Invasive Species Flashcards
How did rabbits affect new habitat?
- Responsible for rural damage
- cost up to $600 million a year
- Decline in natural wildlife in the southern parts of Australia
- Plagues of rabbits
- Sheep numbers decreased by half
- Farm productivity and native ecosystems- financial loss and environmental devastation
- Take over pastoral properties
- Competition with native animals and domestic livestock for food and shelter- increased grazing pressure
- lowered the land’s carrying capacity.
Why were rabbits not a pest in Spain (country of origin)?
- People hunted rabbits for food
- Many predators such as wolves, eagles, European lynx
- preventing rabbits from not becoming pests
How did rabbits come to Australia?
- European settlers brought rabbits
- For food and hunting
Why were rabbits successful in Australia?
- can live underground
- away from predators
- Can survive high temperatures
- thrive in dry, sandy soil
- Rabbits can have 7 children per year (conditions must be perfect)
- Rabbits adapt easily
- Fences were built- ineffective
What was the first disease released to control the rabbit population?
Myxamotosis
Carried by mosquitoes and fleas
Led to a dramatic reduction of Australia’s rabbit population.
- income increased
- green feed came back
- 2 years businesses recovered from rabbit damage
Impact of myxomatosis gradually declined over time- rabbits and the disease changed genetically.
- land grazing started again
How are the young rabbits killed by other organisms?
- Kitten (young rabbits- killed by hawks, foxes
- Wild domestic cats eat large % of rabbits
- Sandy soils- foxes can easily dig through rabbit burrows
- Lack of rain- rabbits die
- Rabbits want sand dunes
How do rabbits survive in alpine areas?
Alpine areas- rabbits survive with little green feed
- breeding season short
- 2/3 litters produced each year
Lack of sodium in plants
- Females need 8 times more sodium when pregnant
What virus has been recenlty released to kill rabbits?
RHD K5-is a variant of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus
- contaminate food with the virus and then release
What affect has RHD K5 had on the rabbit population?
- Land managers- finding dead rabbits due to the virus
- Over 600 community sites have released the virus (VIC andSA)
- 150- successful sites
- 50% reduction in 10 days
- Meant to target feral rabbits not pets (Feral- cause erosion, green house gases more CO2 plants not using)
What is the khaleesi virus?
- Trialed khaleesi virus
- virus spread out of quarantined areas
- Highly infectious and often fatal disease that affects wild and domestic rabbits
- Spread from wild rabbits, in the air and on clothing and hands. Fleas also transmit the virus
How do farmers monitor the RHD K5 virus
- Flies carry the virus from dead rabbits
- If flies test positive for the virus- indicated rabbit reduction
- Shows how it spreads through the community
- ACT- test dead rabbits for the virus
RABBIT SCAN- people report dead rabbits- helps track spread of virus - Myxamotosis still affect rabbits today
What is RHD V2?
Causes a fatal haemorrhagic disease in rabbits
- kills rabbits in every release site
- No official release
- Creates competition between RHD K5 and RHD V2
- Can affect domestic rabbits if not vaccinated
Vaccine- not long term effective
