ORCID Profile
0000-0002-3228-9182
Current Organisations
Supersensory Technologies Pty Ltd
,
Specialised Zoological
,
University of Adelaide
,
South Australian Museum
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Conservation And Biodiversity | Environmental Science and Management | Environmental Management And Rehabilitation | Wildlife And Habitat Management
Integrated (ecosystem) assessment and management | Living resources (flora and fauna) | Rehabilitation of degraded mining lands |
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/ZO20030
Abstract: Fire is notably becoming more intense, frequent and widespread due to climate change. In northern Australia, inappropriate fire regimes have been implicated in mammal declines, yet nothing is known about how different aspects of fire regimes affect bats in this region. This study aimed to determine how fire intensity, associated with seasonality, affects insectivorous bats on a local scale. An experimental M BACI approach was used on five site replicates across Cape York Peninsula, where ultrasonic detectors were used to determine the activity of insectivorous bats in response to low intensity burns (LIBs) and high intensity burns (HIBs) on a local scale. Total bat activity increased due to LIBs, but showed no response to HIBs. Activity of edge-open guild bats also increased due to LIBs but decreased in response to HIBs. Activity of open guild bats was unaffected by LIBs, but exhibited a strong positive response to HIBs. Activity of closed guild bats showed no response to fire, or fire intensity. Responses were likely derived from changes in habitat structure and prey availability. Given that each bat guild responded differently to each fire intensity, this lends support to the ‘pyro ersity begets bio ersity’ concept, which is currently the basis for many fire management practices for conservation in northern Australia.
Publisher: Australian Museum
Date: 25-11-2020
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 06-10-2021
DOI: 10.1071/ZO20051
Abstract: Effective land management and bio ersity conservation policy relies on good records of native species occurrence and habitat association, but for many animal groups these data are inadequate. In the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), the most environmentally and economically important catchment in Australia, knowledge gaps exist on the occurrence and habitat associations of insectivorous bat species. We relied on the interest and effort of citizen scientists to assist with the most intensive insectivorous bat survey ever undertaken in the MDB region of South Australia. We used an existing network of Natural Resource Management groups to connect interested citizens and build on historical observations of bat species using a fleet of 30 Anabat Swift bat detectors. The survey effort more than doubled the number of bat occurrence records for the area in two years (3000 records cf. 2693 records between 1890 and 2018 freely available through the Atlas of Living Australia). We used multinomial logistic regression to look at the relationship between three types of environmental covariates: flight space, nearest open water source and vegetation type. There were no differences in species richness among the environmental covariates. The records have been, and will continue to be, used to inform government land management policy, more accurately predict the impact of development proposals on bat populations, and update conservation assessments for microbat species. A social survey tool also showed that participation in the project led to positive behaviours, and planned positive behaviours, for improving bat habitat on private land.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1071/WR99081
Abstract: Translocations play an important role in the conservation of endangered species, and successful translocations are dependent on research into their response to such manipulations. The development of Hamersley Iron’s Yandi Iron Ore Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia provided a unique opportunity to study the response of the western pebble-mound mouse, Pseudomys chapmani, to translocation. The translocation tested the effect of levels of in idual familiarity within translocation groups on translocation success. A key part of the translocation involved the use of competent burrow systems in empty mounds. Success was measured by comparing the long-term survival, reproductive activity and site fidelity between treatments. Of 101 mice translocated, 65% were recaptured at least once post-release. Both the translocated and resident non-translocated groups had experienced a significant loss of in iduals after 35 days however, estimates of rates of survival after 176 days had increased to levels equivalent to those immediately following release. Eight mice were recaptured at, or close to, their points of release 6 months post-release. Reproductive activity was recorded in 13 of the 29 (44%) translocated females recaptured post-release, which was equivalent to that observed in non-translocated mice. Familiarity within translocation groups did not appear to affect translocation success as all treatments had similar rates of survival. This study demonstrated that successful translocations of P. chapmani are possible given a competent burrow system.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 19-02-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.02.17.480839
