ORCID Profile
0000-0003-4191-8427
Current Organisation
University of New South Wales
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Environmental Science and Management | Wildlife and Habitat Management | Conservation and Biodiversity | Invasive Species Ecology | Community Ecology | Archaeology | Archaeology of Australia (excl. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) | Archaeological Science | Historical Archaeology (incl. Industrial Archaeology) | Environmental Management And Rehabilitation | Wildlife And Habitat Management | Conservation | Ecosystem Function | Landscape Ecology | Behavioural Ecology |
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Sparseland, Permanent Grassland and Arid Zone Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species in Sparseland, Permanent Grassland and Arid Zone Environments | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales | Conserving the Historic Environment | Conserving Collections and Movable Cultural Heritage | Land and water management | Living resources (flora and fauna) | Integrated (ecosystem) assessment and management | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity of environments not elsewhere classified | Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Sparseland, Permanent Grassland and Arid Zone Environments | Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences | Expanding Knowledge in History and Archaeology
Related Links
Publications
Does a top-predator provide an endangered rodent with refuge from an invasive mesopredator?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-07-2009
Biological responses to the press and pulse of climate trends and extreme events
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-07-2017
Dietary overlap and prey selectivity among sympatric carnivores: could dingoes suppress foxes through competition for prey?
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-06-2011
Artificial water points facilitate the spread of an invasive vertebrate in arid Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-03-2014
Desert small mammal responses to wildfire and predation in the aftermath of a L a N ińa driven resource pulse
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-06-2013
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12063
Understanding predator densities for successful co‐existence of alien predators and threatened prey
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-12-2018
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12697
Are dingoes a trophic regulator in arid Australia? A comparison of mammal communities on either side of the dingo fence
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-03-2010
The effect of a top predator on kangaroo abundance in arid Australia and its implications for archaeological faunal assemblages
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2010
Harnessing natural selection to tackle the problem of prey naïveté
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-11-2015
DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12332
The impact of the dingo on the thylacine in Holocene Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2012
Pelage variation in dingoes across southeastern Australia: implications for conservation and management
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-03-2023
DOI: 10.1111/JZO.12875
Abstract: How to manage hybridization and introgression in wild animals is controversial. Wildlife managers and researchers may often rely upon phenotypic variables such as coat colour to inform on ground management decisions. In Australia, dingoes are typically believed to be ginger in colour, and unusual coat colours such as brindle or sable are widely posited to be evidence of contemporary domestic dog hybridization. We carried out microsatellite‐based genotyping on 1325 wild canids from southeastern Australia of known coat colour to estimate the extent of domestic dog introgression. A key aim of our study was to examine the relationship between coat colour and ancestry in wild dingoes. We observed that 27.4% of our s les were dingoes with no evidence of domestic dog ancestry whilst 72.6% were dingoes with some domestic dog ancestry. Our data confirm that feral dogs, domestic dogs with no dingo ancestry, are rare in the wild, representing less than 1.5% of the population. There was no coat colour that could distinguish dingoes with or without dog ancestry from each other. Contrary to popular belief, colours such as brindle and patchy were positively associated with dingoes with no dog ancestry and were less common in dingoes of mixed ancestry. A key finding of this work is that coat colour should not be used to assess ancestry in dingoes. Further research is needed to uncover the antiquity, origin and potential adaptive value of these genomic regions. It is possible that this is a similar ex le of adaptive introgression as has been observed in North American wolves with black coat colour. These data add perspective to global debates about how to manage and conserve enigmatic animal populations in the presence of modern or historical introgression.
Continental patterns in the diet of a top predator: Australia's dingo
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-10-2018
DOI: 10.1111/MAM.12139
A trophic cascade initiated by an invasive vertebrate alters the structure of native reptile communities
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-03-2020
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15032
Indirect commensalism between an introduced apex predator and a native avian predator
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-06-2019
Strength of a Trophic Cascade Between an Apex Predator, Mammalian Herbivore and Grasses in a Desert Ecosystem Does Not Vary with Temporal Fluctuations in Primary Productivity
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-04-2017
Temporal and spatial trends in the abundances of an apex predator, introduced mesopredator and ground-nesting bird are consistent with the mesopredator release hypothesis
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-02-2017
Ecological Role of an Apex Predator Revealed by a Reintroduction Experiment and Bayesian Statistics
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-06-2019
Population dynamics of three species of dasyurid marsupials in arid central Australia: A 10-year study
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1071/WR00023
Abstract: This study investigated the population dynamics of three species of dasyurid marsupials in sand ridge habitat of the Simpson Desert, western Queensland, over a 10-year period between March 1990 and December 1999. The lesser hairy-footed dunnart (Sminthopsis youngsoni), was captured most consistently over the period of study, followed by the wongai ningaui (Ningaui ridei), and the mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda). Rates of recapture were low (4.5–22.2%), probably because in iduals of each species are very mobile. All species bred in late winter or early spring when animals were aged at least 8–10 months, and independent juveniles first appeared usually in summer. S. youngsoni reared a second litter in late spring or early summer in 3 of the 10 years studied, when the availability of food was likely to have been high neither N. ridei nor D. cristicauda were known to attempt a second litter within a season. To explore factors that might influence population dynamics, we compared capture rates of each species with measures of rainfall, temperature, vegetation cover, abundance of predators [feral cats (Felis catus), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and goannas (Varanus spp.)], dragons, other dasyurids and indices of food abundance. The abundance of S. youngsoni appeared to depend primarily on the cover of spinifex 7–9 months earlier, that of D. cristicauda was related most strongly to rainfall 7–9 months earlier, while that of N. ridei was related to minimum temperature lagged by 1–3 months. While the dynamics of other arid-zone mammals are driven demonstrably by interactions between rainfall, resource availability and predation, our findings suggest that dasyurids have limited flexibility in their life histories and are influenced more subtly and by factors such as facilitation that are just beginning to become apparent.
Changes in desert avifauna associated with the functional extinction of a terrestrial top predator
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-08-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.03661
Interference competition: odours of an apex predator and conspecifics influence resource acquisition by red foxes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-08-2015
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-015-3423-2
Abstract: Apex predators can impact smaller predators via lethal effects that occur through direct killing, and non-lethal effects that arise when fear-induced behavioural and physiological changes reduce the fitness of smaller predators. A general outcome of asymmetrical competition between co-existing predator species is that larger predators tend to suppress the abundances of smaller predators. Here, we investigate interference effects that an apex predator, the dingo (Canis dingo), has on the acquisition of food and water by the smaller red fox (Vulpes vulpes), by exposing free-ranging foxes to the odour of dingoes and conspecifics in an arid environment. Using giving-up densities we show that foxes foraged more apprehensively at predator-odour treatments than unscented controls, but their food intake did not differ between dingo- and fox-odour treatments. Using video analysis of fox behaviour at experimental water stations we show that foxes spent more time engaged in exploration behaviour at stations scented with fox odour and spent more time drinking at water stations scented with dingo odour. Our results provide support for the idea that dingo odour exerts a stronger interference effect on foxes than conspecific odour, but suggest that the odours of both larger dingoes and unfamiliar conspecifics curtailed foxes' acquisition of food resources.
Carrion subsidies provided by fishermen increase predation of beach-nesting bird nests by facultative scavengers
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-05-2015
DOI: 10.1111/ACV.12133
Fire severity influences the post‐fire habitat structure and abundance of a cool climate lizard
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-08-2023
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.13410
Abstract: In the spring and summer of 2019–2020, the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires burned more than 97 000 km 2 of predominantly Eucalyptus dominated forest habitat in eastern Australia. The Black Summer bushfires prompted great concern that many species had been imperilled by the fires. Here, we investigate the effects that fire severity had on the habitat and abundance of a cool climate lizard Eul rus tympanum that was identified as a species of concern because 37% of its habitat was burnt in the Black Summer bushfires. We quantified habitat structure and the abundance of E. tympanum at sites which were unburnt, burnt at low severity and at high severity 10, 15 and 23 months after the fires. Our classification of fire severity based on scorch height and canopy status corresponded well with the Australian Government Google Earth Engine Burnt Area Map (AUS GEEBAM) fire severity layer. Ten months after the fires, sites burnt at high severity had less canopy cover, more bare ground and less fine fuel than sites burnt at low severity or unburnt sites. The abundance of E. tympanum varied with survey occasion and was greatest during the warmest s ling period and lowest during the coolest s ling period. The abundance of E. tympanum was consistently lower on sites burnt at high severity than sites burnt at low severity or unburnt sites. Our findings show that higher severity fires had a greater effect on E. tympanum than low severity fires. Our results suggest that E. tympanum were likely to have persisted in burnt sites, with populations in low severity and unburnt sites facilitating population recovery in areas burnt at high severity. Our results also suggest that wildfire impacts on E. tympanum populations will increase because the frequency and extent of severe fires are expected to increase due to climate change.
