ORCID Profile
0000-0001-6968-2781
Current Organisations
Beihang University School of Chemistry
,
Australian National University
,
University of Queensland
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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 | Terrestrial Ecology | Terrestrial Ecology | Environmental management | Ecology | Wildlife and Habitat Management | Wildlife and habitat management | Environmental assessment and monitoring | Fire ecology | Conservation and Biodiversity | Life Histories (Incl. Population Ecology) | Sociobiology And Behavioural Ecology | Conservation And Biodiversity | Wildlife And Habitat Management
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Living resources (flora and fauna) | Land and water management | Livestock | Biological sciences |
Related Links
Publications
Cat ecology, impacts and management in Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/WRV47N8_ED
A Landscape-Scale, Applied Fire Management Experiment Promotes Recovery of a Population of the Threatened Gouldian Finch, Erythrura gouldiae, in Australia’s Tropical Savannas
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 07-10-2015
Unburnt habitat patches are critical for survival and in situ population recovery in a small mammal after fire
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-03-2021
Abstract: Fire drives animal population dynamics across many ecosystems. Yet, we still lack an understanding of how most species recover from fire and the effects of fire severity and patchiness on recovery processes. This information is crucial for fire‐mediated bio ersity conservation, particularly as fire regimes change globally. We conducted an experiment to test whether post‐fire recovery is driven by in situ survival or recolonisation, and to determine whether this varies with fires of increasing percentage area burnt (burn cover) and severity. We used the pale field rat Rattus tunneyi as a model, because it represents the extinction process for a suite of mammal species suffering population collapse across Australia's northern savannas. Our treatments spanned a gradient from patchy, low severity fires (simulating early dry season management burns) to thorough, high severity fires (simulating wildfires). We performed capture–mark–recapture, vegetation and aerial surveys before, 6 weeks after and 1 year after fire. Six weeks after fire, pale field rats were only captured in unburnt patches of vegetation, and capture rates were proportional to the amount of unburnt habitat. One year later, both vegetation and pale field rat populations recovered across all sites. However, population recovery after low severity fires was likely achieved through in situ survival and reproduction in unburnt micro‐refuges, compared to recolonisation driving recovery after high severity fires. Synthesis and applications . Pale field rat persistence is strongly dependent on the retention of unburnt habitat patches within fire‐affected areas. Management strategies that increase micro‐refugia within burnt areas may facilitate pale field rat population recovery. Globally, building recovery mechanisms into fire management will be vital for supporting the long‐term persistence of fire‐affected species.
GPS collars are more efficient when collecting high-frequency data
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/AM15034
Abstract: Selecting an appropriate fix schedule has a pivotal role when using GPS collars. On the basis of deployments of GPS collars on 35 cats, we report on an often overlooked consideration: that GPS units are more efficient collecting data at high frequencies (15 min between fixes in this study) than low frequencies ( h between fixes).
The effects of early and late-season fires on mortality, dispersal, physiology and breeding of red-backed fairy-wrens (Malurus melanocephalus)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1071/WR09007
Abstract: Context. Mismanaged fire is one of the main processes threatening bio ersity in northern Australian savannas. While the suite of species adversely affected by fire has been quite well documented, empirical studies that seek to identify the ecological mechanisms that underpin these declines are rare. This dearth of mechanistic knowledge is hindering the refinement and development of conservation management practices and policy, such as early dry-season prescribed burning programmes. Aims. Our aim was to describe why red-backed fairy-wrens (RBWs Malurus melanocephalus) decline after fire, as shown by previous studies. Methods. We examined the effects of early and late dry-season fire (and an unburnt control) on the mortality, dispersal, physiology and breeding of colour-marked RBWs. We also tested whether the early fire area became an important refuge after the late fire. Key results. Neither fire treatment caused a detectable increase in mortality. In iduals relocated short distances to unburnt habitat following both fires. Some in iduals used the early fire area after the late fire, but only if they were already living nearby and most also relied on adjacent unburnt habitat. Blood-parasite infection and pectoral-muscle attrition were unaffected by the treatments. The early fire caused loss of body mass at a time when the control population gained mass after breeding, whereas the late fire had no effect on mass. Blood haemoglobin concentrations in birds affected by the late fire deviated from the levels observed in the control population, presumably because of disruption of behaviours associated with the onset of the breeding season. Mayfield estimations of daily egg-survival probability showed no difference among the treatments, whereas the daily probability of nestling survival was significantly lower in the late fire area. Pairs affected by the late fire also had a shorter breeding season and none attempted multiple broods after earlier successes. Conclusions. Our results suggest that the reproductive output of RBWs is low following late dry-season fire, and that this is the main mechanism that explains their decline. Implications. This study provides support for the value of using early dry-season prescribed burning to limit the effects of late dry-season wildfire. However, there are important caveats to this, such as the retention of near-by unburnt habitat, and the consideration of variable regeneration rates for different vegetation types.
A checklist of attributes for effective monitoring of threatened species and threatened ecosystems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2020
Modelling the spatial extent of post‐fire sedimentation threat to estimate the impacts of fire on waterways and aquatic species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-10-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13640
Abstract: Fires can severely impact aquatic fauna, especially when attributes of soil, topography, fire severity and post‐fire rainfall interact to cause substantial sedimentation. Such events can cause immediate mortality and longer‐term changes in food resources and habitat structure. Approaches for estimating fire impacts on terrestrial species (e.g. intersecting fire extent with species distributions) are inappropriate for aquatic species as sedimentation can carry well downstream of the fire extent, and occur long after fire. Here, we develop an approach for estimating the spatial extent of fire impacts for aquatic systems, across multiple catchments. Southern Australian bioregions affected by the fires in 2019–2020 that burned million ha of temperate and subtropical forests. We integrated an existing soil erosion model with fire severity mapping and rainfall data to estimate the spatial extent of post‐fire sedimentation threat in waterways and in basins and the potential exposure of aquatic species to this threat. We validated the model against field observations of sedimentation events after the 2019–20 fires. While fires overlapped with ~27,643 km of waterways, post‐fire sedimentation events potentially occurred across ~40,449 km. In total, 55% ( n = 85) of 154 basins in the study region may have experienced substantial post‐fire sedimentation. Ten species—including six Critically Endangered—were threatened by post‐fire sedimentation events across 100% of their range. The model increased the estimates for potential impact, compared to considering fire extent alone, for % of aquatic species. Some species had distributions that did not overlap with the fire extent, but that were entirely exposed to post‐fire sedimentation threat. Compared with estimating the overlap of fire extent with species' ranges, our model improves estimates of fire‐related threats to aquatic fauna by capturing the complexities of fire impacts on hydrological systems. The model provides a method for quickly estimating post‐fire sedimentation threat after future fires in any fire‐prone region, thus potentially improving conservation assessments and informing emergency management interventions.
Extreme bias in sex allocation inEclectusparrots
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-09-1997
Availability of nest hollows and breeding population size of eclectus parrots, Eclectus roratus, on Cape York Peninsula, Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2004
DOI: 10.1071/WR03020
Abstract: The distribution of the Australian mainland endemic subspecies of the eclectus parrot, Eclectus roratus macgillivrayi, is currently confined to the lowland rainforests of the Iron–McIlwraith Ranges of eastern Cape York Peninsula. Females breed in large hollows in emergent rainforest trees that are readily visible from above. Aerial surveys were used to s le 58% of the rainforest (454 km2) of the Iron Range region to estimate the density of these nest trees. Corrections for overcounting bias (not all observed emergent trees were active nest trees) and undercounting bias (not all active nest trees were visible from the air) were made by ground-truthing over 70 trees. The tree count data were treated in two different ways, producing estimates of 417 (s.e. = 25) and 462 (s.e. = 31) nest trees for the Iron Range region. Long-term observational data on the number of eclectus parrots associated with each nest tree were used to estimate the population size of eclectus parrots at Iron Range: 538–596 breeding females, and 1059–1173 males. These results have three implications. First, this relatively low population estimate suggests that the Australian subspecies of eclectus parrots should be considered vulnerable to habitat loss or perturbation, especially in light of their complex social system, male-biased adult sex ratio, low breeding success and high variance in reproductive success among females. Second, the low density of nest trees suggests that eclectus parrots are absent from the rainforests of Lockerbie Scrub and the Jardine dunefields because these areas are too small. Finally, if eclectus parrots persisted in the Iron–McIlwraith region during the rainforest contractions of Pleistocene glacial maxima (e.g. 14 000–17 000 years ago), the refugium in this region must have been fairly substantial in order to support a viable population – probably larger than previously assumed.
The costs of managing key threats to Australia's biodiversity
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-03-2023
Abstract: Budgeting for bio ersity conservation requires realistic estimates of threat abatement costs. However, data on threat management costs are often unavailable or unable to be extrapolated across relevant locations and scales. Conservation expenditure largely occurs without a priori cost estimates of management activities and is not recorded in ways that can inform future budgets or cost‐effective management decisions. We provided transparent, broadly applicable cost models for 18 Threat Abatement Strategies aimed at managing the processes threatening Australia's bio ersity. We defined the actions required to implement each strategy and used a consistent structure to classify costs of labour, travel, consumables and equipment. We drew upon expert knowledge and published literature to parameterise each model, estimating the implementation cost of each strategy across the Australian continent, accounting for spatial variables such as threat presence, terrain, and travel distance. Estimated annualised costs for the threat abatement strategies varied considerably between strategies and across Australia, ranging from $24 to $879,985 per km 2 ($0.24–$8880 per ha). On average, labour was the largest cost component (49%), followed by consumables (37%), travel (13%) and equipment (2%). Based on national scale variables and assumptions, cost estimates across Australia for each threat abatement strategy ranged from +44% and −33% of the most common cost estimate. Policy implications . We provide a consistent and transparent approach to budgeting for threat abatement strategies, aiming to improve conservation planning processes, outcomes, and reporting across Australia. In addition, understanding the budget required to achieve threat management outcomes can aid revenue‐raising and target setting. The models, cost layers and estimates we generate provide the basis for a nationally consistent approach for estimating and recording the cost of bio ersity management strategies, which should be continually updated and improved with local‐scale information over time.
Influence of fine-scale habitat requirements and riparian degradation on the distribution of the purple-crowned fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus) in northern Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-12-2011
Reading the black book: The number, timing, distribution and causes of listed extinctions in Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2019
Variation in body condition indices of crimson finches by sex, breeding stage, age, time of day, and year
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 16-07-2013
The effect of helpers on reproductive success in the laughing kookaburra
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2000
Do dingoes suppress the activity of feral cats in northern Australia?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-04-2011
Searching for meaning in the interface between research and management
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/PC18012
Abstract: A key goal in conservation science is to generate information that helps to improve the effectiveness of management, and thus benefit threatened and declining species. I have worked on this issue at the interface of science and management, in both the non-profit and academic sectors. I present ex les of some of this research, focussing on research into the causes of, and remedial management for, northern faunal declines. In particular, I present the values of research at large, realistic scales, of considering interactions between threats, and of pairing large-scale work with focal studies on the responses of in idual animals to threats and their management. I reflect on the common gap between conservation science and management, and provide thoughts about how this might be bridged. Throughout the article, I try to infuse some of the personal and human elements that are the backstory to any conservation work.
Making choices: prioritising the protection of biodiversity in wildfires
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 26-04-2023
DOI: 10.1071/WF22229
Abstract: Bio ersity is in chronic decline, and extreme events – such as wildfires – can add further episodes of acute losses. Fires of increasing magnitude will often overwhelm response capacity, and decision-makers need to make choices about what to protect. Conventionally, such choices prioritise human life then infrastructure then bio ersity. Based on shortcomings revealed in the 2019–20 Australian wildfires, we propose a series of linked steps that can be used to identify and prioritise bio ersity assets (including their priority relative to other types of assets), enhance and implement their protection through planning and practice, and strengthen legislation to safeguard them.
Eight things you should never do in a monitoring program: an Australian perspective
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-08-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S10661-022-10348-6
Abstract: Monitoring is critical to gauge the effect of environmental management interventions as well as to measure the effects of human disturbances such as climate change. Recognition of the critical need for monitoring means that, at irregular intervals, recommendations are made for new government-instigated programs or to rev existing ones. Using insights from past well-intentioned (but sadly also often failed) attempts to establish and maintain government-instigated monitoring programs in Australia, we outline eight things that should never be done in environmental monitoring programs (if they aim to be useful). These are the following: (1) Never commence a new environmental management initiative without also committing to a monitoring program. (2) Never start a monitoring program without clear questions. (3) Never implement a monitoring program without first doing a proper experimental design. (4) Never ignore the importance of matching the purpose and objectives of a monitoring program to the design of that program. (5) Never change the way you monitor something without ensuring new methods can be calibrated with the old ones. (6) Never try to monitor everything. (7) Never collect data without planning to curate and report on it. (8) If possible, avoid starting a monitoring program without the necessary resources secured. To balance our “nevers”, we provide a checklist of actions that will increase the chances a monitoring program will actually measure the effectiveness of environmental management. Scientists and resource management practitioners need to be part of a stronger narrative for, and key participants in, well-designed, implemented, and maintained government-led monitoring programs. We argue that monitoring programs should be mandated in threatened species conservation programs and all new environmental management initiatives.
