities are lacking. Moreover, X. laevis has been implicated in the global transmission of disease including chytridiomycosis, a disease cited as one of the principal causes for the global decline in amphibians. A recent study suggested that a global level the invasion potential of X. laevis has been severely underestimated with many areas potentially being susceptible to the invasion of X. laevis. The presence of the species in laboratories world-wide makes it one of the most critically important species to follow. This species is of concern in Europe as it is known to be invasive in at least four countries (France, Portugal, Italy and the U.K.) and the suggested suitable climatic space covers over one million square kilometers making this species of pan-European concern. Here we propose to study the invasive biology of Xenopus laevis and will evaluate an ongoing eradication program of this species in Portugal. As such, this proposal concerns themes 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the ERANET Biodiversa call. Three work packages devoted to studying the ecology, physiology, and population genetics of both invasive and native populations will be integrated in a fourth work package where these data will be incorporated into predictive species distribution models that take into account the biology of the species. A first work package will study the biology of X. laevis in its native and introduced ranges, will evaluate the impact of X.laevis on local vertebrate and invertebrate communities, will document the presence/absence of chytridiomycosis in known invasive populations, and will follow up and improve upon an ongoing eradication program that will inform future policy makers in deciding how to arrest the ongoing invasion in Europe. A second work package will study the temperature and hydric (humidity) dependence of locomotion in adult and larval stages for both native and invasive populations, will conduct mark-recapture and telemetry studies to assess mobility and movement patterns, and will involve acoustic monitoring to determine population densities. The third work package will quantify genetic diversity of native and invasive populations and will quantify gene flow within and between populations using microsatellite markers. The final work package will integrate the data on movement patterns, gene flow and physiology to model potential future distribution of the species in two countries with invasive populations at a landscape level and will predict the potential future spread of this species outside of its current invasive range under different scenarios of global change incorporating temperature and rainfall data.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Belgium, France, Portugal
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. Thierry Backeljau; Dr. Anthony Herrel; Professor Dr. Rui Rebelo