Artificial watering points are focal points for activity by an invasive herbivore but not native herbivores in conservation reserves in arid Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-08-2014
Reprint of: The case for a dingo reintroduction in Australia remains strong: A reply to Morgan et al., 2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
Habitat and introduced predators influence the occupancy of small threatened macropods in subtropical Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-04-2019
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.5203
Mesopredator suppression by an apex predator alleviates the risk of predation perceived by small prey
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-03-2015
Abstract: Predators can impact their prey via consumptive effects that occur through direct killing, and via non-consumptive effects that arise when the behaviour and phenotypes of prey shift in response to the risk of predation. Although predators' consumptive effects can have cascading population-level effects on species at lower trophic levels there is less evidence that predators' non-consumptive effects propagate through ecosystems. Here we provide evidence that suppression of abundance and activity of a mesopredator (the feral cat) by an apex predator (the dingo) has positive effects on both abundance and foraging efficiency of a desert rodent. Then by manipulating predators' access to food patches we further the idea that apex predators provide small prey with refuge from predation by showing that rodents increased their habitat breadth and use of ‘risky′ food patches where an apex predator was common but mesopredators rare. Our study suggests that apex predators' suppressive effects on mesopredators extend to alleviate both mesopredators' consumptive and non-consumptive effects on prey.
An assessment of the taxonomic status of wild canids in south-eastern New South Wales: phenotypic variation in dingoes
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/ZO12006
Abstract: In Australia, the genetic integrity of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) is threatened through hybridisation with feral dogs and consequently the identification of the modern ‘pure’ dingo is ambiguous. There are no accurate classification techniques for dingoes and dingo–dog hybrids in the wild. Genetics, skull morphology and visual assessment are methods currently used, but they often yield contrasting results. We tested skull morphological and visual assessment methods for classifying wild canids in south-eastern New South Wales and examined temporal and geographic trends in skull morphology. Published equations based on discriminant functions revealed varying percentages of dingoes, dogs and their hybrids over time, and did not yield similar results to visual assessment methods. Skull characteristics generally became larger over time but have recently stabilised. Changes in the morphology of the molars were consistent with the occurrence of hybridisation with dogs. Geographic variation was apparent and consistent with Bergmann’s Law, with skulls increasing in size with altitude. This study highlights the importance for improved classification methods of wild canids and the importance of considering geographical variation in morphological studies.
Conservation challenges and benefits of multispecies reintroductions to a national park – a case study from New South Wales, Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/PC17058
Abstract: Species reintroductions into predator-controlled areas are an increasingly used conservation tool. Typically, ecological outcomes of such projects (e.g. recruitment, predation) are the focus but seldom necessary legislative, policy, social and institutional processes required for establishing large projects. This particularly applies to protected areas, managed by governments for conservation. Reintroductions are recommended for a third of threatened Australian vertebrates, with the New South Wales Government boldly embarking on a 2013 initiative to return locally extinct mammals to three protected areas. We detail the legislative, policy, social and institutional processes required for one of these sites, Wild Deserts, in Sturt National Park. Seven locally extinct species, including the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis), western barred bandicoot (Perameles bougainville), golden bandicoot (Isoodon auratus), greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor), crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda), western quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii) and burrowing bettong (Bettongia lesueur) will be reintroduced into two exclosures. The scale of the project required identification of an appropriate location, satisfaction of statutory requirements for major infrastructure in a national park, assessments of potential ecological costs and benefits, engagement of the national park agency and other stakeholders (Traditional Owners, other government agencies, neighbours), and staff training to meet government agency requirements. We outline the resourcing, costs and benefits of such a project on government-managed land along with lessons learnt for similar large-scale restoration and reintroduction projects. Future projects would benefit from understanding legislative and policy frameworks and the need for transparency, while maximising efficiencies.
Invasive cane toads might initiate cascades of direct and indirect effects in a terrestrial ecosystem
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-01-2018
Behavioural flexibility allows an invasive vertebrate to survive in a semi-arid environment
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 02-2014
Abstract: Plasticity or evolution in behavioural responses are key attributes of successful animal invasions. In northern Australia, the invasive cane toad ( Rhinella marina ) recently invaded semi-arid regions. Here, cane toads endure repeated daily bouts of severe desiccation and thermal stress during the long dry season (April–October). We investigated whether cane toads have shifted their ancestral nocturnal rehydration behaviour to one that exploits water resources during the day. Such a shift in hydration behaviour could increase the fitness of in idual toads by reducing exposure to desiccation and thermal stress suffered during the day even within terrestrial shelters. We used a novel method (acoustic tags) to monitor the daily hydration behaviour of 20 toads at two artificial reservoirs on Camfield station, Northern Territory. Remarkably, cane toads visited reservoirs to rehydrate during daylight hours, with peaks in activity between 9.00 and 17.00. This diurnal pattern of rehydration activity contrasts with nocturnal rehydration behaviour exhibited by adult toads in their native geographical range and more mesic parts of Australia. Our results demonstrate that cane toads phase shift a key behaviour to survive in a harsh semi-arid landscape. Behavioural phase shifts have rarely been reported in invasive species but could facilitate ongoing invasion success.
The responses of mammals to La Niña (El Niño Southern Oscillation)-associated rainfall, predation, and wildfire in central Australia
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-2005
Long distance movements and the use of fire mosaics by small mammals in the Simpson Desert, central Australia..
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1071/AM01125
Abstract: Using recapture data and radio-telemetry, the movement patterns of small mammals occupying burned and unburned habitats in the Simpson Desert, western Queensland were investigated. Long-term, between trap sessions, recapture rates of small mammals ranged from 7.3 % for Sminthopsis youngsoni to less than 1 % for Pseudomys desertor. Seventeen in iduals including Pseudomys hermannsburgensis, S. youngsoni and Notomys alexis were observed to make longdistance movements ( 500 m). The longest recorded movement in this study was 5.7 km by a male S. youngsoni. Telemetry and recapture data indicate that in idual P. hermannsburgensis, S. youngsoni and N. alexis can move more than 700 m and up to 2 km in a single night. Radiotracked P. hermannsburgensis and N. alexis utilised a mosaic of burned and unburned habitats in a single night of foraging. Low rates of recapture for small mammals in the Australian arid zone suggest that the populations of many species consist largely of transient in iduals. Some species of small mammals appear to have sufficient mobility to locate resource rich patches and utilise habitat mosaics along a continuum of scales. These range from long-distance and presumably unidirectional migrations of 10 km or more, through to nightly movements in the order of several hundred metres to 1 - 2 km.
The case for a dingo reintroduction in Australia remains strong: A reply to Morgan et al., 2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
Boom means bust: interactions between the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), rainfall and the processes threatening mammal species in arid Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-2006
Problem crocodiles(Crocodylus porosus)in the freshwater, Katherine River, Northern Territory, Australia
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2011.038
Interactions between dingoes and introduced wild ungulates: concepts, evidence and knowledge gaps
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/AM17042
Abstract: The dingo (Canis dingo or C. familiaris, including hybrids with feral dogs) is the apex carnivore on mainland Australia. Fifteen non-native ungulate species have established wild populations in Australia. Dingoes are managed to reduce impacts on domestic ungulates, and introduced wild ungulates are managed to reduce impacts on natural ecosystems and to minimise competition with domestic ungulates. There is speculation about the extent to which (1) dingoes limit the abundances of introduced wild ungulates, and (2) introduced wild ungulates sustain dingo populations. We reviewed the literature to identify potential ecological interactions between dingoes and introduced wild ungulates, and to synthesise evidence for interactions between dingoes and each ungulate species (including the percentage frequency occurrence (%FO) of ungulates in dingo diets). Eleven of the 15 ungulate species were recorded in the diet of dingoes, with the highest %FO occurrences reported for feral goats (73%) and cattle (60%). Two studies concluded that dingoes reduced ungulate abundances (feral goat (Capra hircus) and feral donkey (Equus asinus)), and two studies concluded that dingoes did not regulate feral pig (Sus scrofa) abundances. A fifth study concluded that dingoes exhibited a Type III functional response to increasing sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) abundances. A sixth study concluded that dingoes made relatively little use of hunter-shot sambar deer carcasses. We propose that interactions between dingoes and introduced wild ungulates depend on the sex–age classes vulnerable to dingo predation, dingo pack sizes, the availability of escape terrain for ungulates and the availability of alternative foods for dingoes. The interplay between environmental conditions and the population growth rate of ungulates, and hence their ability to sustain losses from predation, could also be important. We predict that dingoes will have most impact on the abundance of smaller ungulate species and neonates.