Genetic diversity through time and space: diversity and demographic history from natural history specimens and serially sampled contemporary populations of the threatened Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-02-2018
Metrics of progress in the understanding and management of threats to Australian birds.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-11-2019
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13220
Abstract: Although evidence-based approaches have become commonplace for determining the success of conservation measures for the management of threatened taxa, there are no standard metrics for assessing progress in research or management. We developed 5 metrics to meet this need for threatened taxa and to quantify the need for further action and effective alleviation of threats. These metrics (research need, research achievement, management need, management achievement, and percent threat reduction) can be aggregated to examine trends for an in idual taxon or for threats across multiple taxa. We tested the utility of these metrics by applying them to Australian threatened birds, which appears to be the first time that progress in research and management of threats has been assessed for all threatened taxa in a faunal group at a continental scale. Some research has been conducted on nearly three-quarters of known threats to taxa, and there is a clear understanding of how to alleviate nearly half of the threats with the highest impact. Some management has been attempted on nearly half the threats. Management outcomes ranged from successful trials to complete mitigation of the threat, including for one-third of high-impact threats. Progress in both research and management tended to be greater for taxa that were monitored or occurred on oceanic islands. Predation by cats had the highest potential threat score. However, there has been some success reducing the impact of cat predation, so climate change (particularly drought), now poses the greatest threat to Australian threatened birds. Our results demonstrate the potential for the proposed metrics to encapsulate the major trends in research and management of both threats and threatened taxa and provide a basis for international comparisons of evidence-based conservation science.
Occupancy of the Invasive Feral Cat Varies with Habitat Complexity
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 21-09-2016
Counting the bodies: estimating the numbers and spatial variation of Australian reptiles, birds and mammals killed by two invasive mesopredators
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13497
Abstract: Introduced predators negatively impact bio ersity globally, with insular fauna often most severely affected. Here, we assess spatial variation in the number of terrestrial vertebrates (excluding hibians) killed by two mammalian mesopredators introduced to Australia, the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) and feral cat ( Felis catus ). We aim to identify prey groups that suffer especially high rates of predation, and regions where losses to foxes and/or cats are most substantial. Australia. We draw information on the spatial variation in tallies of reptiles, birds and mammals killed by cats in Australia from published studies. We derive tallies for fox predation by (i) modelling continental‐scale spatial variation in fox density, (ii) modelling spatial variation in the frequency of occurrence of prey groups in fox diet, (iii) analysing the number of prey in iduals within dietary s les and (iv) discounting animals taken as carrion. We derive point estimates of the numbers of in iduals killed annually by foxes and by cats and map spatial variation in these tallies. Foxes kill more reptiles, birds and mammals (peaking at 1071 km −2 year −1 ) than cats (55 km −2 year −1 ) across most of the unmodified temperate and forested areas of mainland Australia, reflecting the generally higher density of foxes than cats in these environments. However, across most of the continent – mainly the arid central and tropical northern regions (and on most Australian islands) – cats kill more animals than foxes. We estimate that foxes and cats together kill 697 million reptiles annually in Australia, 510 million birds and 1435 million mammals. This continental‐scale analysis demonstrates that predation by two introduced species takes a substantial and ongoing toll on Australian reptiles, birds and mammals. Continuing population declines and potential extinctions of some of these species threatens to further compound Australia's poor contemporary conservation record.
Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
Abstract: Monitoring is integral to all aspects of policy and management for threatened bio ersity. It is fundamental to assessing the conservation status and trends of listed species and ecological communities. Monitoring data can be used to diagnose the causes of decline, to measure management effectiveness and to report on investment. It is also a valuable public engagement tool. Yet in Australia, monitoring threatened bio ersity is not always optimally managed. Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities aims to improve the standard of monitoring for Australia's threatened bio ersity. It gathers insights from some of the most experienced managers and scientists involved with monitoring programs for threatened species and ecological communities in Australia, and evaluates current monitoring programs, establishing a baseline against which the quality of future monitoring activity can be managed. Case studies provide ex les of practical pathways to improve the quality of bio ersity monitoring, and guidelines to improve future programs are proposed. This book will benefit scientists, conservation managers, policy makers and those with an interest in threatened species monitoring and management. Joint recipient of the 2018 Whitley Certificate of Commendation for Conservation Zoology
Bioinspired Pressure-Tolerant Asymmetric Slippery Surface for Continuous Self-Transport of Gas Bubbles in Aqueous Environment
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 24-01-2018
Abstract: Biosurfaces with geometry-gradient structures or special wettabilities demonstrate intriguing performance in manipulating the behaviors of versatile fluids. By mimicking natural species, that is, the cactus spine with a shape-gradient morphology and the Picher plant with a lubricated inner surface, we have successfully prepared an asymmetric slippery surface by following the processes of CO
Restoring habitat for fire-impacted species’ across degraded Australian landscapes
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 08-2022
Abstract: In the summer of 2019–2020, southern Australia experienced the largest fires on record, detrimentally impacting the habitat of native species, many of which were already threatened by past and current anthropogenic land use. A large-scale restoration effort to improve degraded species habitat would provide fire-affected species with the chance to recover and persist in burnt and unburnt habitat. To facilitate this, decision-makers require information on priority species needs for restoration intervention, the suite of potential restoration interventions, and the priority locations for applying these interventions. We prioritize actions in areas where restoration would most likely provide cost-effective benefits to priority species (defined by each species proportion of habitat burned, threat status, and vulnerability to fires), by integrating current and future species habitat suitability maps with spatially modelled costs of restoration interventions such as replanting, removing invasive species, and implementing ecologically appropriate fire management. We show that restoring the top ∼69% (112 million hectares) of the study region (current and future distributions of priority species) accounts for, on average, 95% of current and future habitat for every priority species and costs ∼AUD$73 billion yr −1 (AUD$650 hectare −1 yr −1 ) annualized over 30 years. This effort would include restoration actions over 6 million hectares of fire-impacted habitat, costing ∼AUD$8.8 billion/year. Large scale restoration efforts are often costly but can have significant societal co-benefits beyond bio ersity conservation. We also show that up to 291 MtCO2 (∼150 Mt DM) of carbon could be sequestered by restoration efforts, resulting in approximately AUD$253 million yr −1 in carbon market revenue if all carbon was remunerated. Our approach highlights the scale, costs, and benefits of targeted restoration activities both inside and outside of the immediate bushfire footprint over vast areas of different land tenures.
Pyrodiversity—why managing fire in food webs is relevant to restoration ecology
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-06-2016
DOI: 10.1111/REC.12401
MODIS time series as a tool for monitoring fires and their effects on savanna bird diversity
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/WF11031
Abstract: In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of fires on bird ersity in Australia’s tropical savannas. Bird surveys were conducted at 69 sites between 2005 and 2007 to estimate bird species richness and abundance within the Mornington Sanctuary, the Kimberley, north-west Australia. We used MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and Landsat satellite imagery to map fire scars and to quantify vegetation cover parameters, and QuickBird imagery to map the percentage tree cover. Bird species richness and abundance were higher in areas exhibiting minimum seasonal and interannual changes, e.g. in riparian areas, near water and where tree cover was high. We found a significant negative effect of fire on bird ersity following the extensive late dry-season fires of 2006. These findings support the view that intense and large fires are threatening bio ersity and reinforce the importance of reducing the occurrence of late dry-season fires, which are the most severe and extensive. MODIS satellite imagery was found to provide a cost-effective approach to monitoring savanna landscapes, assessing the state of vegetation and monitoring fire dynamics.
The phylogeography of palm cockatoos, Probosciger aterrimus, in the dynamic Australo-Papuan region
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2007
Fire and biodiversity in Australia
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date: 22-12-2014
Long-term benefits and short-term costs: small vertebrate responses to predator exclusion and native mammal reintroductions in south-western New South Wales, Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/WR19153
Abstract: Abstract ContextThe success of conservation fences at protecting reintroduced populations of threatened mammals from introduced predators has prompted an increase in the number and extent of fenced exclosures. Excluding introduced species from within conservation fences could also benefit components of insitu faunal assemblages that are prey for introduced predators, such as reptiles and small mammals. Conversely, reintroduced mammals may compete with smaller mammals and reptiles for resources, or even prey on them. AimsIn a 10-year study from 2008, we examine how small terrestrial vertebrates respond to the exclusion of introduced predators, the feral cat (Felis catus) and red fox (Vulpes Vulpes), introduced herbivores and the reintroduction of regionally extinct mammal species. MethodsDifferences in the yearly relative abundance of reptiles and mammals according to habitat type and whether sites were fenced or not, were tested using multivariate generalised linear models. Next, we calculated univariate P-values to identify in idual species that showed significant relationships, positive and negative, with any of the explanatory variables. Key resultsTotal captures of reptiles were lower inside the conservation fence in all years, whereas total captures of small mammals were markedly higher inside the fenced area, notably in dasyurids. ConclusionOur results showed that conservation fences can deliver benefits for some fauna (but not all) beyond facilitating the reintroduction of highly threatened mammals. ImplicationsOur results demonstrated the consequential impacts of introduced predators on the Australian small mammal fauna, and showed that predator-exclusion fences can be an effective conservation intervention for this guild.
How to ensure threatened species monitoring leads to threatened species conservation
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-08-2018
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12335
Social and mating system of cooperatively breeding laughing kookaburras ( Dacelo novaeguineae )
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-03-2000
Three molecular markers show no evidence of population genetic structure in the Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae)
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 09-12-2016
Body-Condition Indices Are Repeatable across Short, but Not Long, Time Periods in Crimson FinchesNeochmia phaeton
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 07-2014
DOI: 10.1086/676651
Abstract: Abstract It is common in evolutionary ecology to interpret body-condition indices as indicators of in idual quality, but this hypothesized relationship has been questioned and remains poorly validated. Here, we test one of the fundamental predictions of this condition-quality hypothesis, that relative-condition indices are repeatable within in iduals, that is, that the index score of an in idual relative to others is consistent over time. We s led crimson finches (Neochmia phaeton) for seven commonly used condition indices and tested whether in idual condition relative to conspecifics in the same context (e.g., breeding stage) was repeatable. We calculated the relative indices' repeatability across several temporal scales, from short (within breeding season) to long (more than 2 yr) time periods, as well as without consideration of timescale. Most relative-condition indices were repeatable when s led without consideration of timescale, all were repeatable within a short time period, and none were repeatable over the longest time period. This provides only partial support for the condition-quality hypothesis, because although relative-condition indices were generally repeatable, this was primarily attributed to short-term, instead of long-term, repeatability. Condition indices may be meaningful indicators of short-term survival or fitness potential, but our findings are inconsistent with the idea that condition indices are indicators of inherent in idual quality.
The gradual loss and episodic creation of Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) nest-trees in a fire- and cyclone-prone habitat
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2007
DOI: 10.1071/MU06012
The threats to Australia's imperilled species and implications for a national conservation response
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/PC18024
Abstract: Since European occupation of Australia, human activities have caused the dramatic decline and sometimes extinction of many of the continent’s unique species. Here we provide a comprehensive review of threats to species listed as threatened under Australia’s Environment Protection and Bio ersity Conservation Act 1999. Following accepted global categories of threat, we find that invasive species affect the largest number of listed species (1257 species, or 82% of all threatened species) ecosystem modifications (e.g. fire) (74% of listed species) and agricultural activity (57%) are also important. The ranking of threats was largely consistent across taxonomic groups and the degree of species’ endangerment. These results were significantly different (P& .01) from recent analyses of threats to threatened species globally, which highlighted overexploitation, agriculture and urban development as major causes of decline. Australia is distinct not only in the bio ersity it contains but also in the extent and mixture of processes that threaten the survival of these species. Notably, the IUCN threat classification scheme separates the numerous threats (e.g. urban development, agriculture, mining) that cause habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, hence further research is required to quantify the net impact of these types of habitat change. We provide feasible suggestions for a more coordinated national approach to threatened species conservation, which could provide decision makers and managers at all levels with improved resources and information on threats and management. Adequate policy, legislative support and funding are critical for ensuring that on-ground management is successful in halting the decline of Australia’s threatened species.
EcoFire: regional-scale prescribed burning increases the annual carrying capacity of livestock on pastoral properties by reducing pasture loss from wildfire
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1071/RJ13095
Abstract: Prescribed burning is an important management tool in the extensive pastoral lands in northern Australia. It can be used to influence grazing patterns, increase the nutritive value of pastures, reduce the density of woody shrubs and reduce the risk of damaging wildfires. The consequences of regional-scale prescribed burning on pasture availability and annual carrying capacities of pastoral properties in northern Australia were examined using EcoFire, a fire management program in the Kimberley Region of north-west Australia, as an ex le. Theoretical long-term carrying capacities of land systems, and fire scar imagery from years before (2004–06) and during EcoFire (2007–11) were used to model the impact of the program on the seasonality and extent of fire-induced losses in annual carrying capacity, and the likelihood of properties experiencing catastrophic losses in a given year. Over the 5 years that EcoFire has been running, it has resulted in a progressive reduction in the loss of annual carrying capacity caused by the burning of pasture, and shifted the season that annual carrying capacity is lost to fire from predominantly the late to the early dry season. Most notably, the established program has reduced the probability of experiencing catastrophic loss (defined here as % of annual carrying capacity removed due to fire) from 18 incidences to three incidences within a 3-year period. These outcomes have the potential to deliver economic benefits to pastoralists via increased annual carrying capacity and by improvements in pasture condition, provided stocking rates and pasture utilisation are managed carefully.
