EAPSI: Investigating the Drivers of Invasive Raccoon Spread in Japan and its Effects on the Native Raccoon Dog

入侵物种是仅次于栖息地破坏的全球物种灭绝的第二大原因，它们对岛屿的影响尤其强烈。上世纪70年代引入日本的北美浣熊？自那以后，它已经渗透到全国的森林和城市地区，给野生动物管理带来了重大问题。它被认为影响了许多本地物种，包括有魅力的浣熊，但它的影响还没有得到很好的理解。研究人员将与横滨国立大学入侵物种和空间建模专家小池文雄教授合作，调查导致浣熊？年代蔓延。研究小组将利用各种环境变量来模拟浣熊的运动。他们还将在模型预测的区域放置相机“陷阱”，以确定对浣熊的影响。该研究将为日本和其他地区的入侵物种管理提供有用的建模技术和现场方法。入侵物种是仅次于栖息地破坏的全球物种灭绝的第二大原因，它们对岛屿的影响尤其强烈，因为岛屿的地方性很强，活动受到限制。上世纪70年代引入日本的北美浣熊？自那以后，它已经渗透到全国的森林和城市地区，给野生动物管理带来了重大问题。它被认为影响了许多本地物种，包括有魅力的浣熊，但它的影响还没有得到很好的理解。研究人员将与入侵物种和空间建模专家、横滨国立大学的小池文雄教授合作，通过模拟浣熊在不同复杂程度的各种阻力表面（如土地利用、生态位模型）上的运动，研究入侵传播的驱动因素。他们将在模型预测的区域使用相机陷阱来测量这两个物种的丰度，并量化对浣熊的影响。该研究将为日本和其他地区的入侵物种管理提供有用的建模技术和现场方法。该奖项隶属于东亚和太平洋暑期研究所项目，由美国国家科学基金会和日本科学促进会共同资助，支持一名美国研究生进行暑期研究。

Invasive species are the second largest cause of global species extinction after habitat destruction, and they have an especially strong impact on islands. The North American raccoon, introduced to Japan in the 1970?s, has since infiltrated forested and urban areas country-wide and poses a significant wildlife management problem. It is thought to affect many native species, including the charismatic raccoon dog, but its impacts are not well understood. The researcher will work with Professor Fumito Koike of Yokohama National University, an expert on invasive species and spatial modeling, to investigate the factors causing the raccoon?s spread. The research team will use various environmental variables to model raccoon movement. They will also use camera 'traps' placed in areas predicted by the model to determine impact on the raccoon dog. This research will contribute modeling techniques and field methods useful for invasive species management both in Japan and elsewhere.Invasive species are the second largest cause of global species extinction after habitat destruction, and they have an especially strong impact on islands, where endemism is high and movement is restricted. The North American raccoon, introduced to Japan in the 1970?s, has since infiltrated forested and urban areas country-wide and poses a significant wildlife management problem. It is thought to affect many native species, including the charismatic raccoon dog, but its impacts are not well understood. The researcher will work with Professor Fumito Koike of Yokohama National University, an expert on invasive species and spatial modeling, to investigate the drivers of invasive spread by simulating raccoon movement over various resistance surfaces of differing complexity (e.g. land use, ecological niche models). They will use camera traps placed in areas predicted by the model to measure both species' abundances and quantify impact on the raccoon dog. This research will contribute modeling techniques and field methods useful for invasive species management both in Japan and elsewhere.This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.