Abstract: Over the past decades, elevational gradients have become a powerful tool with which to understand the underlying cause(s) of bio ersity. The Mt. Wilhelm elevational transect is one such ex le, having been used to study the birds, insects, and plants of Papua New Guinea (PNG). However, a survey of mammals from this forest elevational transect was lacking. We thus aimed to investigate patterns in the community structure and species richness of bats (Chiroptera) along the transect, link the species to available regional data, and explain the observed patterns by including environmental characteristics. Bat communities were surveyed between 200 m and a timberline at 3,700 m a.s.l. at eight study sites separated by 500 m in elevation. We conducted mist-netting and acoustic surveys to detect and identify species at each site. Regional data were compiled to compare local with regional ersity. Finally, biotic (i.e., food availability, habitat features) and abiotic (i.e., mean daily temperature, available land area) factors were included in our analyses to disentangle the ecological drivers underlying bat ersity. Results revealed that species richness decreases with ascending elevation and was best explained by a corresponding decrease in both area and temperature. We also observed community turnover along the transect at local and regional scales, along with the increase of species’ elevational ranges. Consequently, despite that the study was restricted to one mountain in PNG, it demonstrates how basic inventory surveys can be used to address ecological questions in other similar and undisturbed tropical mountains.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/AM15012
Abstract: Significant bio ersity offset funds have been allocated towards conservation research on threatened species as part of the environmental approvals process for resource development in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. One of these species is the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia Pilbara form), which is entirely reliant on roosting in a limited number of caves and disused mines, many of which exist in the mineral-bearing strata that are the focus of mining activity. A research agenda for the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat was developed during a workshop attended by scientists, environmental consultants and mining industry representatives. Five research priorities were identified: (1) collate existing data contained within unpublished environmental surveys (2) clarify and better characterise the number and distribution of day roosts (3) better understand habitat requirements, particularly foraging habitat, and the movement of bats between roosts (4) provide more robust estimates of total population and colony size, and improve understanding of social behaviour and (5) investigate appropriate buffers in a range of mining contexts and protocols for artificial roost construction. Meta-analysis of current data, confirmation of potential day roosts, and long-term monitoring of activity patterns would rapidly increase our knowledge of the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat to enable effective conservation actions.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2002
DOI: 10.1071/ZO02020
Abstract: The isolation of the Pilbara population of the orange leaf-nosed bat, Rhinonicteris aurantius, from the Kimberley and the Northern Territory populations by the Great Sandy Desert, and the differences in climate and landscape between these regions, prompted a study of morphological ergence. Skull, noseleaf, ear and wing characters were used in a morphometric analysis of museum specimens. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed subtle differences in the size of some snout and noseleaf measurements (condylocanine length, nasal breadth, rostral height, anterior leaf height and total noseleaf width) between the Pilbara and the northern populations, with smaller measurements in Pilbara animals. The species was otherwise morphologically conserved. Size differences may be indicative of a functional relationship with echolocation call frequency. Sexual dimorphism was identified in some skull measurements only (larger in males). Further study might confirm the subtle differences detected here in the snout and noseleaf and provide a functional basis for them. The isolation of R. aurantius in the Pilbara is part of a general pattern of allopatry, evolution and endemism in north-western Australia that resulted from the formation of the Great Sandy Desert.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-06-2020
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2006
DOI: 10.1071/AM06020
Abstract: The endemic Australian orange leaf-nosed bat Rhinonicteris aurantia has a history of nomenclature changes. This report reviews the systematic history, specific epithet and common names.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/ZO20055
Abstract: The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) is a colonial and highly vocal species that is impacted by human visitation of caves. The ability to document behaviours inside the roost by recording vocalisations could provide an important new tool for the management of this disturbance-prone species by removing the need for in-person confirmation of reproductive activity, and, in turn, identifying roosts of conservation importance. To assess whether vocalisations are indicators of daily and seasonal behavioural events, we aimed to determine whether total vocal activity significantly varied by time of day and time of year and, further, how the relative frequencies of occurrence of three common social vocalisations (‘Chirp-trill’, ‘Squabble’ and ‘Ultrasonic Social’) aligned with previously reported seasonal reproductive behaviour. We recorded sound inside the largest known maternity roost, extracted all vocal signals and classified them into types using semiautomated methods. Total vocal activity varied significantly by time of day and time of year, peaking around sunrise and sunset, and during the mating and nursing seasons. The relative frequencies of occurrence of vocalisation types varied significantly seasonally, with the Chirp-trill and Squabble produced most during the mating season and first flight periods, whereas the Ultrasonic Social peaked during parturition and weaning periods. This timing aligns with a previously suggested vocalisation function, providing further evidence that these signals are important in mating and maternity behaviours. Further, this suggests that peaks in the relative frequency of occurrence of distinct social vocalisations may act as indicators of in-roost reproductive and pup development behaviours and provides a low-disturbance, semiautomated method for using long-term acoustic recordings to study and monitor behaviour in this sensitive species.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/ZO16052