Cooperative breeding in Hooded PitohuisPitohui dichrous
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-1996
DOI: 10.1071/MU9960139
Helper contributions in the cooperatively breeding laughing kookaburra: feeding young is no laughing matter
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2000
Breeding biology of three large, sympatric rainforest parrots in New Guinea: Palm Cockatoo, Pesquet’s Parrot and Eclectus Parrot
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 29-05-2019
Siblicide, starvation and nestling growth in the laughing kookaburra
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2002
Abundance and detection of feral cats decreases after severe fire on Kangaroo Island, Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-03-2023
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.13294
Abstract: Predation by feral cats ( Felis catus ) has caused the extinction of many native species in Australia and globally. There is growing evidence that the impacts of feral cats can be lified in post‐fire environments, as cats are drawn to hunt in or around recently burnt areas and are also more effective hunters in open habitats. In 2018–2019, we established arrays of camera traps to estimate the abundance of feral cats on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Much of the island (including five of our seven survey sites) was subsequently burnt in a severe wildfire (December 2019–February 2020). We re‐s led the sites 3–8 months post‐fire (seven sites) and 11–12 months post‐fire (three sites). At two unburnt sites s led post‐fire, it was possible to produce density estimates of cats using a spatially explicit capture–recapture approach. Where estimating density was not possible (due to low detections or in idual cats not being distinguishable), the number of in iduals and percentage of trap nights with detections was compared between the s ling periods. Some low‐level cat control occurred within 2 km of three of the seven arrays (all within the burn scar) within 3 months of the fire. Across the five burnt sites, there was a decline in cat detections post‐fire (including those without post‐fire cat control). At 3–8 months post‐fire, there was, on average, a 57% reduction in the number of in idual cats, and a 65% reduction in the number of nights with cat detections, relative to pre‐fire levels. Although cat detections declined following the fire, reduced population sizes of prey species and reduced cover as a result of the fire might still mean that cat predation is a threat to some surviving prey species. Management that reduces feral cat predation pressure on wildlife following wildfire should enhance the likelihood of post‐fire wildlife persistence and recovery.
Compounding and complementary carnivores: Australian bird species eaten by the introduced European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 02-12-2021
DOI: 10.1017/S0959270921000460
Abstract: Two introduced carnivores, the European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus , have had extensive impacts on Australian bio ersity. In this study, we collate information on consumption of Australian birds by the fox, paralleling a recent study reporting on birds consumed by cats. We found records of consumption by foxes on 128 native bird species (18% of the non-vagrant bird fauna and 25% of those species within the fox’s range), a smaller tally than for cats (343 species, including 297 within the fox’s Australian range, a subset of that of the cat). Most (81%) bird species eaten by foxes are also eaten by cats, suggesting that predation impacts are compounded. As with consumption by cats, birds that nest or forage on the ground are most likely to be consumed by foxes. However, there is also some partitioning, with records of consumption by foxes but not cats for 25 bird species, indicating that impacts of the two predators may also be complementary. Bird species ≥3.4 kg were more likely to be eaten by foxes, and those .4 kg by cats. Our compilation provides an inventory and describes characteristics of Australian bird species known to be consumed by foxes, but we acknowledge that records of predation do not imply population-level impacts. Nonetheless, there is sufficient information from other studies to demonstrate that fox predation has significant impacts on the population viability of some Australian birds, especially larger birds, and those that nest or forage on the ground.
The post-fire response of an obligate seeding Triodia species (Poaceae) in the fire-prone Kimberley, north-west Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1071/WF10130
Abstract: Triodia spp. have been described as behaving functionally as a shrub because above ground biomass accumulates slowly over time culminating as the dominant vegetation layer. When combined with high flammability, little seed dormancy and conflicting evidence for fire induced seed germination, obligate seeding species may be more vulnerable to short fire intervals than resprouting species. This study investigated the post-fire regeneration response of the obligate seeder Triodia sp. nov. (aff. T. schinzii Henrard) in the fire prone Kimberley, Western Australia. Adult plants were destroyed by fire in experimental plots to assess the degree of regeneration from either resprouting or germination from seed due to fire. To control for the removal of adults, without fire, plants were pulled out by hand in replicate plots. Germination of Triodia sp. nov. seed from the soil seed bank was strongly induced by fire. Establishment and survival of seedlings through the first dry season was high with a small proportion of in iduals flowering at this time. It is concluded that Triodia sp. nov. is resilient to the short fire intervals experienced in the Kimberley where it is a successful localised species.
Design considerations for rapid biodiversity reconnaissance surveys and long-term monitoring to assess the impact of wildfire
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-10-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13427
Abstract: Reconnaissance surveys followed by monitoring are needed to assess the impact and response of bio ersity to wildfire. However, post‐wildfire survey and monitoring design are challenging due to the infrequency and unpredictability of wildfire, an urgency to initiate surveys and uncertainty about how species respond. In this article, we discuss key design considerations and quantitative tools available to aid post‐wildfire survey design. Our motivation was to inform the design of rapid surveys for threatened species heavily impacted by the 2019–2020 fires in Australia. Global. We discuss a set of best practice design considerations for post‐wildfire reconnaissance surveys across a range of survey objectives. We provide ex les that illustrate key design considerations from post‐fire reconnaissance surveys and monitoring programmes from around the world. We highlight how the objective of post‐fire surveys drastically influences design decisions (e.g. survey location and timing). We discuss how the unpredictability of wildfire and uncertainty in the response of bio ersity complicate survey design decisions. Surveys should be conducted immediately following wildfire to assess the impact on bio ersity, to ground truth fire severity mapping and to provide a benchmark from which to assess recovery. Where possible, surveys should be conducted at burnt and unburnt sites in regions with historical data so that state variables of interest can be compared with baseline estimates (i.e. BACI design). This highlights the need to have long‐term monitoring programmes already in place and be prepared to modify their design when wildfires occur. There is opportunity to adopt tools from statistics (i.e. power analysis) and conservation planning (i.e. spatial prioritization) to improve survey design. We must anticipate wildfires rather than respond to them reactively as they will occur more frequently due to climate change.
Characterization and performance of germanium detectors with sub-keV sensitivities for neutrino and dark matter experiments
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
How many reptiles are killed by cats in Australia?
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/WR17160
Abstract: Context Feral cats (Felis catus) are a threat to bio ersity globally, but their impacts upon continental reptile faunas have been poorly resolved. Aims To estimate the number of reptiles killed annually in Australia by cats and to list Australian reptile species known to be killed by cats. Methods We used (1) data from Australian studies of cat diet (collectively 000 s les), and (2) estimates of the feral cat population size, to model and map the number of reptiles killed by feral cats. Key results Feral cats in Australia’s natural environments kill 466 million reptiles yr–1 (95% CI 271–1006 million). The tally varies substantially among years, depending on changes in the cat population driven by rainfall in inland Australia. The number of reptiles killed by cats is highest in arid regions. On average, feral cats kill 61 reptiles km–2 year–1, and an in idual feral cat kills 225 reptiles year–1. The take of reptiles per cat is higher than reported for other continents. Reptiles occur at a higher incidence in cat diet than in the diet of Australia’s other main introduced predator, the European red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Based on a smaller s le size, we estimate 130 million reptiles year–1 are killed by feral cats in highly modified landscapes, and 53 million reptiles year–1 by pet cats, summing to 649 million reptiles year–1 killed by all cats. Predation by cats is reported for 258 Australian reptile species (about one-quarter of described species), including 11 threatened species. Conclusions Cat predation exerts a considerable ongoing toll on Australian reptiles. However, it remains challenging to interpret the impact of this predation in terms of population viability or conservation concern for Australian reptiles, because population size is unknown for most Australian reptile species, mortality rates due to cats will vary across reptile species and because there is likely to be marked variation among reptile species in their capability to sustain any particular predation rate. Implications This study provides a well grounded estimate of the numbers of reptiles killed by cats, but intensive studies of in idual reptile species are required to contextualise the conservation consequences of such predation.
Australia’s mammal fauna requires a strategic and enhanced network of predator-free havens
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-01-2018
Rapid assessment of the biodiversity impacts of the 2019–2020 Australian megafires to guide urgent management intervention and recovery and lessons for other regions
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13428
Abstract: The incidence of major fires is increasing globally, creating extraordinary challenges for governments, managers and conservation scientists. In 2019–2020, Australia experienced precedent‐setting fires that burned over several months, affecting seven states and territories and causing massive bio ersity loss. Whilst the fires were still burning, the Australian Government convened a bio ersity Expert Panel to guide its bushfire response. A pressing need was to target emergency investment and management to reduce the chance of extinctions and maximise the chances of longer‐term recovery. We describe the approach taken to rapidly prioritise fire‐affected animal species. We use the experience to consider the organisational and data requirements for evidence‐based responses to future ecological disasters. Forested biomes of subtropical and temperate Australia, with lessons for other regions. We developed assessment frameworks to screen fire‐affected species based on their pre‐fire conservation status, the proportion of their distribution overlapping with fires, and their behavioural/ecological traits relating to fire vulnerability. Using formal and informal networks of scientists, government and non‐government staff and managers, we collated expert input and data from multiple sources, undertook the analyses, and completed the assessments in 3 weeks for vertebrates and 8 weeks for invertebrates. The assessments prioritised 92 vertebrate and 213 invertebrate species for urgent management response another 147 invertebrate species were placed on a watchlist requiring further information. The priority species lists helped focus government and non‐government investment, management and research effort, and communication to the public. Using multiple expert networks allowed the assessments to be completed rapidly using the best information available. However, the assessments highlighted substantial gaps in data availability and access, deficiencies in statutory threatened species listings, and the need for capacity‐building across the conservation science and management sectors. We outline a flexible template for using evidence effectively in emergency responses for future ecological disasters.
Seasonal stress physiology and body condition differ among co-occurring tropical finch species
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-08-2013
DOI: 10.1007/S00360-013-0775-Y
Abstract: Seasonal changes in avian hormonal stress responses and condition are well known for common species found at temperate and arctic latitudes, but declining and tropical species are poorly studied. This study compares stress and condition measures of co-occurring declining and non-declining tropical grass finch species in Australia. We monitored declining Gouldian finches (Erythrura gouldiae) and non-declining long-tailed and masked finches (Poepila acuticauda and P. personata) during two seasons that are potentially stressful: peak breeding (early dry season when food is plentiful) and moult (late dry to early wet season when food may be scarce). We measured body condition (muscle and fat), haematocrit, and stress response to capture using plasma corticosterone and binding globulin concentrations. All species had higher muscle and lower fat indices during breeding than moult. Haematocrit did not consistently differ between seasons. Long-tailed finches had higher stress responses during breeding than moult, similar to other passerines studied. Masked finches showed no seasonal changes in stress response. Gouldian finches had stress response patterns opposite to those of long-tailed finches, with higher stress responses during moult. However, seasonal trends in Gouldian and long-tailed finch stress responses sometimes differed between years or sites. The differences in stress response patterns between species suggest that the declining Gouldian finch is more sensitive to recent environmental changes which are thought to further reduce grass seed food resources during the late dry to early wet season. Retention of stress responsiveness during a protracted moult could increase the survival potential of Gouldian finches. This study highlights the utility of stress and condition indices to determine the sensitivity of co-occurring species to environmental conditions.
Edge effects created by fenced conservation reserves benefit an invasive mesopredator
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/WR19181
Abstract: Abstract ContextFenced reserves from which invasive predators are removed are increasingly used as a conservation management tool, because they provide safe havens for susceptible threatened species, and create dense populations of native wildlife that could act as a source population for recolonising the surrounding landscape. However, the latter effect might also act as a food source, and promote high densities of invasive predators on the edges of such reserves. AimsOur study aimed to determine whether activity of the feral cat is greater around the edges of a fenced conservation reserve, Arid Recovery, in northern South Australia. This reserve has abundant native rodents that move through the fence into the surrounding landscape. MethodsWe investigated (1) whether feral cats were increasingly likely to be detected on track transects closer to the fence over time as populations of native rodents increased inside the reserve, (2) whether native rodents were more likely to be found in the stomachs of cats caught close to the reserve edge, and (3) whether in idual cats selectively hunted on the reserve fence compared with two other similar fences, on the basis of GPS movement data. Key resultsWe found that (1) detection rates of feral cats on the edges of a fenced reserve increased through time as populations of native rodents increased inside the reserve, (2) native rodents were far more likely to be found in the stomach of cats collected at the reserve edge than in the stomachs of cats far from the reserve edge, and (3) GPS tracking of cat movements showed a selection for the reserve fence edge, but not for similar fences away from the reserve. ConclusionsInvasive predators such as feral cats are able to focus their movements and activity to where prey availability is greatest, including the edges of fenced conservation reserves. This limits the capacity of reserves to function as source areas from which animals can recolonise the surrounding landscape, and increases predation pressure on populations of other species living on the reserve edge. ImplicationsManagers of fenced conservation reserves should be aware that increased predator control may be critical for offsetting the elevated impacts of feral cats attracted to the reserve fence.
Predation by introduced cats Felis catus on Australian frogs: compilation of species records and estimation of numbers killed
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/WR19182
Abstract: Abstract ContextWe recently estimated the numbers of reptiles, birds and mammals killed by cats (Felis catus) in Australia, with these assessments providing further evidence that cats have significant impacts on Australian wildlife. No previous studies have estimated the numbers of frogs killed by cats in Australia and there is limited comparable information from elsewhere in the world. AimsWe sought to (1) estimate the numbers of frogs killed by cats in Australia and (2) compile a list of Australian frog species known to be killed by cats. MethodsFor feral cats, we estimated the number of frogs killed from information on their frequency of occurrence in 53 cat dietary studies (that examined stomach contents), the mean number of frogs in dietary s les that contained frogs, and the numbers of cats in Australia. We collated comparable information for take of frogs by pet cats, but the information base was far sparser. Key resultsFrogs were far more likely to be reported in studies that s led cat stomachs than cat scats. The mean frequency of occurrence of frogs in cat stomachs was 1.5%. The estimated annual per capita consumption by feral cats in Australia’s natural environments is 44 frogs, and, hence, the annual total take is estimated at 92 million frogs. The estimated annual per capita consumption by pet cats is 0.26 frogs, for a total annual kill of one million frogs by pet cats. Thirty native frog species (13% of the Australian frog fauna) are known to be killed by cats: this tally does not include any of the 51 threatened frog species, but this may simply be because no cat dietary studies have occurred within the small ranges typical of threatened frog species. ConclusionsThe present study indicated that cats in Australia kill nearly 100 million frogs annually, but further research is required to understand the conservation significance of such predation rates. ImplicationsThe present study completed a set of reviews of the impacts of cats on Australian terrestrial vertebrates. Cat predation on Australian frogs is substantial, but is likely to be markedly less than that on Australian reptiles, birds and mammals.
