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Invasive alien predator causes rapid declines of native European ladybirds

  1. Helen E. Roy1,*,
  2. Tim Adriaens2,
  3. Nick J. B. Isaac1,
  4. Marc Kenis3,
  5. Thierry Onkelinx2,
  6. Gilles San Martin4,
  7. Peter M. J. Brown5,
  8. Louis Hautier6,7,
  9. Remy Poland8,
  10. David B. Roy1,
  11. Richard Comont1,
  12. René Eschen3,
  13. Robert Frost1,
  14. Renate Zindel3,9,
  15. Johan Van Vlaenderen3,
  16. Oldřich Nedvěd10,
  17. Hans Peter Ravn11,
  18. Jean-Claude Grégoire7,
  19. Jean-Christophe de Biseau12,
  20. Dirk Maes2

Article first published online: 7 FEB 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2012.00883.x

Issue

Diversity and Distributions

Diversity and Distributions

Volume 18, Issue 7, pages 717–725, July 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Roy, H. E., Adriaens, T., Isaac, N. J. B., Kenis, M., Onkelinx, T., Martin, G. S., Brown, P. M. J., Hautier, L., Poland, R., Roy, D. B., Comont, R., Eschen, R., Frost, R., Zindel, R., Van Vlaenderen, J., Nedvěd, O., Ravn, H. P., Grégoire, J.-C., de Biseau, J.-C. and Maes, D. (2012), Invasive alien predator causes rapid declines of native European ladybirds. Diversity and Distributions, 18: 717–725. doi: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2012.00883.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK

  2. 2

    Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Kliniekstraat 25, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium

  3. 3

    CABI Europe-Switzerland, 1 Rue des Grillons, 2800 Delémont, Switzerland

  4. 4

    Behavioural Ecology and Conservation group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Universite catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 4, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

  5. 5

    Animal & Environmental Research Group, Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge, CB1 1PT, UK

  6. 6

    Unité Protection des plantes et écotoxicologie, Département Sciences du vivant, Centre wallon de Recherches agronomiques, Rue de Liroux, 2, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium

  7. 7

    Lutte biologique et Ecologie spatiale (Biological Control and Spatial Ecology Lab), CP 160/12, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 50 av FD Roosevelt, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium

  8. 8

    Clifton College, 32 College Rd, Clifton, Bristol, Avon, BS8 3JH, UK

  9. 9

    Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland

  10. 10

    Faculty of Biological Sciences and Institute of Entomology, University of South Bohemia, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic

  11. 11

    University of Copenhagen, Forest & Landscape, Rolighedsvej 23, DK-1958 Frederiksberg C. Denmark

  12. 12

    Evolution Biologique et Ecologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 160/12, Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50 – 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium

* Helen E. Roy, NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK and Tim Adriaens, Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Kliniekstraat 25, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium. E-mail: hele@ceh.ac.uk; tim.adriaens@inbo.be

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 7 JUN 2012
  2. Article first published online: 7 FEB 2012

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Keywords:

  • Biological control;
  • biological invasions;
  • citizen science;
  • Coccinellidae;
  • Harmonia axyridis;
  • population decline

Abstract

Aim  Invasive alien species (IAS) are recognized as major drivers of biodiversity loss, but few causal relationships between IAS and species declines have been documented. In this study, we compare the distribution (Belgium and Britain) and abundance (Belgium, Britain and Switzerland) of formerly common and widespread native ladybirds before and after the arrival of Harmonia axyridis, a globally rapidly expanding IAS.

Location  Europe

Methods  We used generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) to assess the distribution trends of eight conspicuous and historically widespread and common species of ladybird within Belgium and Britain before and after the arrival of H. axyridis. The distribution data were collated largely through public participatory surveys but verified by a recognized expert. We also used GLMMs to model trends in the abundance of ladybirds using data collated through systematic surveys of deciduous trees in Belgium, Britain and Switzerland.

Results  Five (Belgium) and seven (Britain) of eight species studied show substantial declines attributable to the arrival of H. axyridis. Indeed, the two-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata, declined by 30% (Belgium) and 44% (Britain) over 5 years after the arrival of H. axyridis. Trends in ladybird abundance revealed similar patterns of declines across three countries.

Main conclusion  Together, these analyses show H. axyridis to be displacing native ladybirds with high niche overlap, probably through predation and competition. This finding provides strong evidence of a causal link between the arrival of an IAS and decline in native biodiversity. Rapid biotic homogenization at the continental scale could impact on the resilience of ecosystems and severely diminish the services they deliver.

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