Abstract: Multiple mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences reveal substantial genetic variation within the dasyurid marsupial genus Planigale, suggesting greater taxonomic ersity than is currently recognised. To further investigate planigale relationships 116 new mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences, including 16 new specimens, were added to our database. We confirm the presence of an unrecognised species (Planigale ‘species 1’) limited to the Pilbara region of Western Australia and suggest that the ‘Mt Tom Price’ animals may be closely related to Planigale ingrami subtilissima. We also confirm that at least four distinct genetic lineages make up what is currently recognised as P. maculata. This complex of closely related taxa represents a radiation of sibling species rather than a single, genetically erse one. Three of these lineages (M1 + M2, M3 and M4) are distributed sympatrically across the Top End of Australia and one (M5 = P. maculata sensu stricto) is localised to the eastern coast of Australia. Within the Planigale ingrami complex, Planigale ‘Mt Tom Price’ (lineage Ing. 1) occurs in the Pilbara in sympatry with Planigale ‘species 1’ and lineage Ing. 2 is found in the Northern Territory in sympatry with species of the P. maculata complex. There is thus a plethora of northern Australian planigales, many of which are formally undescribed and whose geographic ranges require careful re-evaluation.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1071/WR00011
Abstract: The endemic orange leaf-nosed bat, Rhinonicteris aurantius, is a relict both in a phylogenetic and a geographic sense. Prior to this study, two colonies in disused mines and seven other records of single animals were known from the disjunct Pilbara population of Western Australia. Cave roosts were located in the region for the first time, five new roosts were found in disused mines and the species was recorded in five new localities. Cave roosts were discovered in sandstone bedding. Free-flying R. aurantius were located in a erse range of landscapes composed of banded iron formation, Cleaverville Formation geology and granite. Mines utilised as roosts were structurally complex and in some cases breached the watertable. This study revealed that while the species is widespread throughout the region, it is restricted to certain landform units, the number of suitable roosts within landform units is limited and the population appears to be sub ided within the region. Dispersal and connectivity within the population may be dependent on the availability of roosts in intervening areas, which may be a function of the availability of groundwater to subterranean formations for the control of roost microclimate. Currently, the known breeding range is one gorge at Barlee Range Nature Reserve and one mine at Bamboo Creek.
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 28-10-2016
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4179.1.7
Abstract: Recent elevation in the rank of J.E. Gray’s (1866) ‘Leaf-nosed Bats’ the Rhinonycterina to family level recognised the phylogenetic uniqueness of bats in the extant genera Cloeotis, Paratriaenops, Rhinonicteris and Triaenops, and the fossil genera Brachipposideros and Brevipalatus (Foley et al. 2015). In the systematic summary of that paper, attention was drawn to the issue of correct nomenclature because of past ambiguity around the appropriate spelling of the type genus Rhinonicteris (see also Simmons 2005 Armstrong 2006). However, no suggestion was made for the common name of the Rhinonycteridae, and that used for the Hipposideridae was simply duplicated—‘Old World Leaf-nosed Bats’. It would be helpful for this newly distinguished family to have its own appellation—to avoid unnecessary confusion in the wider literature, and to recognise its distinctiveness and evolutionary history.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 10-06-2022
DOI: 10.1071/AM21042
Abstract: The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) is Australia’s largest echolocating bat. It is restricted to several disjunct populations in the north of the continent, including a population in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. In 2016 the ghost bat was listed as Vulnerable under Australian federal legislation, owing to declining numbers across many regional populations. The most severe threat to ghost bats in the Pilbara region is the destruction and disturbance of habitat due to mining operations, but disturbance to their roosts from other infrastructure developments and changes to and loss of foraging habitat also pose significant threats. A set of research priorities for ghost bats in the Pilbara was developed during a workshop attended by mining industry representatives, environmental consultants, scientists and government regulators. Five research priorities were identified: (1) identify and characterise critical diurnal roosts and foraging habitat (2) improve knowledge of the distribution, movement and dispersal patterns of ghost bats in the region (3) improve knowledge of population size, persistence and long-term trends (4) better understand the cumulative, direct and indirect impacts of mining and other development activities and (5) better understand the threats posed by fence entanglements, cane toads and feral cats.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 17-07-2016