Rapid recovery of mammal fauna in the central Kimberley, northern Australia, following the removal of introduced herbivores
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-12-2010
Animal population decline and recovery after severe fire: Relating ecological and life history traits with expert estimates of population impacts from the Australian 2019-20 megafires
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2023
The significance of topographic complexity in habitat selection and persistence of a declining marsupial in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/ZO16015
Abstract: Mammalian species in northern Australia are declining. The resources that many species from this region require to persist in the landscape remain poorly understood. We examined habitat selection and diet of the scaly-tailed possum (Wyulda squamicaudata, hereafter called Wyulda) in the north-west Kimberley, Western Australia, in relation to variation in complexity of rocky habitat, habitat heterogeneity, and recent fire history. We fitted GPS tags to 23 Wyulda between January 2013 and February 2014 and analysed step selection between GPS fixes to describe habitat choice. We assessed diet by microscopic analysis of plant fragments from 47 faecal s les. In idual Wyulda preferentially foraged in locations with high rock complexity and high habitat heterogeneity in a wide variety of habitats, but denned exclusively in complex rock piles. They used savannas of a range of post-fire ages, including recently burnt (1–2 months after fire) and long unburnt ( months after fire). They were highly frugivorous with, on average, 77% of plant fragments per scat s le identified as fruit epidermal layers. Overall, rock complexity appears to be an important landscape attribute for Wyulda, as it may provide den sites and protect fire-sensitive landscape features such as fruiting trees and habitat heterogeneity.
The short-term response of feral cats to rabbit population decline: Are alternative native prey more at risk?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-11-2020
Spatial behaviour of yellow-footed rock-wallabies, Petrogale xanthopus, changes in response to active conservation management
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1071/ZO11007
Abstract: Competition for food is predicted to influence faunal movement patterns as animals have to range further to satisfy their nutrient requirements. Research between 1979 and 1984 found that yellow-footed rock-wallabies, Petrogale xanthopus, in Middle Gorge, Buckaringa Sanctuary, had home ranges (134–169 ha in winter) that were much larger than predicted, which was attributed to competing livestock and cropping. We studied the ranging behaviour of this population using GPS telemetry after the cessation of farming and following several years of fox, Vulpes vulpes, and goat, Capra hircus, control to determine whether the reduction in competition and predation pressure has affected movement patterns of this endangered species. Mean winter range size of the four GPS-collared rock-wallabies was 4.3 ha (kernel or 5.5-ha MCP), which is a much smaller area than the rock-wallabies used before farming ceased and fox and goat control was implemented. The rock-wallabies primarily used the mid- to lower slopes of the gorge country and preferred redgum creeks and gorge habitats. The rock-wallabies exhibited a crepuscular activity pattern. We hypothesise that the difference in movements has arisen because the rock-wallabies are no longer competing for resources with introduced herbivores, and are able to meet their forage requirements from a smaller area.
The sum of small parts: changing landscape fire regimes across multiple small landholdings in north-western Australia with collaborative fire management
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1071/WF21118
The conservation impacts of ecological disturbance: time‐bound estimates of population loss and recovery for fauna affected by the 2019–2020 Australian megafires
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13473
Abstract: After environmental disasters, species with large population losses may need urgent protection to prevent extinction and support recovery. Following the 2019–2020 Australian megafires, we estimated population losses and recovery in fire‐affected fauna, to inform conservation status assessments and management. Temperate and subtropical Australia. 2019–2030 and beyond. Australian terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates one invertebrate group. From 1,050 fire‐affected taxa, we selected 173 whose distributions substantially overlapped the fire extent. We estimated the proportion of each taxon’s distribution affected by fires, using fire severity and aquatic impact mapping, and new distribution mapping. Using expert elicitation informed by evidence of responses to previous wildfires, we estimated local population responses to fires of varying severity. We combined the spatial and elicitation data to estimate overall population loss and recovery trajectories, and thus indicate potential eligibility for listing as threatened, or uplisting, under Australian legislation. We estimate that the 2019–2020 Australian megafires caused, or contributed to, population declines that make 70–82 taxa eligible for listing as threatened and another 21–27 taxa eligible for uplisting. If so‐listed, this represents a 22–26% increase in Australian statutory lists of threatened terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates and spiny crayfish, and uplisting for 8–10% of threatened taxa. Such changes would cause an abrupt worsening of underlying trajectories in vertebrates, as measured by Red List Indices. We predict that 54–88% of 173 assessed taxa will not recover to pre‐fire population size within 10 years/three generations. We suggest the 2019–2020 Australian megafires have worsened the conservation prospects for many species. Of the 91 taxa recommended for listing/uplisting consideration, 84 are now under formal review through national processes. Improving predictions about taxon vulnerability with empirical data on population responses, reducing the likelihood of future catastrophic events and mitigating their impacts on bio ersity, are critical.
Loss of terrestrial biodiversity in Australia: Magnitude, causation, and response
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 11-08-2023
Abstract: Australia’s biota is species rich, with high rates of endemism. This natural legacy has rapidly diminished since European colonization. The impacts of invasive species, habitat loss, altered fire regimes, and changed water flows are now compounded by climate change, particularly through extreme drought, heat, wildfire, and flooding. Extinction rates, already far exceeding the global average for mammals, are predicted to escalate across all taxa, and ecosystems are collapsing. These losses are symptomatic of shortcomings in resourcing, law, policy, and management. Informed by ex les of advances in conservation practice from invasive species control, Indigenous land management, and citizen science, we describe interventions needed to enhance future resilience. Many characteristics of Australian bio ersity loss are globally relevant, with recovery requiring society to reframe its relationship with the environment.
The impacts of fire on birds in Australia's tropical savannas
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2013
DOI: 10.1071/MU12109
Wings of tropical finches: interspecific differences in shape are consistent with levels of mobility, but moult and feather fault patterns are more complex
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 13-08-2017
How to choose a cost-effective indicator to trigger conservation decisions?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-01-2021
Where is All the Water?
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 06-2022
Right-way fire in Australia's spinifex deserts: An approach for measuring management success when fire activity varies substantially through space and time
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2023
Male-male pair bonding, nesting and egg incubation in a wild passerine
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-09-2017
Investigating the impact of black rats (Rattus rattus) on the endemic and threatened avifauna of Christmas Island
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1071/WR22068
Effectiveness of thermal cameras compared to spotlights for counts of arid zone mammals across a range of ambient temperatures
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 12-03-2021
DOI: 10.1071/AM20040
Abstract: Effective monitoring of mammal species is critical to their management. Thermal cameras may enable more accurate detection of nocturnal mammals than visual observation with the aid of spotlights. We aimed to measure improvements in detection provided by thermal cameras, and to determine how these improvements depended on ambient temperatures and mammal species. We monitored small to medium sized mammals in central Australia, including small rodents, bettongs, bilbies, European rabbits, and feral cats. We conducted 20 vehicle-based camera transects using both a spotlight and thermal camera under ambient temperatures ranging from 10°C to 35°C. Thermal cameras resulted in more detections of small rodents and medium sized mammals. There was no increased benefit for feral cats, likely due to their prominent eyeshine. We found a strong relationship between increased detections using thermal cameras and environmental temperature: thermal cameras detected 30% more animals than conventional spotlighting at approximately 15°C, but produced few additional detections above 30°C. Spotlighting may be more versatile as it can be used in a greater range of ambient temperatures, but thermal cameras are more accurate than visual surveys at low temperatures, and can be used to benchmark spotlight surveys.
The components of resilience-perceptions of an Australian rural community
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-10-2010
DOI: 10.1002/JCOP.20409
Should the Christmas Island shrew (Crocidura trichura) be considered extinct?
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1071/AM23033
Reply from S. Legge
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-1996
The cost of helping
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-1999
DOI: 10.1016/S0169-5347(98)01545-6
Abstract: Cooperative breeding in mammals, birds and fish has provided evolutionary biologists with a rich framework for studying the causes and consequences of group-based reproduction. Helping behaviour is especially enigmatic because it often entails an in idual sacrificing personal reproduction while assisting others in their breeding attempts. The decision to help others to reproduce is affected by immediate and future costs analogous to those of direct reproduction, but these components of the equation have usually been neglected. Recent research suggests that the type of benefit sought could determine the extent of help given.
Frogs still in a dark place?: Reply to
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2023
Uptake of ‘Eradicat
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/WR19056
Abstract: Abstract ContextPredation by feral cats (Felis catus) threatens a range of vertebrate species across Australia, and cat-free islands increasingly act as safe havens for bio ersity. A feral cat eradication program has begun on Kangaroo Island (4405km2) in South Australia, and poison baiting is likely to be one of the main methods used. Aims Here, we trial a non-toxic version of a cat bait, ‘Eradicat’, on western Kangaroo Island, to examine its potential impact on non-target species. MethodsNon-toxic baits containing the biomarker Rhodamine B were deployed across four sites in early August and late November in 2018, with bait take and consumption assessed both by remote cameras and by the presence of Rhodamine B in mammalian whisker s les taken post-baiting. Key resultsCats encountered baits on very few occasions and took a bait on only one occasion in August (& % of 576 baits deployed). Non-target species accounted for over 99% of identifiable bait takes. In both seasons, & % of all baits laid was taken by either the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) or Australian raven (Corvus coronoides). In November, Rosenberg’s goanna (Varanus rosenbergi) and southern brown bandicoot (south-eastern subspecies Isoodon obesulus obesulus), listed nationally as Endangered, also took baits (3% and 1% respectively). The Kangaroo Island dunnart (Sminthopsis fuliginosus aitkeni), listed nationally as endangered, approached a bait on only one occasion, but did not consume it. Evidence of bait consumption was visible in the whiskers of captured common brushtail possums (100% of post-baiting captured in iduals in August, 80% in November), bush rats (59% in August and 50% in November), house mice (Mus musculus) (45% in November) and western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) (33% in November). ConclusionsAlthough feral cat baiting has the potential to significantly benefit wildlife on Kangaroo Island, impacts on non-target species (particularly the bush rat and common brushtail possum) may be high. ImplicationsAlternative cat baits, such as those containing a toxin to which native species have a higher tolerance or that are less readily consumed by native wildlife, will be more appropriate.
Conservation of the Patchily Distributed and Declining Purple-Crowned Fairy-Wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus) across a Vast Landscape: The Need for a Collaborative Landscape-Scale Approach
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-05-2013
We need to worry about Bella and Charlie: the impacts of pet cats on Australian wildlife
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/WR19174
Abstract: Research and management attention on the impacts of the introduced domestic cat (Felis catus) on Australian fauna have focussed mainly on the feral population. Here, we summarise the evidence for impacts of predation by pet cats on Australian wildlife. We collate ex les of local wildlife population decline and extirpation as a result, at least in part, of predation by pet cats. We assemble information across 66 studies of predation by pet cats worldwide (including 24 Australian studies) to estimate the predation toll of pet cats in Australia, plus the predation pressure per unit area in residential areas. We compared these estimates to those published for feral cats in Australia. The per capita kill rate of pet cats is 25% that of feral cats. However, pet cats live at much higher densities, so the predation rate of pets per square kilometre in residential areas is 28–52 times larger than predation rates by feral cats in natural environments, and 1.3–2.3 times greater than predation rates per km2 by feral cats living in urban areas. Pet cats kill introduced species more often than do feral cats living in natural environments, but, nonetheless, the toll of native animals killed per square kilometre by pet cats in residential areas is still much higher than the toll per square kilometre by feral cats. There is no evidence that pet cats exert significant control of introduced species. The high predation toll of pet cats in residential areas, the documented ex les of declines and extirpations in populations of native species caused by pet cats, and potential pathways for other, indirect effects (e.g. from disease, landscapes of fear, ecological footprints), and the context of extraordinary impacts from feral cats on Australian fauna, together support a default position that pet cat impacts are serious and should be reduced. From a technical perspective, the pet cat impacts can be reduced more effectively and humanely than those of feral cats, while also enhancing pet cat welfare. We review the management options for reducing predation by pet cats, and discuss the opportunities and challenges for improved pet cat management and welfare.
