ORCID Profile
0000-0002-0177-4898
Current Organisation
Charles Sturt University
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12252
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 07-09-2016
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1071/AM05075
Abstract: ANTHROPOGENIC change to Australian habitats accelerated rapidly during the late 1800s as sheep grazing spread across the continent. In particular, intensive grazing in arid and semi-arid regions is believed to have vastly altered vegetation communities, triggered extensive soil erosion, and reduced shelter available to small mammals, thus increasing their vulnerability to predation (Morton 1990). It is not surprising, then, that since European settlement 32 species (42%) of mammals inhabiting the arid zone of Australia have become extinct (Landsberg et al. 1997), and many others have suffered major range reductions or are currently considered widespread but rare. This faunal collapse was due to multiple factors (Burbidge and McKenzie 1989 Morton 1990), but the most consistent predictor of marsupial decline is geographic overlap with domestic sheep (Fisher et al. 2003). While overgrazing is a serious broadscale problem, the destruction of naturally occurring pockets of highquality habitat probably played a critical role in the extirpation of species that relied on refugia for survival during droughts (Morton 1990).
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-09-2023
DOI: 10.1002/EAP.2909
Abstract: Herbivore exclusion is implemented globally to recover ecosystems from grazing by introduced and native herbivores, but evidence for large‐scale bio ersity benefits is inconsistent in arid ecosystems. We examined the effects of livestock exclusion on dryland plant richness and reproductive capacity. We collected data on plant species richness and seeding (reproductive capacity), rainfall, vegetation productivity and cover, soil strength and herbivore grazing intensity from 68 sites across 6500 km 2 of arid Georgina gidgee ( Acacia georginae ) woodlands in central Australia between 2018 and 2020. Sites were on an actively grazed cattle station and two destocked conservation reserves. We used structural equation modelling to examine indirect (via soil or vegetation modification) versus direct (herbivory) effects of grazing intensity by two introduced herbivores (cattle, camels) and a native herbivore (red kangaroo), on seasonal plant species richness and seeding of all plants, and the richness and seeding of four plant groups (native grasses, forbs, annual chenopod shrubs, and palatable perennial shrubs). Non‐native herbivores had a strong indirect effect on plant richness and seeding by reducing vegetative ground cover, resulting in decreased richness and seeding of both native grasses and forbs. . Herbivores also had small but negative direct impacts on plant richness and seeding. This direct effect was explained by reductions in annual chenopod and palatable perennial shrub richness under grazing activity Responses to grazing were herbivore‐dependent – introduced herbivore grazing reduced native plant richness and seeding, while native herbivore grazing had no significant effect on richness or seeding of different plant functional groups. Soil strength decreased under grazing by cattle but not camels or kangaroos. Cattle had direct effects on palatable perennial shrub richness and seeding, whereas camels had indirect effects, reducing richness and seeding by reducing the abundance of shrubs. We show that considering indirect pathways improves evaluations of the effects of disturbances on bio ersity, as focusing only on direct effects can mask critical mechanisms of change. Our results indicate substantial bio ersity benefits from excluding livestock and controlling camels in drylands. Reducing introduced herbivore impacts will improve soil and vegetation condition, ensure reproduction and seasonal persistence of species, and protect native plant ersity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 25-06-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-05-2015
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12265
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-04-2017
DOI: 10.1111/BRV.12334
Abstract: Fear of predation is a universal motivator. Because predators hunt using stealth and surprise, there is a widespread ability among prey to assess risk from chemical information - scents - in their environment. Consequently, scents often act as particularly strong modulators of memory and emotions. Recent advances in ecological research and analytical technology are leading to novel ways to use this chemical information to create effective attractants, repellents and anti-anxiolytic compounds for wildlife managers, conservation biologists and health practitioners. However, there is extensive variation in the design, results, and interpretation of studies of olfactory-based risk discrimination. To understand the highly variable literature in this area, we adopt a multi-disciplinary approach and synthesize the latest findings from neurobiology, chemical ecology, and ethology to propose a contemporary framework that accounts for such disparate factors as the time-limited stability of chemicals, highly canalized mechanisms that