Herbivores disrupt the flow of food resources to termites in dryland ecosystems
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2023
DOI: 10.1002/ECY.4035
Abstract: Irruption of herbivore populations due to the extirpation of predators has led to dramatic changes in ecosystem functioning worldwide. Herbivores compete with other species for their primary source of nutrition, plant biomass. Such competition is typically considered to occur between species in closely related clades and functional groups but could also occur with detritivores that consume senescent plant biomass. In this study, we tested predictions that in ecosystems where herbivores are not regulated by predators, their indirect impacts on dead vegetation increase with primary productivity and extend to termites that feed on senescent vegetation. We compared dead vegetation cover and termite activity in herbivore exclosures and associated grazed plots at three locations situated along a rainfall gradient in arid Australia where kangaroo populations have irrupted. Dead vegetation cover and termite activity increased with rainfall in ungrazed plots but showed a negligible response to rainfall in grazed plots. Our results suggest that grazing can disrupt the flow of energy to detritivores and decouple the relationship between termite activity and primary productivity. Such disruption could have far‐reaching impacts on arid ecosystems because many organisms sit within “brown food webs” that are sustained by energy derived from the decomposition of senescent plant tissues.
The crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda) in the south-eastern Strzelecki Desert
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/AM15027
Abstract: We report observations of the crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda) in the south-eastern Strzelecki Desert. Our observations, made during spotlight surveys and using infrared cameras, extend the contemporary range of D. cristicauda to the east by 180 km but subfossil records show that these observations are within the pre-European-settlement range of the species. Whether our observations represent a range expansion or localised population irruption of a previously unknown refuge population is not known. Future studies are recommended to establish the distribution of D. cristicauda in the region and the factors determining its distribution and abundance.
Reintroduction of Tasmanian devils to mainland Australia can restore top-down control in ecosystems where dingoes have been extirpated: A response to Baker et al. 2016 and Fancourt & Mooney 2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
Does a top predator reduce the predatory impact of an invasive mesopredator on an endangered rodent?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-02-2011
Ecologically functional landscapes and the role of dingoes as trophic regulators in south-eastern Australia and other habitats
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-03-2013
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12035
Species level traits determine positive and negative population impacts of invasive cane toads on native squamates
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-12-2014
Widespread mesopredator effects after wolf extirpation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2013
Evaluating the role of fire disturbance in structuring small reptile communities in temperate forests
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-07-2013
Interactions between wildfire and drought drive population responses of mammals in coastal woodlands
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 03-02-2018
Diet of the Dingo in Subtropical Australian Forests: Are Small, Threatened Macropods at Risk?
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 10-07-2023
DOI: 10.3390/ANI13142257
Abstract: Carnivores fulfil important ecological roles in natural systems yet can also jeopardise the persistence of threatened species. Understanding their diet is, therefore, essential for managing populations of carnivores, as well as those of their prey. This study was designed to better understand the diet of an Australian apex predator, the dingo, and determine whether it poses a threat to at-risk small macropods in two floristically different yet geographically close reserves in subtropical Australia. Based on an analysis of 512 scats, dingo diets comprised 34 different prey taxa, of which 50% were common between reserves. Our findings add support to the paradigm that dingoes are opportunistic and generalist predators that prey primarily on abundant mammalian fauna. Their diets in the Border Ranges were dominated by possum species (frequency of occurrence (FOC) = 92.5%), while their diets in Richmond Range were characterised by a high prevalence of pademelon species (FOC = 46.9%). Medium-sized mammals were the most important dietary items in both reserves and across all seasons. The dietary frequency of medium-sized mammals was generally related to their availability (indexed by camera trapping) however, the avoidance of some species with high availability indicates that prey accessibility may also be important in dictating their dietary choices. Other prey categories were supplementary to diets and varied in importance according to seasonal changes in their availability. The diets included two threatened macropods, the red-legged pademelon and black-striped wallaby. Our availability estimates, together with earlier dietary studies spanning 30 years, suggest that the red-legged pademelon is resilient to the observed predation. The black-striped wallaby occurred in only two dingo scats collected from Richmond Range and was not detected by cameras so the threat to this species could not be determined. Two locally abundant but highly threatened species (the koala and long-nosed potoroo) were not detected in the dingoes’ diets, suggesting dingoes do not at present pose a threat to these populations. Our study highlights the importance of site-based assessments, population monitoring and including data on prey availability in dietary investigations.
Apex predator suppression is linked to restructuring of ecosystems via multiple ecological pathways
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-12-2018
DOI: 10.1111/OIK.05546
Forecasting the spatiotemporal pattern of the cane toad invasion into northwestern Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/WR18091
Abstract: Context The toxic cane toad (Rhinella marina) has invaded over 50 countries and is a serious conservation issue in Australia. Because the cane toad has taken several decades to colonise northern Australia, due to the large size of the continent and the east–west invasion axis, there is scope for making testable predictions about how toads will invade new areas. The western toad invasion front is far from linear, providing clear evidence for heterogeneity in invasion speed. Aims Several ad hoc hypotheses have been offered to explain this heterogeneity, including the evolution of traits that could facilitate dispersal, and spatial heterogeneity in climate patterns. Here an alternative hypothesis is offered, and a prediction generated for the spatiotemporal pattern of invasion into the Kimberley Region – the next frontier for the invading toads in Australia. Methods Using observations of spatiotemporal patterns of cane toad colonisation in northern Australia over the last 15 years, a conceptual model is offered, based on the orientation of wet season river flows relative to the invasion axis, as well as toad rafting and floating behaviour during the wet season. Key results Our model predicts that toads will invade southern areas before northern areas an alternative model based on rainfall amounts makes the opposite prediction. The models can now be tested by monitoring the spread of invasion front over the next 5–10 years. Conclusions Our conceptual models present a pleuralistic approach to understanding the spatiotemporal invasion dynamics of toads such an approach and evaluation of the models could prove useful for managing other invasive species. Implications Although control of cane toads has largely proved ineffective, knowledge of the spatiotemporal pattern of the toad invasion in the Kimberley could: (1) facilitate potential management tools for slowing the spread of toads (2) inform stakeholders in the local planning for the invasion (3) provide researchers with a temporal context for quantifying toad impacts on animal communities and (4) reveal the mechanism(s) causing the heterogeneity in invasion speed.
Recovery of saltwater crocodiles following unregulated hunting in tidal rivers of the Northern Territory, Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-07-2011
DOI: 10.1002/JWMG.191
A comparison of saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) populations in freshwater-floodplain and tidal river habitats of the Adelaide River catchment, Northern Territory, Australia
Publisher: Brill
Date: 2008
Does a top predator suppress the abundance of an invasive mesopredator at a continental scale?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-11-2010
Conserving the World's Megafauna and Biodiversity: The Fierce Urgency of Now
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-01-2017
Response to Allen ‘An alternative hypothesis to the conclusion of Colman et al. (2014)’
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-01-2015
Effects of wildfire, rainfall and region on desert lizard assemblages: the importance of multi-scale processes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-03-2013
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-013-2642-7
Abstract: Vertebrate populations are influenced by environmental processes that operate at a range of spatial and temporal scales. Wildfire is a disturbance that can affect vertebrate populations across large spatial scales, although vertebrate responses are frequently influenced by processes operating at smaller spatial scales such as topography, interspecific interactions and regional history. Here, we investigate the effects of a broad-scale wildfire on lizard assemblages in a desert region. We predicted that a rainfall gradient within the region affected by the wildfire would influence lizard responses to the fire by encouraging post-fire succession to proceed more rapidly in high-rainfall areas, and would be enabled in turn by more rapid vegetation recovery. To test our prediction, we censused lizards, measured rainfall, undertook vegetation surveys and s led invertebrate abundance across burnt and unburnt habitat ecotones within three regional areas situated along a gradient of long-term annual rainfall. Lizard ersity was not affected by fire or region and lizard abundance was influenced only by region. Lizard assemblage composition was also only influenced by region, but this did not relate to differences in rainfall or habitat as we had predicted. Regional differences in lizard assemblages related instead to food availability. The observed differences also likely reflected regional differences in the strength of biotic interactions with predators and changes in land use. Our study shows that assemblage responses to a disturbance were not uniform within a large desert region and instead were influenced by other environmental processes operating simultaneously at multiple temporal and spatial scales.