Lights at the end of the tunnel: The incidence and characteristics of recovery for Australian threatened animals
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2023
The disappearing mammal fauna of northern Australia: Context, cause, and response
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-03-2011
Amplified predation after fire suppresses rodent populations in Australia's tropical savannas
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/WR15011
Abstract: Context Changes in abundance following fire are commonly reported for vertebrate species, but the mechanisms causing these changes are rarely tested. Currently, many species of small mammals are declining in the savannas of northern Australia. These declines have been linked to intense and frequent fires in the late dry season however, why such fires cause declines of small mammals is unknown. Aims We aimed to discover the mechanisms causing decline in abundance of two species of small mammals, the pale field rat, Rattus tunneyi, and the western chestnut mouse, Pseudomys nanus, in response to fire. Candidate mechanisms were (1) direct mortality because of fire itself, (2) mortality after fire because of removal of food by fire, (3) reduced reproductive success, (4) emigration, and (5) increased mortality because of predation following fire. Methods We used live trapping to monitor populations of these two species under the following three experimental fire treatments: high-intensity fire that removed all ground vegetation, low-intensity fire that produced a patchy burn, and an unburnt control. We also radio-tracked 38 R. tunneyi in iduals to discover the fates of in idual animals. Key results Abundance of both species declined after fire, and especially following the high-intensity burn. There was no support for any of the first four mechanisms of population decline, but mortality owing to predation increased after fire. This was related to loss of ground cover (which was greater in the high-intensity fire treatment), which evidently left animals exposed to predators. Also, local activity of two predators, feral cats and dingoes, increased after the burns, and we found direct evidence of predation by feral cats and snakes. Conclusions Fire in the northern savannas has little direct effect on populations of these small mammals, but it causes declines by lifying the impacts of predators. These effects are most severe for high-intensity burns that remove a high proportion of vegetation cover. Implications To prevent further declines in northern Australia, fire should be managed in ways that limit the effects of increased predation. This could be achieved by setting cool fires that produce patchy burns, avoiding hot fires, and minimising the total area burnt.
Quantifying extinction risk and forecasting the number of impending Australian bird and mammal extinctions
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/PC18006
Abstract: A critical step towards reducing the incidence of extinction is to identify and rank the species at highest risk, while implementing protective measures to reduce the risk of extinction to such species. Existing global processes provide a graded categorisation of extinction risk. Here we seek to extend and complement those processes to focus more narrowly on the likelihood of extinction of the most imperilled Australian birds and mammals. We considered an extension of existing IUCN and NatureServe criteria, and used expert elicitation to rank the extinction risk to the most imperilled species, assuming current management. On the basis of these assessments, and using two additional approaches, we estimated the number of extinctions likely to occur in the next 20 years. The estimates of extinction risk derived from our tighter IUCN categorisations, NatureServe assessments and expert elicitation were poorly correlated, with little agreement among methods for which species were most in danger – highlighting the importance of integrating multiple approaches when considering extinction risk. Mapped distributions of the 20 most imperilled birds reveal that most are endemic to islands or occur in southern Australia. The 20 most imperilled mammals occur mostly in northern and central Australia. While there were some differences in the forecasted number of extinctions in the next 20 years among methods, all three approaches predict further species loss. Overall, we estimate that another seven Australian mammals and 10 Australian birds will be extinct by 2038 unless management improves.
Introduced cats (Felis catus) eating a continental fauna: The number of mammals killed in Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
Live-capture of feral cats using tracking dogs and darting, with comparisons to leg-hold trapping
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/WR15134
Abstract: Context Predation by feral cats is a key threatening process to many species of native Australian wildlife. Unfortunately, cats are difficult to capture using standard trapping techniques, limiting the potential to conduct research on their ecology and impacts. Aims We present an alternative capture method: remote chemical immobilisation after tracking with trained dogs. We also compare capture rates to a concurrent soft-jaw leg-hold trapping program. Methods We used dogs to capture cats detected by spotlighting at night, and also recaptured cats fitted with telemetry collars during the day. Cats were either bailed on the ground or treed and then hand-netted, or chemically immobilised using darts shot from a CO2-powered dart rifle, loaded with tiletamine–zolazepam at ~6 mg kg–1. Factors affecting the success rate of capturing cats using dogs were assessed. Efficiency in terms of cats captured per person-hours of fieldwork were compared using trained dogs versus leg-hold trapping. Key results We attempted 160 cat captures using the tracking dogs with 114 of those being successful. There were no mortalities or debilitating physical injuries associated with chemical immobilisation however, sedated cats had prolonged recoveries ( h). Capture success with the tracking dogs increased as the dogs gained experience. Capture success rates per person-hour of fieldwork were four times greater using spotlighting with tracking dogs than using leg-hold traps. The success rate of recaptures using dogs was 97%. Conclusions The use of trained tracking dogs proved an effective method for capturing feral cats. The method had a much higher success rate than live-trapping with leg-hold traps, took less effort (in terms of person-hours) and caused less physical injuries than did leg-hold traps. However, substantial setup costs and time are required, which are discussed. Implications Using these methods could improve efficiency and outcomes when catching feral cats, and enable more data per in idual cat to be collected than otherwise.
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.
Continental-scale assessment reveals inadequate monitoring for threatened vertebrates in a megadiverse country
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2019
Kingfishers in paradise: the breeding biology of Tanysiptera sylvia at the Iron Range National Park, Cape York
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1071/ZO00090
Abstract: We describe the breeding biology and site fidelity of the buff-breasted paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera sylvia), which migrates each year from New Guinea to breed in north-east Australia. In a three-year study at the Iron Range National Park in Cape York, Australia, we collected data from 91 breeding attempts (49 territories), and banded 77 adults and 101 nestlings (47 broods) to determine site fidelity. Paradise kingfishers arrived at Iron Range when the first major rains fell after the dry season. They nested exclusively in terrestrial termitaria, avoiding mounds that were too small, too close to a neighbouring territory, or mounds where the termites were absent. They were single-brooded, but laid a second clutch if their first attempt failed early. Clutch size was usually three, incubation lasted 25 days, nestlings hatched asynchronously and fledged after 27 days. Of 114 nestlings, 48.2% were male. Each breeding territory produced an average of 1.5 fledglings per year. The main factors influencing nesting success were predation, which ended 33% of all attempts, and brood reduction, which affected 24% of nests. Hatch failure was rare (3.2%). Birds were sexually mature at one year. Nearly half of the breeding adults banded in the first year of the study were still alive two years later, making them at least four years old. The return rates of banded adults varied among years (56–84%), but were similar for the two sexes. Returning birds almost always settled on the same territory with the same partner as the previous year, thus they formed long-term pair-bonds. In all, 7% of breeding pairs were assisted at the nest by an additional male, who was probably not their offspring.
Staving off extinction - more than luck and fate
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2017
DOI: 10.1002/FEE.1533
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
Reconstructing mechanisms of extinctions to guide mammal conservation biogeography
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-04-2023
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.14616
Abstract: An emerging research program on population and geographic range dynamics of Australia's mammals illustrates an approach to better understand and respond to geographic range collapses of threatened wildlife in general. In 1788, Europeans colonized an Australia with a erse and largely endemic mammal fauna, where many species that are now extinct or threatened were common and widespread. Subsequent population declines, range collapses and extinctions were caused by introduced predators and herbivores, altered land use, modified fire regimes and the synergies between these threats. Declines in population and range size continue for many Australian mammals despite legislative protection and conservation interventions. Here, we propose an approach that integrates museum data and other historical records into process‐explicit macroecological models to better resolve mammal distributions and abundances as they were at European arrival. We then illustrate how this integrative approach can identify the likely synergistic mechanisms causing mammal population declines across these and other landscapes. This emerging research approach, undertaken with fine temporal and spatial resolution, but at large geographic scales, will provide valuable insights into the different pathways to, and drivers of, extinction. Such insights may, in turn, underpin conservation strategies based on a process‐explicit understanding of population decline and range collapse under alternative scenarios of impending climate and environmental change. Given that similar information is available for other regional biotas, the approach we describe here can be adapted to conserve threatened wildlife in other regions across the globe.
Improving biodiversity monitoring
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-10-2011
Response to comments on “Compassionate Conservation deserves a morally serious rather than dismissive response - reply to Callen et al., 2020”
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
Association between convalescent plasma treatment and mortality in COVID-19: a collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-11-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12879-021-06829-7
Abstract: Convalescent plasma has been widely used to treat COVID-19 and is under investigation in numerous randomized clinical trials, but results are publicly available only for a small number of trials. The objective of this study was to assess the benefits of convalescent plasma treatment compared to placebo or no treatment and all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19, using data from all available randomized clinical trials, including unpublished and ongoing trials (Open Science Framework, 0.17605/OSF.IO/GEHFX ). In this collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis, clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform), the Cochrane COVID-19 register, the LOVE database, and PubMed were searched until April 8, 2021. Investigators of trials registered by March 1, 2021, without published results were contacted via email. Eligible were ongoing, discontinued and completed randomized clinical trials that compared convalescent plasma with placebo or no treatment in COVID-19 patients, regardless of setting or treatment schedule. Aggregated mortality data were extracted from publications or provided by investigators of unpublished trials and combined using the Hartung–Knapp–Sidik–Jonkman random effects model. We investigated the contribution of unpublished trials to the overall evidence. A total of 16,477 patients were included in 33 trials (20 unpublished with 3190 patients, 13 published with 13,287 patients). 32 trials enrolled only hospitalized patients (including 3 with only intensive care unit patients). Risk of bias was low for 29/33 trials. Of 8495 patients who received convalescent plasma, 1997 died (23%), and of 7982 control patients, 1952 died (24%). The combined risk ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.92 1.02) with between-study heterogeneity not beyond chance (I 2 = 0%). The RECOVERY trial had 69.8% and the unpublished evidence 25.3% of the weight in the meta-analysis. Convalescent plasma treatment of patients with COVID-19 did not reduce all-cause mortality. These results provide strong evidence that convalescent plasma treatment for patients with COVID-19 should not be used outside of randomized trials. Evidence synthesis from collaborations among trial investigators can inform both evidence generation and evidence application in patient care.
Novel Conservation Strategies to Conserve Australian Marsupials
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2023
Is Superhydrophobicity Equal to Underwater Superaerophilicity: Regulating the Gas Behavior on Superaerophilic Surface via Hydrophilic Defects
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 30-05-2018
Abstract: Superhydrophobic surfaces have long been considered as superaerophilic surfaces while being placed in the aqueous environment. However, versatile gas/solid interacting phenomena were reported by utilizing different superhydrophobic substrates, indicating that these two wetting states cannot be simply equated. Herein, we demonstrate how the hydrophilic defects on the superhydrophobic track manipulate the underwater gas delivery, without deteriorating the water repellency of the surface in air. The versatile gas-transporting processes can be achieved on the defected superhydrophobic surfaces on the contrary, in air, a water droplet is able to roll on those surfaces indistinguishably. Results show that the different media pressures applied on the two wetting states determine the ersified fluid-delivering phenomena that is, the pressure-induced hydrophilic defects act as a gas barrier to regulate the bubble motion behavior under water. Through the rational incorporation of hydrophilic defects, a series of gas-transporting behaviors are achieved purposively, for ex le, gas film delivery, bubble transporting, and anisotropic bubble gating, which proves the feasibility of this underwater air-controlling strategy.
Feral Cats Are Better Killers in Open Habitats, Revealed by Animal-Borne Video
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 19-08-2015
Reptiles as food: predation of Australian reptiles by introduced red foxes compounds and complements predation by cats
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 14-07-2021
DOI: 10.1071/WR20194
Abstract: Context Invasive species are a major cause of bio ersity loss across much of the world, and a key threat to Australia’s erse reptile fauna. There has been no previous comprehensive analysis of the potential impact of the introduced European red fox, Vulpes vulpes, on Australian reptiles. Aims We seek to provide an inventory of all Australian reptile species known to be consumed by the fox, and identify characteristics of squamate species associated with such predation. We also compare these tallies and characteristics with reptile species known to be consumed by the domestic cat, Felis catus, to examine whether predation by these two introduced species is compounded (i.e. affecting much the same set of species) or complementary (affecting different groups of species). Methods We collated records of Australian reptiles consumed by foxes in Australia, with most records deriving from fox dietary studies (tallying 000 s les). We modelled presence or absence of fox predation records against a set of biological and other traits, and population trends, for squamate species. Key results In total, 108 reptile species (~11% of Australia’s terrestrial reptile fauna) have been recorded as consumed by foxes, fewer than that reported for cats (263 species). Eighty-six species have been reported to be eaten by both predators. More Australian turtle species have been reported as consumed by foxes than by cats, including many that suffer high levels of predation on egg clutches. Twenty threatened reptile species have been reported as consumed by foxes, and 15 by cats. Squamate species consumed by foxes are more likely to be undergoing population decline than those not known to be consumed by foxes. The likelihood of predation by foxes increased with squamate species’ adult body mass, in contrast to the relationship for predation by cats, which peaked at ~217 g. Foxes, but not cats, were also less likely to consume venomous snakes. Conclusions The two introduced, and now widespread, predators have both compounding and complementary impacts on the Australian reptile fauna. Implications Enhanced and integrated management of the two introduced predators is likely to provide substantial conservation benefits to much of the Australian reptile fauna.
Interactions among threats affect conservation management outcomes: livestock grazing removes the benefits of fire management for small mammals in Australian tropical savannas
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-05-2019
DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.52
Numbat nirvana: Conservation ecology of the endangered numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) (Marsupialia:Myrmecobiidae) reintroduced to Scotia and Yookamurra Sanctuaries, Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/ZO15028
Abstract: Despite a vigorous reintroduction program between 1985 and 2010, numbat populations in Western Australia are either static or declining. This study aimed to document the population ecology of numbats at two sites that are going against this trend: Scotia Sanctuary in far western New South Wales and Yookamurra Sanctuary in the riverland of South Australia. Scotia (64 659 ha) and Yookamurra (5026 ha) are conservation reserves owned and managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and where numbats were reintroduced in 1999 and 1993 respectively. Both sites have large conservation-fence-protected introduced-species-free areas where there are no cats (Felis catus) or red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Numbats were sourced from both wild and captive populations. From small founder populations, the Scotia numbats are now estimated to number 169 (113–225) with 44 at Yookamurra. Radio-collared in iduals at Scotia were active between 13 and 31°C. Females had home ranges of 28.3 ± 6.8 ha and males 96.6 ± 18.2 ha, which leads to an estimated sustainable population or carrying capacity of 413–502 at Scotia. Captive-bred animals from Perth Zoo had a high mortality rate upon reintroduction at Scotia due to predation by raptors and starvation. The habitat preferences for mallee with a shrub understorey appear to be driven by availability of termites, and other reintroduced ecosystem engineers appear to have been facilitators by creating new refuge burrows for numbats. This study shows that numbats can be successfully reintroduced into areas of their former range if protected from introduced predators, and illustrates the difficulties in monitoring such cryptic species.
