Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

Invasive commensal rodents are the source of significant harms across diverse ecosystems globally, including biodi­versity loss on islands, economic damage in agricultural settings, and disease spread in urban areas. Genetic tools can provide unique insights and solutions for rodent management or eradication, adding to the toolbox of integrated pest management opera­tions. In real world conditions, the utility of genetic tools for rodent management is constrained by ecological factors such as mating and dispersal behavior, landscape variation, and ongoing management strategies. Here we describe two distinct uses of genetic tools for rodent management and their ecological considerations. First, we describe how patterns of genetic connectivity can inform the establishment of functional management units, discern among scenarios leading to island eradication failure, and provide insights into rodent management outcomes. Second, we discuss the utility and risks of using gene drive systems to eradicate invasive house mice from island environments. We describe aspects of risk assessment and mitigation as well as the utility of computational models for improving gene drive preparedness. Together, we outline the importance of ecologically-informed implementation strategies when using genetic tools, both currently available and in development, for the management of commensal rodents.