Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Historical background
- Part III Biogeography of taxa
- 7 Invasive plants of the Mediterranean Basin
- 8 Invasive vascular plants of California
- 9 Introduction of plants into the mediterranean-type climate area of Chile
- 10 Introduced plants of the fynbos biome of South Africa
- 11 Invasive plants of southern Australia
- 12 Life cycles of some Mediterranean invasive plants
- 13 Invasion processes as related to succession and disturbance
- 14 Is fire an agent favouring plant invasions?
- 15 Plant invasion and soil seed banks: control by water and nutrients
- 16 Invasion by annual brome grasses: a case study challenging the homoclime approach to invasions
- 17 Patterns of Pleistocene turnover, current distribution and speciation among Mediterranean mammals
- 18 Introduced mammals in California
- 19 Ecology of a successful invader: the European rabbit in central Chile
- 20 Mammals introduced to the mediterranean region of South Africa
- 21 Mammals introduced to southern Australia
- 22 Invasions and range modifications of birds in the Mediterranean Basin
- 23 Invasions in the mediterranean avifaunas of California and Chile
- 24 Birds introduced to the fynbos biome of South Africa
- 25 Species of introduced birds in mediterranean Australia
- Part IV Applied aspects of mediterranean invasions
- Part V Overview
- Index of scientific names
- Subject index
19 - Ecology of a successful invader: the European rabbit in central Chile
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Historical background
- Part III Biogeography of taxa
- 7 Invasive plants of the Mediterranean Basin
- 8 Invasive vascular plants of California
- 9 Introduction of plants into the mediterranean-type climate area of Chile
- 10 Introduced plants of the fynbos biome of South Africa
- 11 Invasive plants of southern Australia
- 12 Life cycles of some Mediterranean invasive plants
- 13 Invasion processes as related to succession and disturbance
- 14 Is fire an agent favouring plant invasions?
- 15 Plant invasion and soil seed banks: control by water and nutrients
- 16 Invasion by annual brome grasses: a case study challenging the homoclime approach to invasions
- 17 Patterns of Pleistocene turnover, current distribution and speciation among Mediterranean mammals
- 18 Introduced mammals in California
- 19 Ecology of a successful invader: the European rabbit in central Chile
- 20 Mammals introduced to the mediterranean region of South Africa
- 21 Mammals introduced to southern Australia
- 22 Invasions and range modifications of birds in the Mediterranean Basin
- 23 Invasions in the mediterranean avifaunas of California and Chile
- 24 Birds introduced to the fynbos biome of South Africa
- 25 Species of introduced birds in mediterranean Australia
- Part IV Applied aspects of mediterranean invasions
- Part V Overview
- Index of scientific names
- Subject index
Summary
The ecology of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), introduced to different parts of the world, is relatively well known (see Lockley, 1964, for Great Britain; Myers, 1970, for Australia; Gibb et al., 1978, for New Zealand; Rogers, 1979, 1981, for France). Comparatively little, however, is known about the ecology of rabbits in their native lands (but see Soriguer, 1979, for Spain) or in those parts of South America where it has become established, as, for instance, in the mediterranean-climate region of central Chile.
That European rabbits were not present in the central Chilean matorral prior to 1845 is evident from Gay (1847) who noted the climatic and physiognomic similarities between southern Spain and central Chile. Gay (1847) enthusiastically recommended introduction of the rabbit. European rabbits were introduced eventually and became established in central Chile about the turn of this century. Whether they were purposely released or escaped to the wild from cages is not known. Albert (1902) listed the species of native and introduced animals in Chile in 1900 and rabbits were not known from central Chile at that time. Although European hares (Lepus capensis) were listed by Albert, rabbits were not; in fact, rabbits were apparently not abundant in central Chile as late as 1940 (Osgood, 1943). By the early 1960s, however, rabbits were already considered a pest (Greer, 1965). Reportedly, they raided agricultural plots, forestry plantations and grazing lands, thus interfering with important human concerns (Ferriere et al., 1983).
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- Biogeography of Mediterranean Invasions , pp. 273 - 284Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1991
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