influence prey responses, and the context within which these scents are detected (e.g. availability of alternative resources, perceived shelter, and ambient physical parameters). This framework helps to account for the wide range of reported responses by prey to predator scents, and explains, paradoxically, how the same in idual predator scent can be interpreted as either safe or dangerous to a prey animal depending on how, when and where the cue was deposited. We provide a hypothetical ex le to illustrate the most common factors that influence how a predator scent (from dingoes, Canis dingo) may both attract and repel the same target organism (kangaroos, Macropus spp.). This framework identifies the catalysts that enable dynamic scents, odours or odorants to be used as attractants as well as deterrents. Because effective scent tools often relate to traumatic memories (fear and/or anxiety) that cause future avoidance, this information may also guide the development of appeasement, enrichment and anti-anxiolytic compounds, and help explain the observed variation in post-traumatic-related behaviours (including post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD) among erse terrestrial taxa, including humans.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/WR15083
Abstract: Context Feral cats are a major cause of mammal declines and extinctions in Australia. However, cats are elusive and obtaining reliable ecological data is challenging. Although camera traps are increasingly being used to study feral cats, their successful use in northern Australia has been limited. Aims We evaluated the efficacy of camera-trap s ling designs for detecting cats in the tropical savanna of northern Australia. We aimed to develop a camera-trapping method that would yield detection probabilities adequate for precise occupancy estimates. Methods First, we assessed the influence of two micro-habitat placements and three lure types on camera-trap detection rates of feral cats. Second, using multiple camera traps at each site, we examined the relationship between s ling effort and detection probability by using a multi-method occupancy model. Key results We found no significant difference in detection rates of feral cats using a variety of lures and micro-habitat placement. The mean probability of detecting a cat on one camera during one week of s ling was very low (p = 0.15) and had high uncertainty. However, the probability of detecting a cat on at least one of five cameras deployed concurrently on a site was 48% higher (p = 0.22) and had a greater precision. Conclusions The s ling effort required to achieve detection rates adequate to infer occupancy of feral cats by camera trap is considerably higher in northern Australia than has been observed elsewhere in Australia. Adequate detection of feral cats in the tropical savanna of northern Australia will necessitate inclusion of more camera traps and a longer survey duration. Implications S ling designs using camera traps need to be rigorously trialled and assessed to optimise detection of the target species for different Australian biomes. A standard approach is suggested for detecting feral cats in northern Australian savannas.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-10-2023
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.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/RJ15039
Abstract: Removing cattle as a management tool to conserve bio ersity may not necessarily alter grazing impacts on vegetation if other introduced or native herbivores move in and replace the cattle after removal. This study investigated whether there was a difference in the abundance of native red kangaroos (Osphranter (Macropus) rufus) and introduced feral camels (Camelus dromedarius) on arid rangelands where cattle had been recently removed compared with where cattle remained. Activity was measured by clearing and weighing dung, and by counting animal sightings. Kangaroos were encountered more frequently in high quality habitat (gidgee woodland) where cattle had been recently removed. However, kangaroo dung in newly cattle-free areas comprised only ~1.5% of the weight of cattle dung in this habitat where cattle still grazed, indicating no grazing compensation by the native herbivore. Camels showed no clear preference for particular habitat types but used dune tops usually avoided by kangaroos and cattle. There was no indication of camels using habitats differently in areas where cattle were removed. Camel dung collected across all habitats comprised less than a tenth the weight of cattle dung, but almost five times as much as kangaroo dung. As cattle removal had occurred relatively recently, further monitoring is needed to determine its impact over longer periods, especially through low and high rainfall cycles. Methods to improve the monitoring of large herbivores in the presence and absence of livestock and to assess whether anticipated conservation goals are achieved are discussed.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 26-10-2016
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 15-10-2019
DOI: 10.3390/SU11205695
