Have you ever seen a coyote roaming in your neighborhood or town before? Or have you noticed that it seems as though coyotes are more common than they used to be? It seems as though coyotes can now be found across all types of biomes and regions in North America. These predators that were once native only to the central part of the United States have now spread across most of the continent. Depending on where they’re spreading to, they can be considered a nuisance or a threat to humans, especially if they find their way into residential areas. Because these coyotes have become so widespread and don’t seem to have many natural predators in the wild, some debate that the coyote should be considered an invasive species. However, there are two sides to this argument: Why Do Some People Consider Coyotes to be Invasive? For one thing, coyotes have definitely expanded their range into areas that they didn’t use to live in. Since wolves are not as abundant as they used to be, this means that coyotes have less competition and are able to grow their populations as well as roam the landscape more freely. One of the biggest signs that a species is invasive is if it has the ability to grow its population without fear of predators, and that’s what the coyote has been able to do across North America. This causes a problem for humans, but it also raises an issue with a species native to North Carolina that is very similar to the coyote: the red wolf. Red wolves are now incredibly endangered, but were once abundant across eastern North Carolina. One reason that red wolves are struggling so much is because they look like coyotes, and humans often will mistake one for the other. Unfortunately, this often leads to a large number of red wolf deaths being attributed to gunshots, and humans are often under the impression that they’ve killed a coyote rather than an endangered animal. For several years, all remaining red wolves were kept in captivity in order to keep them from dying out. Then, in the 1980s, the population was stable enough to be released back into the wild. However, coyotes had since infiltrated the region that the red wolves were originally living in. Since the two species are very similar, many red wolves began breeding with coyotes. As a result, there are virtually no genetically pure red wolves anymore, and the majority of red wolves are actually hybrids between wolves and coyotes. Some scientists worry that red wolves will eventually become extinct because of their assimilation into coyote populations. These are some of the main arguments for coyotes being labeled an invasive species. They can be found in almost every part of North America, they don’t have a lot of competition or predators, and they can cause a lot of problems for other species, such as red wolves. Why Do Others Think Coyotes Aren’t Invasive? On the other side of this argument, many people do not consider coyotes to be invasive at all. In fact, they are native to North America. Some argue that while they are spreading to new areas, they are just expanding their preexisting territory. Some refer to coyotes as a responsive species rather than an invasive species. A responsive species describes a species that is simply responding to environmental factors. In the case of the coyotes, some argue that they are not invading surrounding areas, but are only reacting to stimuli that are causing them to move. Urbanization and efforts by humans to control coyote populations are some of the big reasons why coyotes move into new areas. Additionally, there are some benefits for having coyotes around. Since there aren’t as many wolves as there used to be, along with the fact that humans have spread out and built more urban areas over the years, this leads to a lack of predators. It may seem like having no predators is a good thing, but this lack of balance can cause a lot of issues that coyotes are now able to fix. For example, coyotes are very beneficial to keeping deer populations regulated. Without wolves, deer had very few natural predators, and their populations grew exponentially. Having too many deer can not only cause problems for humans, but it can also lead to overgrazing and other environmental concerns. Some argue that coyotes shouldn’t be considered invasive because they are filling a role that was previously empty due to a lack of wolves. As you can see, there are plenty of arguments to support both sides of this conflict. While coyotes are certainly becoming more common and widespread, they are acting as the top predator that some ecosystems needed. This can help to restore a lot of balance between predators and prey, and it can also allow populations to become better regulated and maintained. On the other hand, the spread of coyotes is causing harm to species like red wolves. These wolves are losing their genetic diversity, and may eventually disappear if the red wolf and coyote populations continue to mix. Whether they are actually invasive or not, there are plenty of pros and cons to coyotes moving into new areas. Sources: Are coyotes a threat to (other) native species? (2017, March 18). Retrieved September 30, 2020, from http://theconservationagency.org/greater-threat-native-species-coyotes-deer/ Eric M. Gese, Fred F. Knowlton, Jennifer R. Adams, Karen Beck, Todd K. Fuller, Dennis L. Murray, Todd D. Steury, Michael K. Stoskopf, Will T. Waddell, Lisette P. Waits, Managing hybridization of a recovering endangered species: The red wolf Canis rufus as a case study, Current Zoology, Volume 61, Issue 1, 1 February 2015, Pages 191–205, https://doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/61.1.191 Hinton, J. W., Brzeski, K. E., Rabon,David R.,,Jr, & Chamberlain, M. J. (2017). Effects of anthropogenic mortality on critically endangered red wolf canis rufus breeding pairs: Implications for red wolf recovery. Oryx, 51(1), 174-181. doi:http://dx.doi.org.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/10.1017/S0030605315000770 Hinton, JW, Gittleman, JL, van Manen, FT, Chamberlain, MJ. Size‐assortative choice and mate availability influences hybridization between red wolves (Canis rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans). Ecol Evol. 2018; 8: 3927– 3940. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3950 Hody, J. W., & Kays, R. (2018). Mapping the expansion of coyotes (Canis latrans) across North and Central America. ZooKeys, (759), 81–97. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.759.15149 Red Wolf Recovery. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Wildlife-Conservation/Red-Wolf United States, USDA, Wildlife Services. (2011). Coyotes in Towns and Suburbs. Retrieved from https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/wildlife_damage/content/printable_version/coyote_Dec2011.pdf Wolf, M., Doorn, G. S., & Weissing, F. J. (2008). Evolutionary emergence of responsive and unresponsive personalities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(41), 15825-15830. doi:10.1073/pnas.0805473105 Photographs: Alfred Viola, Northeastern University, Bugwood.org Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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AuthorWe are a group of NC State University students committed to spreading awareness about the invasive species that inhabit or threaten North Carolina. Archives
March 2023
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