The presence of invasive rodents such as rats or mice on Mediterranean islands, which are rich in biodiversity and have a conspicuous human presence, poses a serious threat to these delicate ecosystems, in addition to causing serious damage to human activities.
Rodent control in these environments is frequently done through the use of rodenticides based on anticoagulant active ingredients and which , if used without following proper guidelines, can have serious environmental impacts due to the possible direct or secondary poisoning of other species. In addition, there is also the possibility of the development of genetic resistance to such substances. This makes it difficult to control rodent populations and consequently increases the amount of rodenticides released into the environment.
In a new study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, the result of a collaboration between the Institute for Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (Iret) of the National Research Council (CNR) and the Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin of Sapienza University, the phenomenon of genetic resistance to rodenticides on Italian islands was investigated, confirming a rather widespread presence of resistant mice on 7 of the 11 islands studied.
“In this work, which represents the first investigation of resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides carried out on multiple islands of the Mediterranean,” explains Francesco Gallozzi of Iret-Cnr and Sapienza, ”we analyzed particular mutations of the VKORC1 gene, involved in resistance phenomena, in domestic mice (Mus domesticus) and identified 6 new mutations never before found in domestic mice and 4 new mutations never before identified in rodents.
Collaboration among multiple agencies, including NEMO srl, which is directly involved in rodent management on Italian islands and has been a key player in eradication activities of invasive rodents on many of the islands, was crucial in obtaining samples from the different islands.
The study, carried out as part of the activities of the National Biodiversity Future Center and in particular Spoke 5 on urban biodiversity, brought to light the need for a more conscious use of rodenticides to enable effective management of invasive rodents and to minimize the impacts of these substances on non-target species.
“Our study showed that on Italian islands the phenomenon of resistance already appears to be widespread in mice,” comments Emanuela Solano researcher at Iret-Cnr, ”and therefore a more conscious use of rodenticides is necessary to avoid too negative impacts on biodiversity.”
Riferences
A survey of VKORC1 missense mutations in eleven Italian islands reveals widespread rodenticide resistance in house mice – Francesco Gallozzi, Lorenzo Attili, Paolo Colangelo, Davide Giuliani, Dario Capizzi, Paolo Sposimo, Filippo Dell’Agnello, Rita Lorenzini, Emanuela Solano, Riccardo Castiglia – Science of The Total Environment 2024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176090
More info
Emanuela Solano, Cnr-Iret, emanuela.solano@cnr.it
Paolo Colangelo, Cnr-Iret, paolo.colangelo@cnr.it