An Australian perspective on rewilding
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-01-2019
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13280
Abstract: Rewilding is increasingly recognized as a conservation tool but is often context specific, which inhibits broad application. Rewilding in Australia seeks to enhance ecosystem function and promote self-sustaining ecosystems. An absence of large-bodied native herbivores means trophic rewilding in mainland Australia has focused on the restoration of functions provided by apex predators and small mammals. Because of the pervasive influence of introduced mesopredators, predator-proof fences, and establishment of populations on predator-free islands are common rewilding approaches. This sets Australian rewilding apart from most jurisdictions and provides globally relevant insights but presents challenges to restoring function to broader landscapes. Passive rewilding is of limited utility in arid zones. Although increasing habitat extent and quality in mesic coastal areas may work, it will likely be necessary to undertake active management. Because much of Australia's population is in urban areas, rewilding efforts must include urban areas to maximize effectiveness. Thus rewilding is not synonymous with wilderness and can occur over multiple scales. Rewilding efforts must recognize human effects on other species and benefit both nature and humans. Rewilding in Australia requires development of a shared vision and strategy and proof-of-concept projects to demonstrate the benefits. The repackaging of existing conservation activities as rewilding may confuse and undermine the success of rewilding programs and should be avoided. As elsewhere, rewilding in Australia should be viewed as an important conservation tool.
Removal of an apex predator initiates a trophic cascade that extends from herbivores to vegetation and the soil nutrient pool
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 10-05-2017
Abstract: It is widely assumed that organisms at low trophic levels, particularly microbes and plants, are essential to basic services in ecosystems, such as nutrient cycling. In theory, apex predators' effects on ecosystems could extend to nutrient cycling and the soil nutrient pool by influencing the intensity and spatial organization of herbivory. Here, we take advantage of a long-term manipulation of dingo abundance across Australia's dingo-proof fence in the Strzelecki Desert to investigate the effects that removal of an apex predator has on herbivore abundance, vegetation and the soil nutrient pool. Results showed that kangaroos were more abundant where dingoes were rare, and effects of kangaroo exclusion on vegetation, and total carbon, total nitrogen and available phosphorus in the soil were marked where dingoes were rare, but negligible where dingoes were common. By showing that a trophic cascade resulting from an apex predator's lethal effects on herbivores extends to the soil nutrient pool, we demonstrate a hitherto unappreciated pathway via which predators can influence nutrient dynamics. A key implication of our study is the vast spatial scale across which apex predators' effects on herbivore populations operate and, in turn, effects on the soil nutrient pool and ecosystem productivity could become manifest.
Lethal control of an apex predator has unintended cascading effects on forest mammal assemblages
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-05-2014
Abstract: Disruption to species-interaction networks caused by irruptions of herbivores and mesopredators following extirpation of apex predators is a global driver of ecosystem reorganization and bio ersity loss. Most studies of apex predators' ecological roles focus on effects arising from their interactions with herbivores or mesopredators in isolation, but rarely consider how the effects of herbivores and mesopredators interact. Here, we provide evidence that multiple cascade pathways induced by lethal control of an apex predator, the dingo, drive unintended shifts in forest ecosystem structure. We compared mammal assemblages and understorey structure at seven sites in southern Australia. Each site comprised an area where dingoes were poisoned and an area without control. The effects of dingo control on mammals scaled with body size. Activity of herbivorous macropods, arboreal mammals and a mesopredator, the red fox, were greater, but understorey vegetation sparser and abundances of small mammals lower, where dingoes were controlled. Structural equation modelling suggested that both predation by foxes and depletion of understorey vegetation by macropods were related to small mammal decline at poisoned sites. Our study suggests that apex predators’ suppressive effects on herbivores and mesopredators occur simultaneously and should be considered in tandem in order to appreciate the extent of apex predators’ indirect effects.
Extreme climatic events shape arid and semiarid ecosystems
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2006
Degrees of population-level susceptibility of Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species to predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/WR18008
Abstract: Context Over the last 230 years, the Australian terrestrial mammal fauna has suffered a very high rate of decline and extinction relative to other continents. Predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus) is implicated in many of these extinctions, and in the ongoing decline of many extant species. Aims To assess the degree to which Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species are susceptible at the population level to predation by the red fox and feral cat, and to allocate each species to a category of predator susceptibility. Methods We collated the available evidence and complemented this with expert opinion to categorise each Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (extinct and extant) into one of four classes of population-level susceptibility to introduced predators (i.e. ‘extreme’, ‘high’, ‘low’ or ‘not susceptible’). We then compared predator susceptibility with conservation status, body size and extent of arboreality and assessed changes in the occurrence of species in different predator-susceptibility categories between 1788 and 2017. Key results Of 246 Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (including extinct species), we conclude that 37 species are (or were) extremely predator-susceptible 52 species are highly predator-susceptible 112 species are of low susceptibility and 42 species are not susceptible to predators. Confidence in assigning species to predator-susceptibility categories was strongest for extant threatened mammal species and for extremely predator-susceptible species. Extinct and threatened mammal species are more likely to be predator-susceptible than Least Concern species arboreal species are less predator-susceptible than ground-dwelling species and medium-sized species (35 g–3.5kg) are more predator-susceptible than smaller or larger species. Conclusions The effective control of foxes and cats over large areas is likely to assist the population-level recovery of ~63 species – the number of extant species with extreme or high predator susceptibility – which represents ~29% of the extant Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal fauna. Implications Categorisation of predator susceptibility is an important tool for conservation management, because the persistence of species with extreme susceptibility will require intensive management (e.g. predator-proof exclosures or predator-free islands), whereas species of lower predator susceptibility can be managed through effective landscape-level suppression of introduced predators.
Cranial Shape and the Modularity of Hybridization in Dingoes and Dogs; Hybridization Does Not Spell the End for Native Morphology
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-03-2016
Status and Ecological Effects of the World’s Largest Carnivores
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 10-01-2014
Abstract: Large-bodied animals play essential roles in ecosystem structuring and stability through both indirect and direct trophic effects. In recent times, humans have disrupted this trophic structure through both habitat destruction and active extirpation of large predators, resulting in large declines in numbers and vast contractions in their geographic ranges. Ripple et al. ( 10.1126/science.1241484 see the Perspective by Roberts ) review the status, threats, and ecological importance of the 31 largest mammalian carnivores globally. These species are responsible for a suite of direct and indirect stabilizing effects in ecosystems. Current levels of decline are likely to result in ecologically ineffective population densities and can lead to ecosystem instability. The preservation of large carnivores can be challenging because of their need for large ranges and their potential for human conflict. However, the authors demonstrate that the preservation of large carnivores is ecologically important and that the need for conservation action is immediate, given the severity of the threats they face.
Response to commentary by Woinarski (Critical-weight-range marsupials in northern Australia are declining: a commentary on Fisheret al. (2014) ‘The current decline of tropical marsupials in Aus
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12252
A synthesis of ENSO effects on drylands in Australia, North America and South America
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 09-01-2006
Abstract: Abstract. Fundamentally, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a climatic and oceanographic phenomenon, but it has profound effects on terrestrial ecosystems. Although the ecological effects of ENSO are becoming increasingly known from a wide range of terrestrial ecosystems (Holmgren et al., 2001), their impacts have been more intensively studied in arid and semiarid systems. In this brief communication, we summarize the main conclusions of a recent symposium on the effects of ENSO in these ecosystems, which was convened as part of the First Alexander von Humboldt International Conference on the El Niño Phenomenon and its Global Impact, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from 16–20 May 2005. Participants in the symposium shared results and perspectives from research conducted in North and South America and Australia, regions where the ecological effects of ENSO have been studied in depth. Although the reports covered a wide array of organisms and ecological systems (Fig. 1), a recurring theme was the strong increase in rainfall associated with ENSO events in dry ecosystems (during the El Niño phase of the oscillation in the Americas and the La Niña phase in Australia). Because inter-annual variability in precipitation is such a strong determinant of productivity in arid and semiarid ecosystems, increased ENSO rainfall is crucial for plant recruitment, productivity and ersity in these ecosystems. Several long-term studies show that this pulse in primary productivity causes a subsequent increase in herbivores, followed by an increase in carnivores, with consequences for changes in ecosystem structure and functioning that can be quite complex.
Reversing the effects of evolutionary prey naiveté through controlled predator exposure
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-05-2019
Interplay among nocturnal activity, melatonin, corticosterone and performance in the invasive cane toad (Rhinella marinus)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.YGCEN.2014.07.013
Abstract: Most animals conduct daily activities exclusively either during the day or at night. Here, hormones such as melatonin and corticosterone, greatly influence the synchronization or regulation of physiological and behavioral cycles needed for daily activity. How then do species that exhibit more flexible daily activity patterns, responses to ecological, environmental or life-history processes, regulate daily hormone profiles important to daily performance? This study examined the consequences of (1) nocturnal activity on diel profiles of melatonin and corticosterone and (2) the effects of experimentally increased acute melatonin levels on physiological and metabolic performance in the cane toad (Rhinella marinus). Unlike inactive captive toads that had a distinct nocturnal melatonin profile, nocturnally active toads s led under field and captive conditions, exhibited decreased nocturnal melatonin profiles with no evidence for any phase shift. Nocturnal corticosterone levels were significantly higher in field active toads than captive toads. In toads with experimentally increased melatonin levels, plasma lactate and glucose responses following recovery post exercise were significantly different from control toads. However, exogenously increased melatonin did not affect resting metabolism in toads. These results suggest that toads could adjust daily hormone profiles to match nocturnal activity requirements, thereby avoiding performance costs induced by high nocturnal melatonin levels. The ability of toads to exhibit plasticity in daily hormone cycles, could have broad implications for how they and other animals utilize behavioral flexibility to optimize daily activities in response to natural and increasingly human mediated environmental variation.
