%0 Journal Article
%A Baños-Villalba, Adrián
%A Carrete, Martina
%A Tella, José Luis
%A Blas, Julio
%A Potti, Jaime
%A Camacho, Carlos
%A Sega Diop, Moussa
%A Marchant, Tracy A.
%A Cabezas, Sonia
%A Edelaar, Pim
%T Selection on individuals of introduced species starts before introduction.
%D 2020
%U https://hdl.handle.net/10433/19772
%X Biological invasion is a global problem with large negative impacts on ecosystems and human societies. When a species is introduced, individuals will first have to pass through the invasion stages of uptake and transport, before actual introduction in a non-native range. Selection is predicted to act during these earliest stages of biological invasion, potentially influencing the invasiveness and/or impact of introduced populations. Despite this potential impact of pre-introduction selection, empirical tests are virtually lacking. To test the hypothesis of pre-introduction selection, we followed the fate of individuals during capture, initial acclimation, and captivity in two bird species with several invasive populations originating from the international trade in wild-caught pets (the weavers Ploceus melanocephalus and Euplectes afer). We confirm that pre-introduction selection acts on a wide range of physiological, morphological, behavioral, and demographic traits (incl. sex, age, size of body/brain/bill, bill shape, body mass, corticosterone levels, and escape behavior); these are all traits which likely affect invasion success. Our study thus comprehensively demonstrates the existence of hitherto ignored selection acting before the actual introduction into non-native ranges. This could ultimately change the composition and functioning of introduced populations, and therefore warrants greater attention. More knowledge on pre-introduction selection also might provide novel targets for the management of invasive species, if pre-introduction filters can be adjusted to change the quality and/or quantity of individuals passing through such that invasion probability and/or impacts are reduced.
%K Biological invasion
%K Brain size
%K Feather corticosterone
%K Invasiveness
%K Pre-introduction selection
%K Selective filters
%K Wildlife trade
%~