Rabbits were first introduced to mainland Australia in 1788 when five domestic animals were brought to Sydney on the First Fleet. At least 90 subsequent importations would be made before 1859, but none of these populations became invasive. However, within 50 years, at a rate of 100 km (62 miles) per
year, rabbits would spread across the entire continent. This makes it the fastest colonization rate for an introduced mammal ever recorded. So what changed after 1859 and how did the invasion begin?
The colonization route of the European rabbit from Iberian Peninsula to Australia and New Zealand. Credit: Joel Alves The scientists found that as the rabbits moved further away from Barwon Park, genetic diversity declined and rare genetic variants which occur in rapidly growing populations became more frequent.
The researchers point out that if the trigger for the invasion had been environmental change, such as the development of large pastoral areas by human settlers, then multiple local rabbit populations would likely have expanded. This possibility is undermined by the study’s genetic findings and the failure of pre-1859 rabbits to become invasive.
“To cope with this, Australia’s rabbits have evolved changes in body shape to help control their temperature. So it is possible that Thomas Austin’s wild rabbits, and their offspring, had a genetic advantage when it came to adapting to these conditions.”century, Joan Palmer recalled that her grandfather William Austin had found it difficult to source the animals for Thomas “as wild rabbits were by no means common round Baltonsborough.
“Environmental change may have made Australia vulnerable to invasion, but it was the genetic makeup of a small batch of wild rabbits that ignited one of the most iconic biological invasions of all time.”
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