Application of expert elicitation to estimate population trajectories for species prioritized in Australia's first threatened species strategy
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
The population genetics of the western purple-crowned fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus), a declining riparian passerine
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1071/ZO13087
Abstract: We investigate the population genetic structure of the declining western subspecies of the purple-crowned fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus) in order to guide conservation management recommendations for this riparian habitat specialist. Our analysis of multilocus microsatellite data, from 79 in iduals s led from across the species’ range, indicates that M. c. coronatus occurs as genetically differentiated subpopulations that correspond to catchment boundaries or expansive gaps in habitat along waterways. The genetic similarity of large populations of fairy-wrens on four catchments (Fitzroy, Durack, Drysdale and Victoria) indicates widespread recent gene flow, whereas the high genetic distinctiveness of the Bindoola and Isdell catchments may reflect the current geographic isolation of these smaller populations. Genetic differentiation of these smaller geographically isolated populations affirms the negative effect that habitat degradation and fragmentation can have on population connectivity. A regional-scale approach to conservation with a focus on preventing degradation and enhancing connectivity may be critical to safeguard the persistence of M. c. coronatus subpopulations.
Cats are a key threatening factor to the survival of local populations of native small mammals in Australia’s tropical savannas: evidence from translocation trials with
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 02-07-2021
DOI: 10.1071/WR20193
Abstract: Abstract Context Invasive predators are a key threat to bio ersity worldwide. In Australia, feral cats are likely to be responsible for many extinctions of native mammal species in the south and centre of the continent. Aims Here we examine the effect of feral cats on native rodent populations in the second of two translocation experiments. Methods In a wild-to-wild translocation, we introduced pale field rats, Rattus tunneyi, whose populations are declining in the wild, into two pairs of enclosures where accessibility by feral cats was manipulated. Key results In idual rats translocated into enclosures accessible to cats were rapidly extirpated after cats were first detected visiting the enclosures. Rats in the enclosure not exposed to cats were 6.2 times more likely to survive than those exposed to cats. Two in idual cats were responsible for the deaths of all but 1 of 18 cat-accessible rats. Rats in the site with denser ground cover persisted better than in the site with more open cover. Conclusions These results are consistent with our previous study of a different native rat species in the same experimental setup, and provide further evidence that, even at low densities, feral cats can drive local populations of small mammals to extinction. Implications Effective feral cat control may be necessary to enable recovery of small mammals.
Body Condition Indices Predict Reproductive Success but Not Survival in a Sedentary, Tropical Bird
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 25-08-2015
Siblicide in the cooperatively breeding laughing kookaburra ( Dacelo novaeguineae )
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-09-2000
Sex and time specific parental effects of warming on reproduction and offspring quality in a coral reef fish.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-01-2021
DOI: 10.1111/EVA.13187
Abstract: Global warming can disrupt reproduction or lead to fewer and poorer quality offspring, owing to the thermally sensitive nature of reproductive physiology. However, phenotypic plasticity may enable some animals to adjust the thermal sensitivity of reproduction to maintain performance in warmer conditions. Whether elevated temperature affects reproduction may depend on the timing of exposure to warming and the sex of the parent exposed. We exposed male and female coral reef damselfish ( Acanthochromis polyacanthus ) during development, reproduction or both life stages to an elevated temperature (+1.5°C) consistent with projected ocean warming and measured reproductive output and newly hatched offspring performance relative to pairs reared in a present‐day control temperature. We found female development in elevated temperature increased the probability of breeding, but reproduction ceased if warming continued to the reproductive stage, irrespective of the male's developmental experience. Females that developed in warmer conditions, but reproduced in control conditions, also produced larger eggs and hatchlings with greater yolk reserves. By contrast, male development or pairs reproducing in higher temperature produced fewer and poorer quality offspring. Such changes may be due to alterations in sex hormones or an endocrine stress response. In nature, this could mean female fish developing during a marine heatwave may have enhanced reproduction and produce higher quality offspring compared with females developing in a year of usual thermal conditions. However, male development during a heatwave would likely result in reduced reproductive output. Furthermore, the lack of reproduction from an average increase in temperature could lead to population decline. Our results demonstrate how the timing of exposure differentially influences females and males and how this translates to effects on reproduction and population sustainability in a warming world.
Modeling mammal response to fire based on species’ traits
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-03-2023
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.14062
Abstract: Fire has shaped ecological communities worldwide for millennia, but impacts of fire on in idual species are often poorly understood. We performed a meta‐analysis to predict which traits, habitat, or study variables and fire characteristics affect how mammal species respond to fire. We modeled effect sizes of measures of population abundance or occupancy as a function of various combinations of these traits and variables with phylogenetic least squares regression. Nine of 115 modeled species (7.83%) returned statistically significant effect sizes, suggesting most mammals are resilient to fire. The top‐ranked model predicted a negative impact of fire on species with lower reproductive rates, regardless of fire type (estimate = –0.68), a positive impact of burrowing in prescribed fires (estimate = 1.46) but not wildfires, and a positive impact of average fire return interval for wildfires (estimate = 0.93) but not prescribed fires. If a species’ International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List assessment includes fire as a known or possible threat, the species was predicted to respond negatively to wildfire relative to prescribed fire (estimate = –2.84). These findings provide evidence of experts’ abilities to predict whether fire is a threat to a mammal species and the ability of managers to meet the needs of fire‐threatened species through prescribed fire. Where empirical data are lacking, our methods provide a basis for predicting mammal responses to fire and thus can guide conservation actions or interventions in species or communities.
After the Megafires: What Next for Australian Wildlife?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Better biodiversity accounting is needed to prevent bioperversity and maximize co-benefits from savanna burning
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-11-2019
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12685
Extraterritorial hunting expeditions to intense fire scars by feral cats
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-03-2016
DOI: 10.1038/SREP22559
Abstract: Feral cats are normally territorial in Australia’s tropical savannahs and hunt intensively with home-ranges only two to three kilometres across. Here we report that they also undertake expeditions of up to 12.5 km from their home ranges to hunt for short periods over recently burned areas. Cats are especially likely to travel to areas burned at high intensity, probably in response to vulnerability of prey soon after such fires. The movements of journeying cats are highly directed to specific destinations. We argue that the effect of this behaviour is to increase the aggregate impact of cats on vulnerable prey. This has profound implications for conservation, considering the ubiquity of feral cats and global trends of intensified fire regimes.
Pirra Jungku: Comparison of traditional and contemporary fire practices on Karajarri Country, Western Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12527
Abstract: Traditional fire practices in Australia’s deserts may have created mosaics of post‐fire seral stages that benefitted some plants and animals. Managing fire to emulate the patterns produced by traditional burning practices is a common objective in contemporary conservation planning in Australia’s deserts. However, the extent to which traditional burning in deserts affected fire regimes across space and time is contested. We aim to contribute to knowledge about the impacts of traditional burning on fire patterns in the Great Sandy Desert, northwest Australia. Our study covered the traditional lands of the Karajarri people, where some families were living a traditional lifestyle on Country until the 1960s. We analysed high‐quality aerial photographs taken over 18,000 km 2 of Karajarri Country in the 1940s. Fire footprints up to several years old were mapped from these images, and their spatial characteristics were compared to those of contemporary fire regimes over the same area, visualised using high‐resolution Sentinel satellite imagery. Fires in the 1940s (considered traditional) were more numerous but much smaller than contemporary (2016–2020) fires. The areal extent of recently burnt areas was smaller and the fire frequency was lower in the 1940s. Contemporary fire patterns around cultural sites differed little from fire patterns elsewhere in the landscape, possibly because people were burning over large areas rather than only at localised sites. Our study suggests that Karajarri influenced fire patterns at a landscape scale in the Great Sandy Desert, at least during periods of average rainfall. The findings are helping Karajarri refine fire management goals, for ex le, by informing the size and dispersion of future burns, and supporting community discussion about fire and culture. Fire management outcomes for plants and animals are being tracked with a bio ersity monitoring program.
A simple landscape-scale test of a spatially explicit population model: patch occupancy in fragmented south-eastern Australian forests
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2001
Spending to save: What will it cost to halt Australia's extinction crisis?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2019
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12682
Territoriality and density of an Australian migrant, the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, in the New Guinean non-breeding grounds
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2004
DOI: 10.1071/MU03054
Assessing Risks to Wildlife from Free-Roaming Hybrid Cats: The Proposed Introduction of Pet Savannah Cats to Australia as a Case Study
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 14-10-2019
DOI: 10.3390/ANI9100795
Abstract: Hybrid cats—created by crossing different species within the family Felidae—are popular pets, but they could potentially threaten native species if they escape and establish free-roaming populations. To forestall this possibility, the Australian government imposed a specific ban on importation of the savannah cat, a hybrid created by crossing the domestic cat Felis catus and serval Leptailurus serval, in 2008. We develop a decision–framework that identifies those species of non-volant native mammals in Australia that would likely have been susceptible to predation by savannah cats if importation and establishment had occurred. We assumed that savannah cats would hunt ecologically similar prey to those that are depredated by both the domestic cat and the serval, and categorised native mammals as having different levels of susceptibility to predation by savannah cats based on their size, habitat range, and behaviour. Using this framework, we assessed savannah cats as likely to add at least 28 extant native mammal species to the 168 that are known already to be susceptible to predation by the domestic cat, posing a risk to 91% of Australia’s extant non-volant terrestrial mammal species (n = 216) and to 93% of threatened mammal species. The framework could be generalised to assess risks from any other hybrid taxa.
A way to reduce interference with Elliott traps
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1071/AM11045
Abstract: Elliott traps are widely used in Australia to capture small terrestrial mammals. However, in some situations non-target species disturb the traps, resulting in fewer traps being available for the target species. This situation occurred on Faure Island Wildlife Sanctuary (Western Australia) where boodies (burrowing bettongs) were disturbing the Elliott traps deployed to monitor populations of shark bay mice and western barred bandicoots. This note presents the method used to alleviate this problem on Faure Island but would be more widely applicable in other situations where Elliott traps are disturbed by animals other than the target species.
Systematic planning can rapidly close the protection gap in Australian mammal havens
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12611
The distribution and status of the western subspecies of the Purple-crowned Fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus)
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2010
DOI: 10.1071/MU10029
Timing specific parental effects of ocean warming in a coral reef fish
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 29-09-2023
Animal mortality during fire
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-01-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16044
Abstract: Earth's rapidly warming climate is propelling us towards an increasingly fire‐prone future. Currently, knowledge of the extent and characteristics of animal mortality rates during fire remains rudimentary, hindering our ability to predict how animal populations may be impacted in the future. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a global systematic review of the direct effects of fire on animal mortality rates, based on studies that unequivocally determined the fate of animals during fire. From 31 studies spanning 1984–2020, we extracted data on the direct impacts of fire on the mortality of 31 species from 23 families. From these studies, there were 43 instances where direct effects were measured by reporting animal survival from pre‐ to post‐fire. Most studies were conducted in North America (52%) and Oceania (42%), focused largely on mammals (53%) and reptiles (30%), and reported mostly on animal survival in planned (82%) and/or low severity (70%) fires. We found no studies from Asia, Europe or South America. Although there were insufficient data to conduct a formal meta‐analysis, we tested the effect of fire type, fire severity, fire regime, animal body mass, ecological attributes and class on survival. Only fire severity affected animal mortality, with a higher proportion of animals being killed by high than low severity fires. Recent catastrophic fires across the globe have drawn attention to the plight of animals exposed to wildfire. Yet, our systematic review suggests that a relatively low proportion of animals (mean predicted mortality [95% CI] = 3% [1%–9%]) are killed during fire. However, our review also underscores how little we currently know about the direct effects of fire on animal mortality, and highlights the critical need to understand the effects of high severity fire on animal populations.
Landscape Management of Fire and Grazing Regimes Alters the Fine-Scale Habitat Utilisation by Feral Cats
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 15-10-2014
The contribution of policy, law, management, research, and advocacy failings to the recent extinctions of three Australian vertebrate species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-11-2016
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.12852
Abstract: Extinctions typically have ecological drivers, such as habitat loss. However, extinction events are also influenced by policy and management settings that may be antithetical to bio ersity conservation, inadequate to prevent extinction, insufficiently resourced, or poorly implemented. Three endemic Australian vertebrate species-the Christmas Island pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi), Bramble Cay melomys (Melomys rubicola), and Christmas Island forest skink (Emoia nativitatis)-became extinct from 2009 to 2014. All 3 extinctions were predictable and probably preventable. We sought to identify the policy, management, research, and other shortcomings that contributed to their extinctions or failed to prevent them. These included a lack within national environmental legislation and policy of explicit commitment to the prevention of avoidable extinctions, lack of explicit accountability, inadequate resources for conservation (particularly for species not considered charismatic or not of high taxonomic distinctiveness), inadequate biosecurity, a slow and inadequate process for listing species as threatened, recovery planning that failed to consider the need for emergency response, inability of researchers to identify major threatening factors, lack of public engagement and involvement in conservation decisions, and limited advocacy. From these 3 cases, we recommend: environmental policy explicitly seeks to prevent extinction of any species and provides a clear chain of accountability and an explicit requirement for public inquiry following any extinction implementation of a timely and comprehensive process for listing species as threatened and for recovery planning reservation alone not be assumed sufficient to maintain species enhancement of biosecurity measures allocation of sufficient resources to undertake actions necessary to prevent extinction monitoring be considered a pivotal component of the conservation response research provides timely identification of factors responsible for decline and of the risk of extinction effective dissemination of research results advocacy by an informed public for the recovery of threatened species and public involvement in governance of the recovery process. These recommendations should be applicable broadly to reduce the likelihood and incidence of extinctions.