Abstract: Global agreements like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Achi Bio ersity Targets (ABTs) aim to secure human well-being and to protect bio ersity, but little progress has been made in reaching these aims. The key role of bio ersity in securing human well-being is rarely considered a priority – instead short-term economic profits benefiting a few are prioritized. Particularly where local livelihoods rely on resources of protected areas for immediate survival, top-down enforced bio ersity conservation often increases social inequality, hunger and poverty and thus regularly fails. Identifying key knowledge gaps helps to adjust political priority setting and investment strategies to assess conservation threats and improve natural resource management. Since acting usually occurs at a local or regional scale, we focused on a priority conservation area in one of the world’s poorest countries — the dry deciduous forests of western Madagascar. We aimed to identify key knowledge gaps in this area which need to be filled to better protect bio ersity and simultaneously ensure well-being of the local poor. We consulted 51 predominantly Malagasy experts using questionnaires. These questionnaires listed 71 knowledge gaps we collated from the literature which the experts were asked to rank by importance. Experts were encouraged to list additional knowledge gaps. Averaging the scores of all experts, we identified the top 10 knowledge gaps. Two political knowledge gaps addressing the need to determine strategies which improve law enforcement and reduce corruption ranked highest, followed by an ecological one concerning appropriate restoration and a socio–economic one regarding economic benefits locals gain from bio ersity. The general knowledge gap perceived as most important addressed strategies for long-term funding. Only one additional knowledge gap was identified: the impact of climate change-driven human migration from southwestern to central western Madagascar on socio–economic problems and its impacts on natural resources We linked the identified top 10 knowledge gaps as well as the additional knowledge gap suggested by experts to the SDGs, ABTs and 2 °C target of the Paris Climate Agreement, and discussed why these gaps were considered a priority. This research highlights important ecological, socio–economic and political research priorities and provides guidelines for policy makers and funding organizations.
Publisher: Asociacion Mexicana de Mastozoologia
Date: 30-01-2015
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 25-11-2022
Abstract: Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil properties, and bio ersity may occur but have never been addressed simultaneously. Using a standardized survey at 98 sites across six continents, we show that interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil, and bio ersity are critical to explain the delivery of fundamental ecosystem services across drylands worldwide. Increasing grazing pressure reduced ecosystem service delivery in warmer and species-poor drylands, whereas positive effects of grazing were observed in colder and species-rich areas. Considering interactions between grazing and local abiotic and biotic factors is key for understanding the fate of dryland ecosystems under climate change and increasing human pressure.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-10-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.10.03.510679
Abstract: The challenges to which plants are exposed in urban environments represent, in miniature, the challenges plants face as a result of global environmental change. Hence, urban habitats provide a unique opportunity to assess whether processes of local adaptation are taking place despite the short temporal and geographical scales that characterize the Anthropocene. We quantified the ecological ersity of urban habitats hosting A. thaliana populations. Using plant community indicators, we show that these patches differ in their levels of soil nutrient content and disturbance. Accordingly, plants in each patch displayed a range of flowering time, size and fitness. Using a deep s ling approach coupled with reduced genome-sequencing, we demonstrate that most in iduals can be assigned to a limited set of clonal lineages the genetic ersity of these lineages is a s le of the ersity observed in western European populations of the species, indicating that established urban populations originate from a broad regional pool of lineages. We assessed the genetic and phenotypic ersity of these lineages in a set of common garden experiments. We report marked genetic differences in life-history traits, including time of primary and secondary dormancy as well as of flowering. These genetic differences in life-history traits are not randomly distributed but sorted out by ecological differences among sites of origin. Synthesis: Our study shows that the genetically erse phenology of a regional A. thaliana gene pool is not randomly distributed but filtered by heterogeneity in the urban environment. To out knowledge, this report is the first to show a pattern indicative of environmental filtering enhancing local genetic adaptation within urban environments. We conclude that environmental filtering helps maintain functional ersity within species.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2020
No related grants have been discovered for Anke Sybille Keiko Frank.