Population dynamics of two species of dragon lizards in arid Australia: The effects of rainfall
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-05-1999
Abstract: The population dynamics of two species of agamid (dragon) lizards were studied in the Simpson Desert, central Australia, over a period of 7 years, and modelled in relation to rainfall. Both species have annual life cycles, with adults predominating during the breeding season in spring and summer and juveniles predominating in other seasons. Within years, juvenile abundance in both species in autumn and winter was related most strongly to rainfall in the preceding summer and autumn. This pattern suggests that rainfall enhances survival, growth and possibly clutch size and hatching success. Between years, however, rainfall drove successional change in the dominant plant species in the study area, spinifex Triodia basedowii, causing in turn a shift in the relative abundance of the two species. Thus, the central netted dragon Ctenophorus nuchalis was most numerous in 1990 when vegetation cover was 20%, and remained numerically dominant for much of the study. We suggest that drought-wet cycles periodically reverse the dominance of the two species of Ctenophorus, and perhaps of other lizard species also, thus enhancing local species ersity over time. Further long-term studies are needed to document the population dynamics of other species, and to identify the factors that influence them.
The effects of experimental patch burning and rainfall on small mammals in the Simpson Desert, Queensland
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1071/WR02093
Abstract: Patch-burning is frequently advocated as a management tool to enhance the bio ersity and pasture values of spinifex (Triodia) grasslands. In the northern Simpson Desert, Queensland, pastoralists use fire to reduce the likelihood of broad-scale wildfires and improve pastures for cattle. I conducted a before–after–control–impact experiment to investigate the response of small mammals to the short-term ( year) effects of patch-burning between August 1999 and June 2001. The experiment was replicated at three locations subject to differing rainfalls, with two 1-ha study grids remaining unburnt as controls, and two being burnt at each location. The areas burnt ranged from 1 to 3 ha. Dasycercus cristicauda and Pseudomys desertor responded negatively to the fire treatment. Notomys alexis responded positively to the fire treatment in the final trapping session but only at one location. Factors indicative of temporal and spatial variation in rainfall, time and site had a greater effect on the abundance of small mammals than the fire treatment. Heavy rainfalls in 2000 increased seed production and prompted increases in the populations of rodent species and Dasycercus cristicauda. The greatest numbers of captures were made at the sites that received the highest rainfalls. Patch-burning regimes are likely to increase the resilience of 'fire-sensitive' species dependent on dense spinifex by reducing the extent of wildfires.
Environmental Manipulation to Avoid a Unique Predator: Drinking Hole Excavation in the Agile Wallaby, Macropus agilis
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2007
Designer prey: Can controlled predation accelerate selection for anti-predator traits in naïve populations?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2018
In situ predator conditioning of naive prey prior to reintroduction
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 29-07-2019
Abstract: Many translocations and introductions to recover threatened populations fail because predators kill prey soon after release a problem exacerbated for predator-naive prey. While pre-release training has been shown to work in some situations, it is time consuming and relies on using inferred predator cues and treating small groups. We review a relatively new and very promising management tool: in situ , pre-release predator conditioning. Here, the goal is to allow prey in large enclosures to live with low densities of predators to accelerate selection for antipredator traits (in an evolutionary sense) or provide prey essential experience with predators that they will later encounter. We review the published results of a large-scale, controlled experiment where we have permitted burrowing bettongs ( Bettongia lesueur ) and greater bilblies ( Macrotis lagotis ) to live with low densities of feral cats ( Felis catus ), a species implicated in their widespread decline and localized extinction. We found that both species could persist with cats, suggesting that future work should define coexistence thresholds—which will require knowledge of prey behaviour as well as the structure of the ecological community. Compared to control populations, predator-naive prey exposed to cats has a suite of morphological and behavioural responses that seemingly have increased their antipredator abilities. Results suggest that predator-conditioned bilbies survive better when released into a large enclosure with an established cat population future work will determine whether this increased survival extends to the wild. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Linking behaviour to dynamics of populations and communities: application of novel approaches in behavioural ecology to conservation’.
Movements of Diadromous Fish in Large Unregulated Tropical Rivers Inferred from Geochemical Tracers
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 06-04-2011
Adrenocortical stress responses influence an invasive vertebrate's fitness in an extreme environment
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-10-2013
Abstract: Continued range expansion into physiologically challenging environments requires invasive species to maintain adaptive phenotypic performance. The adrenocortical stress response, governed in part by glucocorticoid hormones, influences physiological and behavioural responses of vertebrates to environmental stressors. However, any adaptive role of this response in invasive populations that are expanding into extreme environments is currently unclear. We experimentally manipulated the adrenocortical stress response of invasive cane toads ( Rhinella marina ) to investigate its effect on phenotypic performance and fitness at the species' range front in the Tanami Desert, Australia. Here, toads are vulnerable to overheating and dehydration during the annual hot–dry season and display elevated plasma corticosterone levels indicative of severe environmental stress. By comparing unmanipulated control toads with toads whose adrenocortical stress response was manipulated to increase acute physiological stress responsiveness, we found that control toads had significantly reduced daily evaporative water loss and higher survival relative to the experimental animals. The adrenocortical stress response hence appears essential in facilitating complex phenotypic performance and setting fitness trajectories of in iduals from invasive species during range expansion.
Resource pulses and mammalian dynamics: conceptual models for hummock grasslands and other Australian desert habitats
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-12-2009
Restricting access to invasion hubs enables sustained control of an invasive vertebrate
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-02-2015
Linking trophic cascades to changes in desert dune geomorphology using high-resolution drone data
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-2018
Abstract: Vegetation cover is fundamental in the formation and maintenance of geomorphological features in dune systems. In arid Australia, increased woody shrub cover has been linked to removal of the apex predator (Dingoes, Canis dingo ) via subsequent trophic cascades. We ask whether this increase in shrubs can be linked to altered physical characteristics of the dunes. We used drone-based remote sensing to measure shrub density and construct three-dimensional models of dune morphology. Dunes had significantly different physical characteristics either side of the ‘dingo-proof fence’, inside which dingoes are systematically eradicated and shrub density is higher over vast spatial extents. Generalized additive models revealed that dunes with increased shrub density were higher, differently shaped and more variable in height profile. We propose that low shrub density induces aeolian and sedimentary processes that result in greater surface erosion and sediment transport, whereas high shrub density promotes dune stability. We speculate that increased vegetation cover acts to push dunes towards an alternate stable state, where climatic variation no longer has a significant effect on their morphodynamic state within the bi-stable state model. Our study provides evidence that anthropogenically induced trophic cascades can indirectly lead to large-scale changes in landscape geomorphology.
Genome‐wide variant analyses reveal new patterns of admixture and population structure in Australian dingoes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-05-2023
DOI: 10.1111/MEC.16998
Abstract: Admixture between species is a cause for concern in wildlife management. Canids are particularly vulnerable to interspecific hybridisation, and genetic admixture has shaped their evolutionary history. Microsatellite DNA testing, relying on a small number of genetic markers and geographically restricted reference populations, has identified extensive domestic dog admixture in Australian dingoes and driven conservation management policy. But there exists a concern that geographic variation in dingo genotypes could confound ancestry analyses that use a small number of genetic markers. Here, we apply genome‐wide single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping to a set of 402 wild and captive dingoes collected from across Australia and then carry out comparisons to domestic dogs. We then perform ancestry modelling and biogeographic analyses to characterise population structure in dingoes and investigate the extent of admixture between dingoes and dogs in different regions of the continent. We show that there are at least five distinct dingo populations across Australia. We observed limited evidence of dog admixture in wild dingoes. Our work challenges previous reports regarding the occurrence and extent of dog admixture in dingoes, as our ancestry analyses show that previous assessments severely overestimate the degree of domestic dog admixture in dingo populations, particularly in south‐eastern Australia. These findings strongly support the use of genome‐wide SNP genotyping as a refined method for wildlife managers and policymakers to assess and inform dingo management policy and legislation moving forwards.