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 30-05-2014
Abstract: Marsupials exhibit great ersity in ecology and morphology. However, compared with their sister group, the placental mammals, our understanding of many aspects of marsupial evolution remains limited. We use 101 mitochondrial genomes and data from 26 nuclear loci to reconstruct a dated phylogeny including 97% of extant genera and 58% of modern marsupial species. This tree allows us to analyze the evolution of habitat preference and geographic distributions of marsupial species through time. We found a pattern of mesic-adapted lineages evolving to use more arid and open habitats, which is broadly consistent with regional climate and environmental change. However, contrary to the general trend, several lineages subsequently appear to have reverted from drier to more mesic habitats. Biogeographic reconstructions suggest that current views on the connectivity between Australia and New Guinea/Wallacea during the Miocene and Pliocene need to be revised. The antiquity of several endemic New Guinean clades strongly suggests a substantially older period of connection stretching back to the Middle Miocene and implies that New Guinea was colonized by multiple clades almost immediately after its principal formation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-11-2008
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/WR18012
Abstract: Abstract ContextEcotones are recognised globally as areas of high bio ersity, yet relatively little is known about how fauna use different types of ecotone. Tropical rainforest–grassland ecotones are shaped through particular fire regimes, creating both gradual and abrupt ecotones. Insectivorous bats contribute considerably to mammalian ersity, and their capacity for flight allows them to use ecotones in a three-dimensional way, making them an informative faunal group for evaluating ecotone use. AimsTo critically evaluate how insectivorous bats use gradual and abrupt ecotones between rainforest and grassland habitats. MethodsBat detectors were placed every 50m, along 200-m transects, through five gradual and five abrupt rainforest–grassland ecotones. The activity of all insectivorous bats, as well as open, edge–open and closed foraging guilds (defined by echolocation call type), was compared among grassland and rainforest habitats, gradual and abrupt ecotones and positions across the ecotones. Key resultsMean total bat activity, mean open and edge–open foraging guild activity were significantly higher in grassland positions, followed by the edge, and were lowest in the rainforest. Closed foraging guild bats showed no preference for either habitats, but had significantly higher activity in gradual compared with abrupt ecotones. Mean activity of edge–open foraging guild bats was affected strongly by the interaction between ecotone type and position along the ecotone. Gradual ecotones had a more even proportion of all three bat foraging guilds along the ecotone compared with abrupt ecotones. Most of these findings were likely driven by the structural complexity of gradual ecotones that fulfilled microhabitat requirements for all three foraging guilds, but may also have been influenced by insect prey abundance. ConclusionsThe present study demonstrated the importance of grassland patches in a tropical, rainforest landscape, and of gradual rainforest–grassland ecotones for insectivorous bats. Gradual ecotones promote complex habitat mosaics to allow closed foraging guild species to take advantage of food resources provided by grasslands, and provide all bats proximity to potential roosting and foraging sites. ImplicationsThe data clearly suggest that a suitable fire regime should be used to maintain current grassland patches within a rainforest landscape, and to promote gradual ecotones for use by insectivorous bats.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.YMPEV.2019.106605
Abstract: The origin of the mammalian order Eulipotyphla has been debated intensively with arguments around whether they began ersifying before or after the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary at 66 Ma. Here, we used an in-solution nucleotide capture method and next generation DNA sequencing to determine the sequence of hundreds of ultra-conserved elements (UCEs), and conducted phylogenomic and molecular dating analyses for the four extant eulipotyphlan lineages-Erinaceidae, Solenodontidae, Soricidae, and Talpidae. Concatenated maximum-likelihood analyses with single or partitioned models and a coalescent species-tree analysis showed that ergences among the four major eulipotyphlan lineages occurred within a short period of evolutionary time, but did not resolve the interrelationships among them. Alternative suboptimal phylogenetic hypotheses received consistently the same amount of support from different UCE loci, and were not significantly different from the maximum likelihood tree topology, suggesting the prevalence of stochastic lineage sorting. Molecular dating analyses that incorporated among-lineage evolutionary rate differences supported a scenario where the four eulipotyphlan families ersified between 57.8 and 63.2 Ma. Given short branch lengths with low support values, traces of r ant genome-wide stochastic lineage sorting, and post K-Pg ersification, we concluded that the crown eulipotyphlan lineages arose through a rapid ersification after the K-Pg boundary when novel niches were created by the mass extinction of species.
