Nicholas Parlavecchio, University of Richmond (Geography Department)
Johnathan Richardson, University of Richmond (Biology Department)
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Abstract
Urban rats are a notorious invasive pest species in cities around the world. Despite their prevalence and impact on people, there has been little study of ecological and geographical factors that support rat occurrence in cities. In this study, we developed a habitat suitability model for characterizing the aspects of urban environments that promote rat infestation within New York City, as well as other cities where data is available. . We created these models using both municipal inspection reports and public complaint locations for observed rats, and combine this with geographic data on urban environmental variables, as well as socioeconomic variables, using GIS and Maxent, resulting models suggest that human population density, land cover, and the number of food service establishments are most strongly linked with rat habitat suitability. The data found in this study is to help give more data about where cities should direct pest management efforts in cities that lack spatial or ecological data about rat sightings. While these tools were developed for native species of conservation concern, we demonstrate their use in a pest-management context.
Adapting Habitat Suitability Models for an Urban Exploiting Species: Norway Rats in New York City