Invasive cane toads (Bufo marinus) cause mass mortality of freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) in tropical Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2008
Top predators as biodiversity regulators: the dingo Canis lupus dingo as a case study
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-11-2011
Not all predators are equal: a continent‐scale analysis of the effects of predator control on Australian mammals
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-01-2018
DOI: 10.1111/MAM.12115
Apex Predators Decouple Population Dynamics Between Mesopredators and Their Prey
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-03-2019
Rewilded mammal assemblages reveal the missing ecological functions of granivores
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-09-2017
Predator exposure improves anti‐predator responses in a threatened mammal
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-07-2017
Divergent foraging behaviour of a desert rodent, Notomys fuscus, in covered and open microhabitats revealed using giving up densities and video analysis
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/AM14030
Abstract: We used a combination of giving up densities (GUD) and behavioural analysis from video footage to test the response of an Australian desert rodent, Notomys fuscus, to the experimental provision of cover microhabitat in the Strzelecki Desert, Australia. In many ecosystems, cover microhabitats are considered to be safe foraging locations for rodents. The response of bipedal desert rodents to cover microhabitats is less certain, with varied findings, due to their use of open habitats for fast travel. Notomys fuscus returned lower GUDs in cover than in open microhabitats and moved slowly for a greater amount of time under cover than in the open. These results suggest that N. fuscus has a preference for foraging under cover, where predation risk is lower, and under these conditions took longer to assess the cover microhabitat before foraging. This was distinctly different to the ‘get in, get out’ behaviour associated with foraging in open habitats. We advocate for the combined measurement of GUD and behavioural analysis using video footage as a way to improve understanding of rodents’ foraging behaviour.
Macroecological patterns in mammal abundances provide evidence that an apex predator shapes forest ecosystems by suppressing herbivore and mesopredator abundance
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-07-2015
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.12563
Top predators constrain mesopredator distributions
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-05-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS15469
Abstract: Top predators can suppress mesopredators by killing them, competing for resources and instilling fear, but it is unclear how suppression of mesopredators varies with the distribution and abundance of top predators at large spatial scales and among different ecological contexts. We suggest that suppression of mesopredators will be strongest where top predators occur at high densities over large areas. These conditions are more likely to occur in the core than on the margins of top predator ranges. We propose the Enemy Constraint Hypothesis, which predicts weakened top-down effects on mesopredators towards the edge of top predators’ ranges. Using bounty data from North America, Europe and Australia we show that the effects of top predators on mesopredators increase from the margin towards the core of their ranges, as predicted. Continuing global contraction of top predator ranges could promote further release of mesopredator populations, altering ecosystem structure and contributing to bio ersity loss.
Identifying optimal barriers to halt the invasion of cane toads Rhinella marina in arid Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-12-2013
Reintroduction of Tasmanian devils to mainland Australia can restore top-down control in ecosystems where dingoes have been extirpated
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2015
Reversing functional extinction of mammals prompts a rethink of paradigms about seed fate in arid Australia
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1098/RSOS.171977
Abstract: Functional extinction of once abundant species has frequently preceded understanding of their ecological roles. Consequently, our understanding of ecosystems is prone to shifting baselines because it often relies on observations made on depauperate species assemblages. In Australian deserts, current paradigms are that ants are the dominant granivores, mammals are unimportant seed predators and that myrmecochory in many Australian shrubs is an adaptation to increase dispersal distance and direct seeds to favourable germination sites. Here, we ask whether these paradigms could be artefacts of mammal extinction. We take advantage of a predator-proof reserve within which locally extinct native mammals have been reintroduced to compare seed removal by ants and mammals. Using foraging trays that selectively excluded mammals and ants we show that a reintroduced mammal, the woylie ( Bettongia penicillata ) was at least as important as ants in the removal of seeds of two shrub species ( Dodonaea viscosa and Acacia ligulata ). Our results provide evidence that the dominance of ants as granivores and current understanding of the adaptive benefit of myrmecochory in arid Australia may be artefacts of the functional extinction of mammals. Our study shows how reversing functional extinction can provide the opportunity to rethink contemporary understanding of ecological processes.
Havens for threatened Australian mammals: the contributions of fenced areas and offshore islands to the protection of mammal species susceptible to introduced predators
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/WR17172
Abstract: Context Many Australian mammal species are highly susceptible to predation by introduced domestic cats (Felis catus) and European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). These predators have caused many extinctions and have driven large distributional and population declines for many more species. The serendipitous occurrence of, and deliberate translocations of mammals to, ‘havens’ (cat- and fox-free offshore islands, and mainland fenced exclosures capable of excluding cats and foxes) has helped avoid further extinction. Aims The aim of this study was to conduct a stocktake of current island and fenced havens in Australia and assess the extent of their protection for threatened mammal taxa that are most susceptible to cat and fox predation. Methods Information was collated from erse sources to document (1) the locations of havens and (2) the occurrence of populations of predator-susceptible threatened mammals (naturally occurring or translocated) in those havens. The list of predator-susceptible taxa (67 taxa, 52 species) was based on consensus opinion from mammal experts. Key results Seventeen fenced and 101 island havens contain 188 populations of 38 predator-susceptible threatened mammal taxa (32 species). Island havens cover a larger cumulative area than fenced havens (2152km2 versus 346km2), and reach larger sizes (largest island 325km2, with another island of 628km2 becoming available from 2018 largest fence: 123km2). Islands and fenced havens contain similar numbers of taxa (27 each), because fenced havens usually contain more taxa per haven. Populations within fences are mostly translocated (43 of 49 88%). Islands contain translocated populations (30 of 139 22%) but also protect in situ (109) threatened mammal populations. Conclusions Havens are used increasingly to safeguard threatened predator-susceptible mammals. However, 15 such taxa occur in only one or two havens, and 29 such taxa (43%) are not represented in any havens. The taxon at greatest risk of extinction from predation, and in greatest need of a haven, is the central rock-rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus). Implications Future investment in havens should focus on locations that favour taxa with no (or low) existing haven representation. Although havens can be critical for avoiding extinctions in the short term, they cover a minute proportion of species’ former ranges. Improved options for controlling the impacts of cats and foxes at landscape scales must be developed and implemented.
Rediscovery of the plains mouse (Pseudomys australis) (Rodentia : Muridae) in New South Wales
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/AM16046
Abstract: We report the rediscovery of the rare and endangered native rodent, the plains mouse (Pseudomys australis) in New South Wales (NSW). Two plains mice were trapped in the far west of the state at Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station and another in the NSW section of the Strzelecki Desert. Until these captures, the plains mouse was thought to have been extinct in NSW. Subfossil records indicate that these observations are within the pre-European settlement range of the species. It is uncertain whether these captures represent a range expansion from known populations in northern South Australia or reflect a local refuge population. Ensuring the conservation of P. australis in NSW requires further study to determine its distribution and the factors influencing its abundance.
Burning for biodiversity or burning biodiversity? Prescribed burn vs. wildfire impacts on plants, lizards, and mammals
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2011
DOI: 10.1890/10-2351.1
Keystone effects of an alien top-predator stem extinctions of native mammals
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 17-06-2009
Abstract: Alien predators can have catastrophic effects on ecosystems and are thought to be much more harmful to bio ersity than their native counterparts. However, trophic cascade theory and the mesopredator release hypothesis predict that the removal of top predators will result in the reorganization of trophic webs and loss of bio ersity. Using field data collected throughout arid Australia, we provide evidence that removal of an alien top-predator, the dingo, has cascading effects through lower trophic levels. Dingo removal was linked to increased activity of herbivores and an invasive mesopredator, the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), and to the loss of grass cover and native species of small mammals. Using species distribution data, we predict that reintroducing or maintaining dingo populations would produce a net benefit for the conservation of threatened native mammals across greater than 2.42 × 10 6 km 2 of Australia. Our study provides evidence that an alien top predator can assume a keystone role and be beneficial for bio ersity conservation, and also that mammalian carnivores more generally can generate strong trophic cascades in terrestrial ecosystems.
Ecosystem restoration with teeth: what role for predators?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2012.01.001
Abstract: Recent advances highlight the potential for predators to restore ecosystems and confer resilience against globally threatening processes, including climate change and biological invasions. However, releasing the ecological benefits of predators entails significant challenges. Here, we discuss the economic, environmental and social considerations affecting predator-driven ecological restoration programmes, and suggest approaches for reducing the undesirable impacts of predators. Because the roles of predators are context dependent, we argue for increased emphasis on predator functionality in ecosystems and less on the identities and origins of species and genotypes. We emphasise that insufficient attention is currently given to the importance of variation in the social structures and behaviours of predators in influencing the dynamics of trophic interactions. Lastly, we outline experiments specifically designed to clarify the ecological roles of predators and their potential utility in ecosystem restoration.