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.7882/FS.2011.026
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/AM14019
Abstract: Capture is essential for any field research on bats that requires confirmation of species, sex, maturity and reproductive status, or that involves radio-tracking or marking in iduals. However, bats can be difficult to capture. We made a preliminary test of the effectiveness of an acoustic lure that produces ultrasonic simulations of bat social calls for enhancing capture rates in harp traps. Over 102 trap-hours at seven forest sites in north-eastern Queensland, 65 bats representing seven species were captured in traps with lures, while no bats were captured in paired control traps. The results indicate great potential for the development and application of acoustic lures to increase the efficiency of field surveys and research on Australian echolocating bats that involve capture.
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2016
Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 25-02-2021
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.10857
Abstract: Sheath-tailed bats (Family Emballonuridae) from the early Pleistocene Rackham’s Roost Site cave deposit in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, north-western Queensland are the oldest recorded occurrence for the family in Australia. The fossil remains consist of maxillary and dentary fragments, as well as isolated teeth, but until now their precise identity has not been assessed. Our study indicates that at least three taxa are represented, and these are distinguished from other Australian emballonurids based on morphometric analysis of craniodental features. Most of the Rackham’s Roost Site emballonurid remains are referrable to the modern species Taphozous georgianus Thomas, 1915, but the extant species T. troughtoni Tate, 1952 also appears to be present, as well as a very large, as-yet undetermined species of Saccolaimus Temminck, 1838. We identify craniodental features that clearly distinguish T. georgianus from the externally very similar T. troughtoni . Results suggest that the distributions of T. georgianus and T. troughtoni may have overlapped in north-western Queensland since at least the early Pleistocene.
Publisher: Museum and Institute of Zoology at the Polish Academy of Sciences
Date: 04-2006
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-12-2011
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 15-09-2021
DOI: 10.1071/ZO20044
Abstract: Assessing the risk to threatened species of population decline from anthropogenic disturbances is challenging when there are issues with species identification, and little is known of their biology, distribution, population size, and habitat preference. The bare-rumped sheath-tailed bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus) is one such species that has a poorly defined distribution over two broad areas of northern Australia. Environmental impact assessments are expected to consider the possibility of its presence in intervening areas outside the known distributions. Our study presents new empirical data that can assist with detection of S. saccolaimus across the entire expanse of northern Australia, provides a critical analysis of acoustics-based identification of the species, and assessed presence within the potentially high value habitat of tall Eucalyptus tetrodonta-dominated forest on the western side of Cape York Peninsula using a combination of trapping and acoustic recordings. Capture of other Saccolaimus species was the greatest of any survey conducted to date in Australia, demonstrating that the capture of these high-flying bat species in tall forest habitats can be relatively effective with mist net arrays hoisted into the tree canopy. In addition, reference echolocation call collections from the focal trapping area plus other locations across northern Australia allowed characterisation and comparison of the calls of most low-frequency-emitting (LFE) echolocating bat species of northern Australia. In addition to separation of species-specific search phase call types using multivariate statistics, a compilation of features from search phase, approach phase and feeding buzz echolocation calls will help distinguish S. saccolaimus from most other LFE species. However, the similarity of the echolocation calls of S. mixtus and S. saccolaimus prevented them from being distinguished from one another. A multi-method approach that emulates the present study and incorporates our recommendations and cautions will lead to robustness in ecological studies and greater clarity in environmental impact assessments.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2000
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-02-2007
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-10-2022
DOI: 10.1111/BTP.13161
Abstract: Over the past decades, elevational gradients have become a powerful tool with which to understand the underlying cause(s) of bio ersity. The Mt. Wilhelm elevational transect is one such ex le, having been used to study the birds, insects, and plants of Papua New Guinea (PNG). However, a survey of mammals from this forest elevational transect was lacking. We thus aimed to investigate patterns in the community structure and species richness of bats (Chiroptera) along the transect, link the species to available regional data, and explain the observed patterns by including environmental characteristics. Bat assemblages were surveyed between 200 m and a timberline at 3700 m a.s.l. at eight study sites separated by 500 m in elevation. We conducted mist‐netting and acoustic surveys to detect and identify species at each site. Regional data were compiled to compare local with regional ersity. Finally, biotic (i.e., food availability, habitat features) and abiotic (i.e., mean daily temperature) factors were included in our analyses to disentangle the ecological drivers underlying bat ersity. Results revealed that species richness decreases with ascending elevation and was best explained by a corresponding decrease in temperature. We observed both turnover and nestedness of the species composition at regional scale whereas turnover was dominant at local scale. Extensions and shifts of bat elevational ranges were also found in Mt. Wilhelm. Consequently, despite that the study was restricted to one mountain in PNG, it demonstrates how basic inventory surveys can be used to address ecological questions in other similar and undisturbed tropical mountains.