Compilation and traits of Australian bird species killed by cats
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
The short-term effects of an extensive and high-intensity fire on vertebrates in the tropical savannas of the central Kimberley, northern Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2008
DOI: 10.1071/WR07016
Abstract: We report the effects of an extensive ( km2), high-intensity late-dry-season fire in the central Kimberley, Western Australia, on the species richness and abundance of mammals, reptiles and birds. Five weeks after the fire we surveyed 12 sites (six burnt, six unburnt) each pair of sites was closely matched for soil type and vegetation. The species richness and abundance of mammals and reptiles was greater at unburnt sites, especially for mammals (with a 4-fold difference in abundance between burnt and unburnt sites). There was an indication that reptiles immigrated into unburnt patches, but mammals did not. There were also species-specific responses to the fire: Rattus tunneyi and Pseudomys nanus were much more abundant in unburnt sites, whereas Pseudomys delicatulus was caught in equal numbers at burnt and unburnt sites. Diurnal reptiles were more abundant at unburnt sites, but nocturnal reptiles were equally common at burnt and unburnt sites. Avian species richness and overall abundance was similar between burnt and unburnt patches, although a few species showed preferences for one state or the other. The overall high trapping success for mammals (18% across all sites 28% in unburnt patches) contrasts with the well documented mammal collapse in parts of northern Australia and seems paradoxical given that our study area has experienced the same increase in fire frequency and extent that is often blamed for species collapse. However, our study area has fewer pressures from other sources, including grazing by large herbivores, suggesting that the effects of these pressures, and their interaction with fire, may have been underestimated in previous studies.
Detecting and protecting the threatened Kangaroo Island dunnart (
Sminthopsis fuliginosus aitkeni
)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.4
Sharing meals: predation on Australian mammals by the introduced European red fox compounds and complements predation by feral cats
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2021
Density and home range of feral cats in north-western Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/WR14180
Abstract: Context Feral cats (Felis catus) pose a significant threat to bio ersity in Australia, and are implicated in current declines of small mammals in the savannas of northern Australia. Basic information on population density and ranging behaviour is essential to understand and manage threats from feral cats. Aims In this study, we provide robust estimates of density and home range of feral cats in the central Kimberley region of north-western Australia, and we test whether population density is affected by livestock grazing, small mammal abundance and other environmental factors. Methods Densities were measured at six transects s led between 2011 and 2013 using arrays of infrared cameras. Cats were in idually identified, and densities estimated using spatially explicit capture–recapture analysis. Home range was measured from GPS tracking of 32 cats. Key results Densities were similar across all transects and deployments, with a mean of 0.18 cats km–2 (range = 0.09–0.34 km–2). We found no evidence that population density was related to livestock grazing or abundance of small mammals. Home ranges of males were, on average, 855 ha (±156 ha (95% CI), n = 25), and those of females were half the size at 397 ha (±275 ha (95% CI), n = 7). There was little overlap in ranges of cats of the same sex. Conclusions Compared with elsewhere in Australia outside of semiarid regions, feral cats occur at low density and have large home ranges in the central Kimberley. However, other evidence shows that despite this low density, cats are contributing to declines of small mammal populations across northern Australia. Implications It will be very difficult to reduce these already-sparse populations by direct control. Instead, land-management practices that reduce the impacts of cats on prey should be investigated.
Measuring social preferences for conservation management in Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2021
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.
Introduced cats eating a continental fauna: invertebrate consumption by feral cats (Felis catus) in Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/WR19197
Abstract: Abstract ContextRecent global concern over invertebrate declines has drawn attention to the causes and consequences of this loss of bio ersity. Feral cats, Felis catus, pose a major threat to many vertebrate species in Australia, but their effect on invertebrates has not previously been assessed. AimsThe objectives of our study were to (1) assess the frequency of occurrence (FOO) of invertebrates in feral cat diets across Australia and the environmental and geographic factors associated with this variation, (2) estimate the number of invertebrates consumed by feral cats annually and the spatial variation of this consumption, and (3) interpret the conservation implications of these results. MethodsFrom 87 Australian cat-diet studies, we modelled the factors associated with variation in invertebrate FOO in feral cat-diet s les. We used these modelled relationships to predict the number of invertebrates consumed by feral cats in largely natural and highly modified environments. Key resultsIn largely natural environments, the mean invertebrate FOO in feral cat dietary s les was 39% (95% CI: 31–43.5%), with Orthoptera being the most frequently recorded order, at 30.3% (95% CI: 21.2–38.3%). The highest invertebrate FOO occurred in lower-rainfall areas with a lower mean annual temperature, and in areas of greater tree cover. Mean annual invertebrate consumption by feral cats in largely natural environments was estimated to be 769 million in iduals (95% CI: 422–1763 million) and in modified environments (with mean FOO of 27.8%) 317 million invertebrates year−1, giving a total estimate of 1086 million invertebrates year−1 consumed by feral cats across the continent. ConclusionsThe number of invertebrates consumed by feral cats in Australia is greater than estimates for vertebrate taxa, although the biomass (and, hence, importance for cat diet) of invertebrates taken would be appreciably less. The impact of predation by cats on invertebrates is difficult to assess because of the lack of invertebrate population and distribution estimates, but cats may pose a threat to some large-bodied narrowly restricted invertebrate species. ImplicationsFurther empirical studies of local and continental invertebrate ersity, distribution and population trends are required to adequately contextualise the conservation threat posed by feral cats to invertebrates across Australia.
Environmental factors influencing the distribution of the Kangaroo Island dunnart (
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 09-04-2021
DOI: 10.1071/AM19036
Abstract: Determining the factors that drive the distributions of threatened species is often critical for informing effective conservation management actions. Species distribution models can be used to distinguish common habitat features shared by limited historical records and identify other areas where a species might persist. In this study, we built a species distribution model for the Endangered and cryptic Kangaroo Island dunnart (Sminthopsis fuliginosus aitkeni). We fitted generalised linear models using incidental records and presence-absence data from surveys between 1969 and 2018. In the models we included the variables rainfall, percentage native vegetation in the surrounding 2 km2, and post-fire vegetation age. The modelling suggested that rainfall and to a lesser extent post-fire vegetation age are good predictors of dunnart occurrence, with dunnart occurrence greatest in areas of high rainfall ( mm) and vegetation age classes years post fire. Potentially suitable habitat for the KI dunnart was predicted to be on the central-western side of Kangaroo Island. These results suggest that careful fire management could benefit the dunnart, and that decreased rainfall (as projected by Australian climate models), will be a threat in the long term. Extensive recent fires on western Kangaroo Island suggest that climate-related threats are already being realised.
How to improve threatened species management: An Australian perspective
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2018.06.084
Abstract: Targeted threatened species management is a central component of efforts to prevent species extinction. Despite the development of a range of management frameworks to improve conservation outcomes over the past decade, threatened species management is still commonly characterised as ad hoc. Although there are notable successes, many management programs are ineffective, with relatively few species experiencing improvements in their conservation status. We identify underlying factors that commonly lead to ineffective and inefficient management. Drawing attention to some of the key challenges, and suggesting ways forward, may lead to improved management effectiveness and better conservation outcomes. We highlight six key areas where improvements are needed: 1) stakeholder engagement and communication 2) fostering strong leadership and the development of achievable long-term goals 3) knowledge of target species' biology and threats, particularly focusing on filling knowledge gaps that impede management, while noting that in many cases there will be a need for conservation management to proceed initially despite knowledge gaps 4) setting objectives with measurable outcomes 5) strategic monitoring to evaluate management effectiveness and 6) greater accountability for species declines and failure to recover species to ensure timely action and guard against complacency. We demonstrate the importance of these six key areas by providing ex les of innovative approaches leading to successful species management. We also discuss overarching factors outside the realm of management influence that can help or impede conservation success. Clear recognition of factors that make species' management more straightforward - or more challenging - is important for setting realistic management objectives, outlining strategic action, and prioritising resources. We also highlight the need to more clearly demonstrate the benefit of current investment, and communicate that the risk of under-investment is species extinctions. Together, improvements in conservation practice, along with increased resource allocation and re-evaluation of the prioritisation of competing interests that threaten species, will help enhance conservation outcomes for threatened species.
Overlap and competition for nest holes among eclectus parrots, palm cockatoos and sulphur-crested cockatoos
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1071/ZO02003
Abstract: We examined the extent of overlap in the characteristics of nest holes used by eclectus parrots (Eclectus roratus), palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus) and sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita) in patches of rainforest and woodland in and around Iron Range National Park, Cape York Peninsula, Australia. Eclectus parrots nested only in rainforest and palm cockatoos nested mostly in eucalypt woodland adjacent to rainforest. Sulphur-crested cockatoos nested in both habitats. Nest holes of eclectus parrots and rainforest sulphur-crested cockatoos were in trees of larger DBH (diameter at breast height) and higher off the ground than those of palm cockatoos and sulphur-crested cockatoos in woodland. Palm cockatoos differed from the other parrots in their use of deeper holes with entrances that faced skywards rather than sideways. Both palm cockatoos and woodland sulphur-crested cockatoos used nests with smaller entrances than eclectus parrots and rainforest sulphur-crested cockatoos. All species showed intraspecific competition for nest holes. Behavioural conflict was also common between sulphur-crested cockatoos and the other two species. Each year 9.7–25.8% of eclectus parrot nests were taken over either permanently or temporarily by sulphur-crested cockatoos. Only one palm cockatoo nest was taken over by sulphur-crested cockatoos. Nest-holes were destroyed by natural causes at similar rates in rainforest (3.8% per annum over 174 nest-years) and woodland (5.4% per annum over 93 nest-years). Four nest trees fell over, and the floor of the nest collapsed at a further four holes. Three woodland nest trees burnt down during dry-season fires (August–October). New eclectus parrot and rainforest sulphur-crested cockatoo holes originated from incipient hollows on the tree that were modified by the parrots. We discuss the intense competition between these large parrots in light of the apparent shortage of appropriate nest holes in Cape York rainforest and eucalypt woodland.
Taxonomic revision reveals potential impacts of Black Summer megafires on a cryptic species
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 06-01-2022
DOI: 10.1071/PC21045
Abstract: Context Sound taxonomy is the cornerstone of bio ersity conservation. Without a fundamental understanding of species delimitations, as well as their distributions and ecological requirements, our ability to conserve them is drastically impeded. Cryptic species – two or more distinct species currently classified as a single species – present a significant challenge to bio ersity conservation. How do we assess the conservation status and address potential drivers of extinction if we are unaware of a species’ existence? Here, we present a case where the reclassification of a species formerly considered widespread and secure – the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) – has dramatically increased our understanding of the potential impacts of the catastrophic 2019–20 Australian megafires to this species. Methods We modelled and mapped the distribution of the former and reclassified sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps). We then compared the proportional overlap of fire severity classes between the former and reclassified distribution, and intersected habitat suitability and fire severity to help identify areas of important habitat following the 2019–20 fires. Key results Taxonomic revision means that the distribution of this iconic species appears to have been reduced to 8% of its formerly accepted range. Whereas the 2019–20 Australian megafires overlapped with 8% of the formerly accepted range, they overlapped with 33% of the proposed range of the redefined Petaurus breviceps. Conclusions Our study serves as a sombre ex le of the substantial risk of underestimating impacts of mega-disturbance on cryptic species, and hence the urgent need for cataloguing Earth’s bio ersity in the age of megafire.
Introduced cats Felis catus eating a continental fauna: inventory and traits of Australian mammal species killed
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-08-2019
DOI: 10.1111/MAM.12167
Rainfall and topography predict gene flow among populations of the declining northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-06-2016
Envisioning the future with ‘compassionate conservation’: An ominous projection for native wildlife and biodiversity
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
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
Parsing progress in conservation management of Australian mammals – A reply to
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2023
Inferring population connectivity across the range of the purple-crowned fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus) from mitochondrial DNA and morphology: implications for conservation management
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/ZO12093
Abstract: Knowledge of population structure and patterns of connectivity is required to implement effective conservation measures for the purple-crowned fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus), a threatened endemic of northern Australia. This study aimed to identify barriers to dispersal across the distribution of M. coronatus, investigate the impact that the recent declines may have on population connectivity, and propose conservation actions to maintain natural patterns of gene flow. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences from 87 M. coronatus identified two phylogenetic clusters that corresponded with the phenotypically defined western (M. c. coronatus) and eastern (M. c. macgillivrayi) subspecies. The genetic ergence between these subspecies was consistent with isolation by a natural barrier to gene flow, and supports their separate conservation management. Within the declining M. c. coronatus, the lack of genetic ergence and only slight morphological difference between remnant populations indicates that populations were recently linked by gene flow. It is likely that widespread habitat degradation and the recent extirpation of M. c. coronatus from the Ord River will disrupt connectivity between, and dynamics within, remnant populations. To prevent further declines, conservation of M. coronatus must preserve areas of quality habitat and restore connectivity between isolated populations.