Prey naïveté and the anti-predator responses of a vulnerable marsupial prey to known and novel predators
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-08-2018
In the absence of an apex predator, irruptive herbivores suppress grass seed production: Implications for small granivores
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Large‐scale responses of herbivore prey to canid predators and primary productivity
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-05-2017
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12593
The responses of small mammals and lizards to post-fire succession and rainfall in arid Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2004
Displacement of Black Flying-foxesPteropus alectofrom Batchelor, Northern Territory
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 12-2007
DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2007.009
Fire type and hemisphere determine the effects of fire on the alpha and beta diversity of vertebrates: a global meta-analysis
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-05-2014
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12195
The fire history of an arid grassland: the influence of antecedent rainfall and ENSO
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1071/WF08093
Abstract: Implementing appropriate fire regimes has become an increasingly important objective for bio ersity conservation programs. Here, we used Landsat imagery from 1972 to 2003 to describe the recent fire history and current wildfire regime of the north-eastern Simpson Desert, Australia, within each of the region’s seven main vegetation classes. We then explored the relationship between antecedent rainfall and El Niño–Southern Oscillation with wildfire area. Wildfires were recorded in 11 years between 1972 and 2003, each differing in size. In 1975, the largest wildfire was recorded, burning 55% (4561 km2) of the study region. Smaller fires in the intervening years burnt areas that had mostly escaped the 1975 fire, until 2002, when 31% (2544 km2) of the study region burnt again. Wildfires burnt disproportionally more spinifex (Triodia basedowii) than any other vegetation class. A total of 49% of the study area has burnt once since 1972 and 20% has burnt twice. Less than 1% has burnt three times and 36% has remained unaffected by wildfire since 1972. The mean minimum fire return interval was 26 years. Two years of cumulative rainfall before a fire event, rainfall during the year of a fire event, and the mean Southern Oscillation Index from June to November in the year before a fire event could together be used to successfully predict wildfire area. We use these findings to describe the current fire regime.
Functional extinction of a desert rodent: implications for seed fate and vegetation dynamics
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-11-2015
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.01648
Correlates of Recent Declines of Rodents in Northern and Southern Australia: Habitat Structure Is Critical
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 25-06-2015
Interactions between corticosterone phenotype, environmental stressor pervasiveness and irruptive movement-related survival in the cane toad
Publisher: The Company of Biologists
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1242/JEB.187930
Abstract: Animals use irruptive movement to avoid exposure to stochastic and pervasive environmental stressors that impact fitness. Beneficial irruptive movements transfer in iduals from high-stress areas (conferring low fitness) to alternate localities that may improve survival or reproduction. However, being stochastic, environmental stressors can limit an animal's preparatory capacity to enhance irruptive movement performance. Thus in iduals must rely on standing, or rapidly induced, physiological and behavioural responses. Rapid elevation of glucocorticoid hormones in response to environmental stressors are widely implicated in adjusting physiological and behaviour processes that could influence irruptive movement capacity. However, there remains little direct evidence to demonstrate that corticosterone regulated movement performance, nor the interaction with the pervasiveness of environmental stress, confers adaptive movement outcomes. Here we compared how movement-related survival of cane toads (Rhinella marina) varied with three different experimental corticosterone phenotypes across four increments of increasing environmental stressor pervasiveness (i.e. distance from water in a semi-arid landscape). Our results indicated that toads with phenotypically increased corticosterone levels attained higher movement-related survival compared to in iduals with control or lowered corticosterone phenotypes. However, the effects of corticosterone phenotypes on movement-related survival to some extent co-varied with stressor pervasiveness. Thus our study demonstrates how the interplay among an in idual's corticosterone phenotype and movement capacity alongside the arising costs of movement and the pervasiveness of the environmental stressor can affect survival outcomes.
Why does vulnerability to toxic invasive cane toads vary among populations of Australian freshwater crocodiles?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-07-2013
The politics of science and conservation: Why not anonymous publication?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2000
Shrub encroachment is linked to extirpation of an apex predator
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-12-2017
Abstract: The abundance of shrubs has increased throughout Earth's arid lands. This 'shrub encroachment' has been linked to livestock grazing, fire-suppression and elevated atmospheric CO
An updated description of the Australian dingo (Canis dingoMeyer, 1793)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/JZO.12134
The impact of headstarting on the survival and naivete of an endangered terrestrial mammal after return to the wild
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/ACV.12745
Abstract: Complete separation of endangered prey from introduced predators improves prey survival at the cost of reduced predator recognition and antipredator behaviours, termed ‘prey naiveté’. Headstarting is a conservation strategy that has been used to improve the survival of juveniles for numerous species, whereby prey is separated from predators only in their vulnerable early life stage before release to the wild. However, by isolating prey from predators headstarting could compromise prey in iduals’ antipredator behaviour. Here, we evaluate the effects that headstarting has on the survival, dispersal, body condition and flight initiation distance (FID) of a terrestrial mammal, the bridled nailtail wallaby Onychogalea fraenata . Young bridled nailtail wallabies were isolated from predators in a 9.2 ha predator‐free fenced exclosure and were released into the wild once their body mass exceeded 3 kg. There was no difference in dispersal, body condition or survival of headstarted wallabies compared to wild‐raised wallabies. FID of headstarted wallabies assessed using night‐vision goggles was lower than wild‐raised wallabies in the week following release, but converged with that of wild‐raised wallabies within 4 weeks post‐release. Our results show that headstarting can be an effective conservation strategy for terrestrial mammals whose early life stages are vulnerable to introduced predators.
The impacts of pastoralism on the fauna of arid Australia
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.7882/FS.2007.041
Saving the World's Terrestrial Megafauna
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 27-07-2016
Discrimination of introduced predators by ontogenetically naïve prey scales with duration of shared evolutionary history
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
Ecological allometries and niche use dynamics across Komodo dragon ontogeny
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-03-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S00114-016-1351-6
Abstract: Ontogenetic allometries in ecological habits and niche use are key responses by which in iduals maximize lifetime fitness. Moreover, such allometries have significant implications for how in iduals influence population and community dynamics. Here, we examined how body size variation in Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) influenced ecological allometries in their: (1) prey size preference, (2) daily movement rates, (3) home range area, and (4) subsequent niche use across ontogeny. With increased body mass, Komodo dragons increased prey size with a dramatic switch from small (≤10 kg) to large prey (≥50 kg) in lizards heavier than 20 kg. Rates of foraging movement were described by a non-linear concave down response with lizard increasing hourly movement rates up until ∼20 kg body mass before decreasing daily movement suggesting reduced foraging effort in larger lizards. In contrast, home range area exhibited a sigmoid response with increased body mass. Intrapopulation ecological niche use and overlap were also strongly structured by body size. Thus, ontogenetic allometries suggest Komodo dragon's transition from a highly active foraging mode exploiting small prey through to a less active sit and wait feeding strategy focused on killing large ungulates. Further, our results suggest that as body size increases across ontogeny, the Komodo dragon exhibited marked ontogenetic niche shifts that enabled it to function as an entire vertebrate predator guild by exploiting prey across multiple trophic levels.
Managing feral goat impacts by manipulating their access to water in the rangelands
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1071/RJ10070
Abstract: Feral goats are a significant threat to bio ersity in Australia. However, goats are also harvested by some landholders for commercial benefit and this can lead to disagreements regarding control techniques. In the rangelands of New South Wales, feral goat distribution is closely linked to artificial watering points (AWP) such as tanks and bores. Previous surveys indicated that goat activity was rare more than 4 km from water. We hypothesised that constructing sections of goat-proof fencing in areas where goats were feeding on National Parks but watering on neighbouring properties, such that they had to travel more than 4 km from the AWP to access the park, would result in a significant decrease in goat abundance in these areas. We tested this hypothesis in Paroo-Darling National Park, Gundabooka State Conservation Area and Gundabooka National Park using changes in index (fresh goat dung groups per 100-m transect). We also measured kangaroo dung and ground cover index changes. Twelve months after the fences were constructed, goat dung significantly declined compared with non-treatment areas and the relationship between distance to water and goat dung broke down at the treatment sites. Kangaroo indices were not affected by the fences. The results for bare ground were the same as for goat dung, with significantly less bare ground and a breakdown in the relationship with distance to water at the treatment sites after the fences were constructed, but this was due to a corresponding increase in litter rather than live vegetation. This technique can be a significant tool for protecting bio ersity from feral goats, without removing the potential for neighbouring landholders to harvest the goats. If strategically used to create zones free of resident goats around the boundaries of conservation reserves, it should increase the effectiveness of other techniques such as trapping, mustering and shooting, by reducing post-control reinvasion. Recognition of access to water as an important management tool should substantially improve our management of feral goats in the rangelands.