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 19-08-2016
DOI: 10.3354/ESR00745
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2000
DOI: 10.1071/AM00069
Abstract: THE orange leaf-nosed bat, Rhinonicteris aurantius, has been poorly studied in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The range of R. aurantius is continuous across the tropical north of Australia, extending throughout the Kimberley region and the Top End of the Northern Territory. Within this distribution, the species is reported to be rare and restricted to a few sites (Churchill 1991a). This pattern of distribution is due to a reliance on caves with warm, humid roost microclimates. Jolly (1988) and Churchill et al. (1988) recorded a narrow range of preferred roost temperature and relative humidity (RH) in the Northern Territory of between 28-32�C and 90-96% respectively, although Churchill (1991a) recorded RH in roosts of R. aurantius of between 85- 100% (30.43 � 2.18 g m-3 vapour density). The species also tends to roost as far from the entrance as possible, which is often correlated with such extreme microclimate variables (Jolly 1988 Churchill 1991). The roost microclimate of R. aurantius in July 1987 in a medium-sized limestone cave near Geike Gorge (18� 06?S 125� 42?E) was recorded as 29.5�C and 28.44 g m-3 (Churchill 1991b), within the preferred range of R. aurantius.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-10-2007
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 08-02-2023
DOI: 10.1071/AM22020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.JTBI.2011.02.026
Abstract: We examined a recent notion that differences in echolocation call frequency amongst geographic groups of constant frequency (CF)-emitting bats is the result of a trade-off between maximising prey detection range at lower frequencies and enhancing small-prey resolution at higher frequencies in different atmospheric (relative humidity RH) environments. Isolated populations of the endemic Australian orange leaf-nosed bat Rhinonicteris aurantia were used as an ex le since geographic isolation in different environments has been a precursor to differences in their characteristic echolocation call frequencies (mean difference c. 6 kHz means of 114.64 and 120.99 kHz). The influence of both atmospheric temperature and RH on maximum prey detection range was explored through mathematical modelling. This revealed that temperature was of similar importance to relative humidity and that under certain circumstances, each could reduce the effect of the other on ultrasound attenuation rates. The newly developed models contain significant conceptual improvements in method compared to other recent approaches, and can be applied to the situation of any other species of bat. For a given set of atmospheric conditions, the prey detection range of R. aurantia was reduced slightly when call frequency increased by 6 kHz, but an increase in RH, temperature or both reduced detection range significantly. A similar trend was also evident in prey detection volume ratios calculated for the same conditions. Spatial volume ratios were applied to assess the impact of changed atmospheric conditions and prey size on foraging ecology. Reductions in detection range associated with increases in RH and/or temperature also varied in relation to the size (cross sectional area) of insect prey. Modelling demonstrated that small (6 kHz) movements in call frequency could not compensate for the changes in prey detection range and spatial detection volumes that result from significant changes in atmospheric temperature or RH. The notion that differences in RH are the primary cause leading to adaptive evolution and speciation in CF-emitting bats by precipitating intraspecific differences in the mean call frequency of geographically isolated bat populations was not supported by the results of this case study.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2000
DOI: 10.1071/AM00093
Abstract: This paper summarises the roost habitat and distribution of the ghost bat, Macroderma gigas (Dobson, 1880), in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with particular emphasis on natural habitats. The preferred habitat of M. gigas in the Hamersley Ranges appears to be caves beneath bluffs of low rounded hills composed of Marra Mamba geology. Habitats were also found in the larger hills of Brockman Iron Formation in the Hamersley Range, and other formations beneath bluffs composed of Gorge Creek Group geology to the north east. Granite rockpiles are also used in the eastern Pilbara. A summary of Pilbara records from numerous sources is presented, including anecdotal accounts and other new records. This includes a newly discovered maternity site from the Hamersley Ranges, only the third reported from natural cave formations in the region. Threats to M. gigas in the region are highlighted and include disturbances associated with mining and entanglement in barbed wire fences.
