ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6109-6048
Current Organisations
Capital University of Science and Technology
,
Quaid-i-Azam University
,
National University of Modern Languages
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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.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 28-10-2021
DOI: 10.1071/ZO20085
Abstract: Determining the diet of flying-foxes can increase understanding of how they function as pollinators and seed dispersers, as well as managing any negative impacts of large roosts. Traditional methods for diet analysis are time consuming, and not feasible to conduct for hundreds of animals. In this study, we optimised a method for diet analysis, based on DNA metabarcoding of environmental DNA (eDNA) from pollen and other plant parts in the faeces. We found that existing eDNA metabarcoding protocols are suitable, with the most useful results being obtained using a commercial food DNA extraction kit, and sequencing 350–450 base pairs of a DNA barcode from the internally transcribed spacer region (ITS2), with ~550 base pairs of the chloroplast rubisco large subunit (rbcL) as a secondary DNA barcode. A list of forage plants was generated for the little red flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus), the black flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) and the spectacled flying-fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) from our collection sites across Queensland. The diets were determined to comprise predominantly Myrtaceae species, particularly those in the genera Eucalyptus, Melaleuca and Corymbia. With more plant genomes becoming publicly available in the future, there are likely to be further applications of eDNA methods in understanding the role of flying-foxes as pollinators and seed dispersers.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-04-2017
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12585
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 12-11-2021
DOI: 10.1071/ZO20079
Abstract: Urban flying-fox c s are a major source of human–wildlife conflict, producing noise, odour, vegetation damage, property damage, and concerns about disease. Although there is a significant demand in many communities for bat c s to be dispersed, there is limited information on how such dispersal can be conducted effectively. Determining the habitat characteristics flying-foxes use when selecting a c site is key to understanding why they establish c s where they do and to where they might move if dispersed. We characterised little red flying-fox (LRFF) c habitat at two spatial scales: floristics and vegetation structure at the local scale, and climatic and landscape characteristics at the broad scale. We found weak associations with local-scale tree and shrub height and cover, and stronger associations with increased Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (a measure of ‘greenness’) and decreased distance to nearest watercourse. These relationships were not strong enough to explain all variation in the model, suggesting that there are other factors, such as social cues, that could also influence c site selection. Our results suggest that minor modifications to existing or proposed c sites will be unlikely to repel or attract LRFFs, as other factors are likely to play key roles in the formation of c sites for this species.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-01-2022
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.13143
Abstract: The little red flying‐fox ( Pteropus scapulatus, Pteropodidae) is the most widely distributed of the four Australian mainland flying‐fox ( Pteropus ) species. They move very large distances following foraging resources and congregate in large numbers which often causes human‐animal conflict. To better understand the resources that drive these movements and aggregations, we investigated the diet of the little red flying‐fox using data from five sources: (i) faecal eDNA metabarcoding of field s led little red flying‐foxes (ii) identification of foraging locations through satellite tracking (iii) a literature search (iv) a search of online databases and (v) an expert survey. Our sources revealed a specialist nectarivore diet containing 204 species, dominated by floral products from the plant family Myrtaceae. We consider a small number of widely occurring and structurally dominant Myrtaceae, particularly from the genera Corymbia , Eucalyptus and Melaleuca , as major diet species that regularly drive mass aggregations. In addition, we consider a moderate number of species dominated by the Myrtaceae as important diet species and a large number of species from erse taxa as supplementary diet species. Fruit represents approximately 5% of the diet suggesting that the little red flying‐fox is unlikely to be a major pest of horticultural crops or disperser of weeds. The combination of long‐distance movement and a wide range of diet species results in a long‐distance pollination service to many plant species which likely promotes genetic mixing between isolated populations of plants. Our understanding of the little red flying‐fox diet allows us to better predict mass migrations and aggregations at a continental scale and allows us to clearly identify key foraging habitat so that informed management decisions can be made.
Location: Australia
No related grants have been discovered for Stewart Macdonald.