Changes in the distribution and abundance of saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) in the upstream, freshwater reaches of rivers in the Northern Territory, Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2006
DOI: 10.1071/WR05090
Abstract: Since they were declared a protected species in 1971, populations of saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) have increased in the tidal rivers, freshwater sw s and marine waters of the Northern Territory. The recovery of the C. porosus population has been accompanied by an increase in the incidence of ‘problem crocodiles’ that represent a threat to people in freshwater and marine habitats. Despite the implications for human safety, little is known about C. porosus populations in the freshwater reaches of rivers, well upstream of tidal influence. In this study, we examined the density and body-size structure of C. porosus populations in three freshwater rivers using a combination of data from spotlight and helicopter surveys conducted between the 1980s and 2005, and the inland extent of C. porosus using distribution records in the Northern Territory. Since the 1980s, the density of C. porosus in upstream, freshwater reaches of the Daly and Roper rivers has increased, as has the inland extent of C. porosus on the Daly River. Although C. porosus was not detected in spotlight surveys of the Victoria River, helicopter survey and anecdotal records indicate that C. porosus was present after 1989. In all, 52.1% of the crocodiles sighted in spotlight surveys were 2.1–3.4 m long. Distribution records show that C. porosus occurs up to 235 km inland and at elevations of up to 126 m above sea level. The potential distribution of C. porosus is likely to be similar to that of barramundi (Lates calcarifer), a readily identifiable diadromous fish that must spawn in estuarine waters and occurs at elevations of up to 178 m above sea level. Because the density and inland extent of C. porosus in freshwater rivers is likely to increase, it is recommended that: (1) programs communicating crocodile awareness use the linkage between the presence of barramundi and the potential presence of C. porosus (2) that crocodile warning signs be erected in upstream areas within the potential range of C. porosus (3) that research be conducted on developing techniques to detect and exclude C. porosus from swimming areas and (4) that widespread systematic surveys be undertaken to document the inland extent of C. porosus.
Deep evolutionary experience explains mammalian responses to predators
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-07-2016
The responses of small mammals to patches regenerating after fire and rainfall in the Simpson Desert, central Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2005
Cattle grazing in a hummock grassland regenerating after fire: the short-term effects of cattle exclusion on vegetation in south-western Queensland
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2004
DOI: 10.1071/RJ04003
Abstract: In the Simpson Desert of western Queensland fire is being used increasingly by pastoralists to manipulate hard spinifex (Triodia basedowii) pastures. In this study I investigated the short-term (20 month) effects of cattle grazing on hummock grasslands regenerating after fire in the Simpson Desert. Dung counts were used to determine if cattle grazed preferentially in areas regenerating after fire. Cattle exclosures and vegetation surveys were used to determine if grazing by cattle affected the structure and species composition of vegetation regenerating after fire. Cattle grazed preferentially in areas regenerating after fire. Cattle grazing reduced the cover, height, vertical density and species richness of regrowth vegetation. Grazing reduced the cover of Ptilotus polystachyus and reduced the proportion of Eragrostis eriopodia in iduals bearing flowers and seed. Grazing visibly disrupted microbiotic soil crusts. It is recommended, as a precaution until additional data is available, that areas regenerating after fire be rested from grazing during the first post-fire wet season. Resting during this period will assist the establishment of vegetation cover and provide opportunities for grasses to set seed.
Incorporating known cources of uncertainty to determine precautionary harvests of saltwater crocodiles
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2006
DOI: 10.1890/1051-0761(2006)016[1436:IKSOUT]2.0.CO;2
Abstract: It has been demonstrated repeatedly that the degree to which regulation operates and the magnitude of environmental variation in an exploited population will together dictate the type of sustainable harvest achievable. Yet typically, harvest models fail to incorporate uncertainty in the underlying dynamics of the target population by assuming a particular (unknown) form of endogenous control. We use a novel approach to estimate the sustainable yield of saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) populations from major river systems in the Northern Territory, Australia, as an ex le of a system with high uncertainty. We used multimodel inference to incorporate three levels of uncertainty in yield estimation: (1) uncertainty in the choice of the underlying model(s) used to describe population dynamics, (2) the error associated with the precision and bias of model parameter estimation, and (3) environmental fluctuation (process error). We demonstrate varying strength of evidence for density regulation (1.3-96.7%) for crocodiles among 19 river systems by applying a continuum of five dynamical models (density-independent with and without drift and three alternative density-dependent models) to time series of density estimates. Evidence for density dependence increased with the number of yearly transitions over which each river system was monitored. Deterministic proportional maximum sustainable yield (PMSY) models varied widely among river systems (0.042-0.611), and there was strong evidence for an increasing PMSY as support for density dependence rose. However, there was also a large discrepancy between PMSY values and those produced by the full stochastic simulation projection incorporating all forms of uncertainty, which can be explained by the contribution of process error to estimates of sustainable harvest. We also determined that a fixed-quota harvest strategy (up to 0.2K, where K is the carrying capacity) reduces population size much more rapidly than proportional harvest (the latter strategy requiring temporal monitoring of population size to adjust harvest quotas) and greatly inflates the risk of resource depletion. Using an iconic species recovering from recent extreme overexploitation to examine the potential for renewed sustainable harvest, we have demonstrated that incorporating major forms of uncertainty into a single quantitative framework provides a robust approach to modeling the dynamics of exploited populations.
Taxonomic status of the Australian dingo: The case for Canis dingo Meyer, 1793
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 04-03-2019
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4564.1.6
Abstract: The taxonomic status and systematic nomenclature of the Australian dingo remain contentious, resulting in decades of inconsistent applications in the scientific literature and in policy. Prompted by a recent publication calling for dingoes to be considered taxonomically as domestic dogs (Jackson et al. 2017, Zootaxa 4317, 201-224), we review the issues of the taxonomy applied to canids, and summarise the main differences between dingoes and other canids. We conclude that (1) the Australian dingo is a geographically isolated (allopatric) species from all other Canis, and is genetically, phenotypically, ecologically, and behaviourally distinct and (2) the dingo appears largely devoid of many of the signs of domestication, including surviving largely as a wild animal in Australia for millennia. The case of defining dingo taxonomy provides a quintessential ex le of the disagreements between species concepts (e.g., biological, phylogenetic, ecological, morphological). Applying the biological species concept sensu stricto to the dingo as suggested by Jackson et al. (2017) and consistently across the Canidae would lead to an aggregation of all Canis populations, implying for ex le that dogs and wolves are the same species. Such an aggregation would have substantial implications for taxonomic clarity, biological research, and wildlife conservation. Any changes to the current nomen of the dingo (currently Canis dingo Meyer, 1793), must therefore offer a strong, evidence-based argument in favour of it being recognised as a subspecies of Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758, or as Canis familiaris Linnaeus, 1758, and a successful application to the International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature - neither of which can be adequately supported. Although there are many species concepts, the sum of the evidence presented in this paper affirms the classification of the dingo as a distinct taxon, namely Canis dingo.
Reintroducing the Dingo: Can Australia's Conservation Wastelands be Restored?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-03-2009
Little to fear: largest lizard predator induces weak defense responses in ungulate prey
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-01-2019
Invasive Cane Toads’ Predatory Impact on Dung Beetles is Mediated by Reservoir Type at Artificial Water Points
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-03-2015
Top-down effects of a large mammalian carnivore in arid Australia extend to epigeic arthropod assemblages
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
Bet-hedging and germination in the Australian arid zone shrub Acacia ligulata
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2000
Evidence that the functional extinction of small mammals facilitates shrub encroachment following wildfire in arid Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2019
Excluding access to invasion hubs can contain the spread of an invasive vertebrate
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 23-02-2011
Abstract: Many biological invasions do not occur as a gradual expansion along a continuous front, but result from the expansion of satellite populations that become established at ‘invasion hubs’. Although theoretical studies indicate that targeting control efforts at invasion hubs can effectively contain the spread of invasions, few studies have demonstrated this in practice. In arid landscapes worldwide, humans have increased the availability of surface water by creating artificial water points (AWPs) such as troughs and dams for livestock. By experimentally excluding invasive cane toads ( Bufo marinus ) from AWP, we show that AWP provide a resource subsidy for non-arid-adapted toads and serve as dry season refuges and thus invasion hubs for cane toads in arid Australia. Using data on the distribution of permanent water in arid Australia and the dispersal potential of toads, we predict that systematically excluding toads from AWP would reduce the area of arid Australia across which toads are predicted to disperse and colonize under average climatic conditions by 38 per cent from 2 242 000 to 1 385 000 km 2 . Our study shows how human modification of hydrological regimes can create a network of invasion hubs that facilitates a biological invasion, and confirms that targeted control at invasion hubs can reduce landscape connectivity to contain the spread of an invasive vertebrate.
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