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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Mark WhittinghamORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2025 The Author(s). Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Biological invasions impact ecosystems worldwide, including through changing the behaviour of native species. Here, we used camera traps to investigate the effects of invasive Opuntia spp. on the habitat use of 12 mammal species in Laikipia County, Kenya, an internationally important region of mammalian biodiversity. We found that Opuntia impacted mammal occupancy and activity. These effects were evident when Opuntia was considered at both site level and landscape scales; however, some mammal species showed different responses to increasing Opuntia at these two scales. The effects of Opuntia were generally context dependent, with their strength and direction varying among mammal species and between seasons. As well as having important implications for mammal conservation, ecosystem functioning and the future spread of Opuntia, our findings highlight behavioural changes in large mammals as a potentially important pathway through which invasive species impact ecosystems.
Author(s): Stewart PS, Hill RA, Oduor AMO, Stephens PA, Whittingham MJ, Dawson W
Publication type: Letter
Publication status: Published
Journal: Ecology Letters
Year: 2025
Volume: 28
Issue: 7
Print publication date: 02/07/2025
Online publication date: 02/07/2025
Acceptance date: 04/06/2025
ISSN (print): 1461-023X
ISSN (electronic): 1461-0248
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70163
DOI: 10.1111/ele.70163
Data Access Statement: The data and code that support the findings of this study are openly available on Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14389489 and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14388983