Breast cancer treatment: A phased approach to implementation
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-04-2020
DOI: 10.1002/CNCR.32910
Post-fire habitat use of the golden-backed tree-rat (Mesembriomys macrurus) in the northwest Kimberley, Western Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-07-2015
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12278
Cats in Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
Abstract: Across the world, cats are loved as pets or are kept or tolerated for their role in controlling some animal pests. But cats, both pets and feral, also kill many native animals and this toll can be enormous. Cats have been remarkably successful in Australia, spreading pervasively across the continent and many islands, occurring in all environments, and proving to be adept and adaptable hunters. A large proportion of Australia’s distinctive fauna is threatened and recent research highlights the significant role that cats play in the decline and extinction of native species. Cats in Australia brings this research together, documenting the extent to which cats have subverted, and are continuing to subvert, Australia’s bio ersity. But the book does much more than spotlight the impacts of cats on Australian nature. It describes the origins of cats and their global spread, their long-standing and varying relationship with people, their global impacts and their ecology. It also seeks to describe the challenge of managing cats, and the options available to constrain their impacts.
Condition index monitoring supports conservation priorities for the protection of threatened grass-finch populations
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2015
Prioritizing threat management for biodiversity conservation
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-03-2012
Threat-abatement framework confirms habitat retention and invasive species management are critical to conserve Australia's threatened species
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2023
Optimising camera trap deployment design across multiple sites for species inventory surveys
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1071/PC16017
Abstract: Camera traps are being increasingly used in biological surveys. One of the most common uses of camera trap data is the generation of species inventories and estimations of species richness. Many authors have advocated for increased camera trap-nights (long deployment times or more cameras in an array) to detect rare or wide-ranging species. However, in practice, the number of traps and the duration of surveys are constrained a survey leader must make decisions about allocating the available cameras to sites. Here we investigate the effect of deployment time, camera array size and number of sites on detection of saxicoline mammal and varanid species obtained from surveys of discrete vegetation pockets in tropical Australia. This paper provides an analysis method for optimising decisions about how a limited number of cameras should be deployed across sites. We found that increasing the number of sites leads to larger species richness estimates in a shorter period. Increasing the number of cameras per site also leads to higher species richness estimates in a shorter time, but not to the same extent as increasing the number of sites. With fewer sites used or smaller arrays deployed at each site, a longer deployment duration is required, especially for rarer or wider-ranging species, or those not attracted to bait. Finally, we compared estimates of species richness generated by our camera trapping to those generated by live trapping at a subset of our sites, and found camera traps generated much larger estimates.
Cooperative lions escape the prisoner's dilemma
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 1996
Kookaburra
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2004
Abstract: Laughing Kookaburras are the largest kingfishers in the world, and Blue-winged Kookaburras are not far behind. Their size and distinctive shape and posture make them easily recognisable their comical and personable characters make them readily memorable. They are able to live in a wide variety of habitats, and adapt to living around humans relatively well. This cheerful familiarity has caused them to figure prominently in the psyches and folklores of all peoples who have inhabited Australia. Kookaburras live in family groups marked by the extremes of social behaviour. Whilst in the nest, chicks fight their siblings for dominance and food so aggressively that the smallest chick is often killed. In complete contrast, many adult kookaburras delay their own breeding in order to help their relatives raise young. Kookaburra: King of the Bush provides a complete overview of kookaburras and their unique place in Australian culture and natural history.
Deconstructing compassionate conservation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-07-2019
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13366
Abstract: Compassionate conservation focuses on 4 tenets: first, do no harm in iduals matter inclusivity of in idual animals and peaceful coexistence between humans and animals. Recently, compassionate conservation has been promoted as an alternative to conventional conservation philosophy. We believe ex les presented by compassionate conservationists are deliberately or arbitrarily chosen to focus on mammals inherently not compassionate and offer ineffective conservation solutions. Compassionate conservation arbitrarily focuses on charismatic species, notably large predators and megaherbivores. The philosophy is not compassionate when it leaves invasive predators in the environment to cause harm to vastly more in iduals of native species or uses the fear of harm by apex predators to terrorize mesopredators. Hindering the control of exotic species (megafauna, predators) in situ will not improve the conservation condition of the majority of bio ersity. The positions taken by so-called compassionate conservationists on particular species and on conservation actions could be extended to hinder other forms of conservation, including translocations, conservation fencing, and fertility control. Animal welfare is incredibly important to conservation, but ironically compassionate conservation does not offer the best welfare outcomes to animals and is often ineffective in achieving conservation goals. Consequently, compassionate conservation may threaten public and governmental support for conservation because of the limited understanding of conservation problems by the general public.
Age- and sex-related differences in the spatial ecology of a dichromatic tropical python (Morelia viridis)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2006
Coalitions of relatives and reproductive skew in cooperatively breeding white-winged choughs
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-02-2000
Bioinspired Slippery Cone for Controllable Manipulation of Gas Bubbles in Low-Surface-Tension Environment
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 18-03-2019
Abstract: Manipulating bubbles in surfactant solutions or oil mediums is of vital importance in daily life and industries concerned with cosmetics, food, fermentation, mineral flotation, etc. However, realizing controllable regulation of a bubble's behavior is quite challenging in a low-surface-tension aqueous environment, which is mainly attributed to the strong affinity of liquid molecules to a solid surface to prevent the efficient interaction of gas bubbles with the solid surface. To address these issues, herein, we have taken inspiration from cactus spines and pitcher plants to develop a slippery copper cone (SCC), which can facilely manipulate gas bubble in surfactant solutions (as low as ∼29.9 mN/m, 20 °C), e. g., directional and continuous transportation of gas bubbles. This intriguing capability mainly originates from the cooperation of the conical morphology engendering a Laplace pressure and the slippery surface with low friction force but high affinity to bubbles. In addition, the SCC also shows an elegant capability of transporting gas bubbles in various organic solvents, such as formamide (57.4 mN/m, 20 °C), glycol (46.5 mN/m, 20 °C), dibutyl phthalate (37.0 mN/m, 20 °C), and dimethylformamide (35.8 mN/m, 20 °C). Furthermore, the prepared SCC also demonstrated distinguished feasibility in antibuoyancy bubble delivery, efficient collection of acidic CO
Breeding biology and life-history traits of an Australasian tropical granivore, the Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton)
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2011
DOI: 10.1071/MU10088
Cat-dependent diseases cost Australia AU$6 billion per year through impacts on human health and livestock production
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/WR20089
Abstract: Abstract ContextCats are the definitive or primary host for pathogens that cause diseases in people and livestock. These cat-dependent diseases would not occur in Australia if cats had not been introduced, and their ongoing persistence depends on contacts with cats. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that cycles between cats and any other warm-blooded animals. People infected by T. gondii may appear asymptomatic, or have a mild illness, or experience severe, potentially lethal symptoms the parasite may also affect behaviour and mental health. T. gondii is also a major contributor to spontaneous abortion in sheep and goats. Two species of Sarcocystis, another genus of protozoan parasite, cycle through cats and sheep, causing macroscopic cysts to form in sheep tissues that reduce meat saleability. Toxocara cati, the cat roundworm, causes minor illnesses in humans and livestock, and the bacterium Bartonella henselae causes cat scratch disease, an infection that can be contracted by people when scratched or bitten by cats carrying the pathogen. AimsWe estimated the economic costs of cat-dependent pathogens in Australia. MethodsWe collated national and global data on infection rates, health and production consequences. Key resultsWe estimated the costs of two cat-dependent diseases (toxoplasmosis, cat scratch disease) in people at AU$6.06 billion (plausible range AU$2.11–10.7 billion) annually, and the costs to livestock production from toxoplasmosis and sarcocystosis at AU$11.7 million (plausible range AU$7.67–18.3 million). Most of the human health costs are due to the associations between T. gondii and higher rates of traffic accidents and mental illness in people. The causality behind these associations remains uncertain, so those costs may be overestimated. Conversely, our estimates are incomplete, infections and illness are under-reported or misdiagnosed, and our understanding of disease outcomes is still imperfect, all of which make our costs underestimated. ConclusionsOur analysis suggests that substantial benefits to public health and livestock production could be realised by reducing exposure to cats and breaking parasite transmission cycles. ImplicationsReducing feral cat populations in farming and urban areas, reducing the pet cat population and increasing rates of pet cat containment could help reduce the burden of cat-dependent diseases to people and livestock.
Threats to Australia’s rock-wallabies (Petrogale spp.) with key directions for effective monitoring
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-11-2021
Novel Conservation Strategies to Conserve Australian Marsupials
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2023
Australia's most imperilled vertebrates
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
Do Palm Cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus) have long enough lifespans to support their low reproductive success?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2009
DOI: 10.1071/MU08053
Corrigendum to: Condition index monitoring supports conservation priorities for the protection of threatened grass-finch populations
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2018
Enumerating a continental-scale threat: How many feral cats are in Australia?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2017
Matching maternal and paternal experiences underpin molecular thermal acclimation
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 02-10-2023
A plea for inserting evidence-based management into conservation practice
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-03-2015
DOI: 10.1111/ACV.12195
Conservation conundrums and the challenges of managing unexplained declines of multiple species
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
The breeding biology of palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus): a case of a slow life history
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2003
Pre-eradication assessment of feral cat density and population size across Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/WR19137
Abstract: Abstract Context Feral cats (Felis catus) are a significant threat to wildlife in Australia and globally. In Australia, densities of feral cats vary across the continent and also between the mainland and offshore islands. Densities on small islands may be at least an order of magnitude higher than those in adjacent mainland areas. To provide cat-free havens for bio ersity, cat-control and eradication programs are increasingly occurring on Australian offshore islands. However, planning such eradications is difficult, particularly on large islands where cat densities could vary considerably. Aims In the present study, we examined how feral cat densities vary among three habitats on Kangaroo Island, a large Australian offshore island for which feral cat eradication is planned. Methods Densities were compared among the following three broad habitat types: forest, forest–farmland boundaries and farmland. To detect cats, three remote-camera arrays were deployed in each habitat type, and density around each array was calculated using a spatially explicit capture–recapture framework. Key results The average feral cat density on Kangaroo Island (0.37 cats km−2) was slightly higher than that on the Australian mainland. Densities varied from 0.06 to 3.27 cats km−2 and were inconsistent within broad habitat types. Densities were highest on farms that had a high availability of macropod and sheep carcasses. The relationship between cat density and the proportion of cleared land in the surrounding area was weak. The total feral cat population of Kangaroo Island was estimated at 1629±661 (mean±s.e.) in iduals. Conclusions Cat densities on Kangaroo Island are highly variable and may be locally affected by factors such as prey and carrion availability. Implications For cat eradication to be successful, resources must be sufficient to control at least the average cat density (0.37 cats km−2), with additional effort around areas of high carcass availability (where cats are likely to be at a higher density) potentially also being required.
Extreme Reversed Sexual Dichromatism in a Bird Without Sex Role Reversal
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 22-07-2005
Abstract: Brilliant plumage is typical of male birds, reflecting differential enhancement of male traits when females are the limiting sex. Brighter females are thought to evolve exclusively in response to sex role reversal. The striking reversed plumage dichromatism of Eclectus roratus parrots does not fit this pattern. We quantify plumage color in this species and show that very different selection pressures are acting on males and females. Male plumage reflects a compromise between the conflicting requirements for camouflage from predators while foraging and conspicuousness during display. Females are liberated from the need for camouflage but compete for rare nest hollows.
Breeding biology of the reverse‐dichromatic, co‐operative parrot Eclectus roratus
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2003
How many birds are killed by cats in Australia?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Designing a large‐scale track‐based monitoring program to detect changes in species distributions in arid Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-12-2023
DOI: 10.1002/EAP.2762
Abstract: Monitoring trends in animal populations in arid regions is challenging due to remoteness and low population densities. However, detecting species' tracks or signs is an effective survey technique for monitoring population trends across large spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we developed a simulation framework to evaluate the performance of alternative track‐based monitoring designs at detecting change in species distributions in arid Australia. We collated presence–absence records from 550 2‐ha track‐based plots for 11 vertebrates over 13 years and fitted ensemble species distribution models to predict occupancy in 2018. We simulated plausible changes in species' distributions over the next 15 years and, with estimates of detectability, simulated monitoring to evaluate the statistical power of three alternative monitoring scenarios: (1) where surveys were restricted to existing 2‐ha plots, (2) where surveys were optimized to target all species equally, and (3) where surveys were optimized to target two species of conservation concern. Across all monitoring designs and scenarios, we found that power was higher when detecting increasing occupancy trends compared to decreasing trends owing to the relatively low levels of initial occupancy. Our results suggest that surveying 200 of the existing plots annually (with a small subset resurveyed twice within a year) will have at least an 80% chance of detecting 30% declines in occupancy for four of the five invasive species modeled and one of the six native species. This increased to 10 of the 11 species assuming larger (50%) declines. When plots were positioned to target all species equally, power improved slightly for most compared to the existing survey network. When plots were positioned to target two species of conservation concern (crest‐tailed mulgara and dusky hopping mouse), power to detect 30% declines increased by 29% and 31% for these species, respectively, at the cost of reduced power for the remaining species. The effect of varying survey frequency depended on its trade‐off with the number of sites s led and requires further consideration. Nonetheless, our research suggests that track‐based surveying is an effective and logistically feasible approach to monitoring broad‐scale occupancy trends in desert species with both widespread and restricted distributions.
EcoFire: restoring the biodiversity values of the Kimberley region by managing fire
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-07-2011
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