Patryk Czortek, Szymon Święcicki, Marcin K. Dyderski, Marcin T. Mazurkiewicz, Kamil Kisło, Przemysław Kurek, Kamil K. Morawski, Andrzej Zalewski, Ewa Komar
Raccoon dogs surpass invasive cherry plum Prunus cerasifera Ehrh. fruit removal over native mammals in the Białowieża Forest
Dendrobiology 2026, vol. 95: 142-155
https://doi.org/10.12657/denbio.095.010
Abstract:
Multiple biological invasions lead to the emergence of novel associations between non-native species in their secondary range. Such interactions often result in mutual facilitation for both species and can promote the further spread of non-native organisms. We assessed the role of an invasive mammal in shaping the dispersal dynamics of an invasive tree within a primeval temperate forest landscape. We used an example of raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides Gray) and cherry plum Prunus cerasifera Ehrh. in the Białowieża Forest (NE Poland). Using camera traps, we investigated animals feeding on cherry plum fruits offered in 15 study plots. The mean time raccoon dogs spent in plots was approximately 13-fold greater than that recorded for native mammal species, particularly in invasion and double-control plots. The probability of raccoon dog presence increased over time in control but remained stable in invaded and double-control plots. Fruit removal increased with raccoon dog visitation time and was relatively similarly high across all three treatments. Even in well-preserved landscapes with almost intact native mammal community, two invasive species can quickly develop novel associations, in <60 years of coexistence. This process may lead to a more effective spread of cherry plum, which recently entered the best preserved part of the Białowieża Forest. Our study is the first evidence that these interactions can also develop in landscapes isolated from high human impact. Therefore, the next introductions of new, non-native species, can result in unpredictable effects, accelerating each other spread and increasing their impacts on native ecosystems’ functioning.
Keywords: endozoochory, nonnative species interactions, Nyctereutes procyonoides, oak-hornbeam forest, Prunus cerasifera