Evidence of predation pressure on sensitive species by raccoons based on parasitological studies

  • Highlights • Parasitological analyses were carried out on 108 free-ranging raccoons in Germany. • Three endoparasite species were newly discovered, alongside 13 parasites already known. • A high prevalence of the pathogenic nematode Baylisascaris procyonis was identified. • Uncovering endoparasites provides insights into predation events from the past. • Stomach contents show serious negative impact of raccoons on native amphibians. Abstract To demonstrate predation and potential impacts of raccoons on various species, a total of 108 raccoons from aquatic-associated nature reserves and natural areas in three federal states of Germany, Hesse (n = 36), Saxony-Anhalt (n = 36) and Brandenburg (n = 36), were investigated from a dietary ecological perspective in the present study. Fecal analyses and stomach content examinations were conducted for this purpose. Additionally, as a supplementary method for analyzing the dietary spectrum of raccoons, the parasite fauna was considered, as metazoan parasites, in particular, can serve as indicators for the species and origin of food organisms. While stomach content analyses allow for a detailed recording of trophic relationships solely at the time of sampling, parasitological examinations enable inferences about more distant interaction processes. With their different developmental stages and heteroxenous life cycles involving specific, sometimes obligate, intermediate hosts, they utilize the food web to reach their definitive host. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that spawning areas of amphibians and reptiles were predominantly utilized as food resources by raccoons in the study areas. Thus, common toad (Bufo bufo), common newt (Lissotriton vulgaris), grass frog (Rana temporaria), and grass snake (Natrix natrix) were identified as food organisms for raccoons. The detection of the parasite species Euryhelmis squamula, Isthmiophora melis, and Physocephalus sexalatus with partially high infestation rates also suggests that both amphibians and reptiles belong to the established dietary components of raccoons from an ecological perspective, as amphibians and reptiles are obligate intermediate hosts in the respective parasitic life cycles of the detected parasites. The study clearly demonstrates that raccoons have a significant impact on occurrence-sensitive animal species in certain areas and, as an invasive species, can exert a negative influence on native species and ecosystems.

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Author:Norbert Peter, Anna V. SchantzORCiD, Dorian D. DörgeORCiDGND, Anne SteinhoffORCiD, Sarah CunzeORCiDGND, Ajdin Skaljic, Sven KlimpelORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-837421
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2024.100935
ISSN:2213-2244
Parent Title (English):International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife
Publisher:Elsevier
Place of publication:Amsterdam
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of Completion:2024
Year of first Publication:2024
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2024/07/20
Tag:Food ecology; Metazoan parasite fauna; Predation; Raccoon (); Sensitive species; Zoonotic diseases
Volume:24
Issue:100935
Article Number:100935
Page Number:13
HeBIS-PPN:52112476X
Institutes:Angeschlossene und kooperierende Institutionen / Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft
Biowissenschaften / Institut für Ökologie, Evolution und Diversität
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 59 Tiere (Zoologie) / 590 Tiere (Zoologie)
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY-NC-ND - Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell - Keine Bearbeitungen 4.0 International