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 11-01-2023
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.5228.1.1
Abstract: In south-eastern Australia, the pelodryadid Litoria aurea Group (sensu Tyler & Davies 1978) comprises three species: Litoria aurea (Lesson, 1829), Litoria raniformis (Keferstein, 1867), and Litoria castanea (Steindachner, 1867). All three species have been subject to declines over recent decades and taxonomic uncertainty persists among populations on the tablelands in New South Wales. We address the systematics of the Group by analysing mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences to assess ergence in the Litoria raniformis from across its current range in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, South Australia (SA) and Tasmania. We also included s les of Litoria castanea from a recently rediscovered population in the southern tablelands of NSW. Our phylogenetic and population genetic analyses show that Litoria raniformis comprises northern and southern lineages, showing deep mitochondrial DNA sequence ergence (7% net average sequence ergence) and can be diagnosed by fixed allelic differences at more than 4,000 SNP loci. S les of the northern lineage were collected from the Murray-Darling Basin while those of the southern lineage were collected from south-eastern South Australia, southern and south-eastern Victoria and Tasmania. Analysis of the morphology and bioacoustics did not unequivocally delineate the two lineages. The presence of a hybrid backcross in idual in western Victoria at the northern margin of the southern lineage, leads us to assign sub-species status to the two lineages, L. r. raniformis for the northern lineage and L. r. major for the southern lineage. Our data do not unequivocally resolve the taxonomic status of L. castanea which will require molecular genetic analyses of museum vouchers from those parts of the range where L. castanea and L. raniformis are no longer extant. Our data also suggest that human mediated movement of frogs may have occurred over the past 50 years. Our genotyping of vouchers collected in the 1970s from the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia detected mitochondrial haplotypes of both sub-species and SNP analysis showed that a single Tasmanian specimen was a backcross with L. r. raniformis ancestry. Movement of L. r. raniformis into Tasmania and both sub-species into the Mount Lofty Ranges are not likely due to passive movements of animals through agricultural commerce, but due to the attractiveness of the species as pets and subsequent escapes or releases, potentially of the larval life stage.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-10-2020
DOI: 10.1111/AJE.12783
Abstract: Bats have important ecological roles in ecosystems, but many species are threatened because of anthropogenic impacts. Tanzania has limited information on how bats respond to habitat modification. This makes it difficult to anticipate which bat species are at risk. Bat activity and species richness were assessed in five land‐use types: forest and banana–coffee (upland habitats), rice paddy, riverine and sisal estate (lowland habitats). Mist nets, harp traps and bat detectors were used to s le bats. Species richness differed between habitats. Bat activity levels were higher in lowland habitats than upland habitats. Riverine and rice paddy habitats were shown to have an important role as foraging sites for many insectivorous bats as bat species richness and activity were generally higher than other habitats. Fruit‐eating bats preferred riverine and banana–coffee habitats. We recommend using organic manure as alternatives to chemical fertilisers, and pesticide use should be avoided in rice paddies. Riparian vegetation along rivers and water bodies should be maintained as important faunal nesting, roosting and/or foraging grounds. The requirement that farming practices be at least 60 m from the river should be strictly enforced. These recommendations will help in the conservation of bats and their habitats in modified agricultural landscapes.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-2009
Abstract: Feathers are known to contain lifiable DNA at their base (calamus) and have provided an important genetic source from museum specimens. However, feathers in subfossil deposits generally only preserve the upper shaft and feather ‘vane’ which are thought to be unsuitable for DNA analysis. We analyse subfossil moa feathers from Holocene New Zealand rockshelter sites and demonstrate that both ancient DNA and plumage information can be recovered from their upper portion, allowing species identification and a means to reconstruct the appearance of extinct taxa. These ancient DNA sequences indicate that the distal portions of feathers are an untapped resource for studies of museum, palaeontological and modern specimens. We investigate the potential to reconstruct the plumage of pre-historically extinct avian taxa using subfossil remains, rather than assuming morphological uniformity with closely related extant taxa. To test the notion of colour persistence in subfossil feathers, we perform digital comparisons of feathers of the red-crowned parakeet ( Cyanor hus novaezelandiae novaezelandiae ) excavated from the same horizons as the moa feathers, with modern s les. The results suggest that the coloration of the moa feathers is authentic, and computer software is used to perform plumage reconstructions of moa based on subfossil remains.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-11-2014
Start Date: 2011
End Date: 2014
Funder: Australian Biological Resources Study
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2004
End Date: 2006
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2008
End Date: 07-2013
Amount: $557,267.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity