ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0989-9203
Current Organisation
Australian National University
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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.
Wildlife and Habitat Management | Environmental Science and Management | Conservation and Biodiversity | Ecosystem Function | Invasive Species Ecology | Landscape Ecology
Rehabilitation of Degraded Forest and Woodlands Environments | Forest and Woodlands Land Management | Forest and Woodlands Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Remnant Vegetation and Protected Conservation Areas in Forest and Woodlands Environments | Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Forest and Woodlands Environments | Forest and Woodlands Soils | Forest and Woodlands Water Management | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales |
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2007
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2007.08.016
Abstract: Despite increasing efforts to reach sustainability, key global biophysical indicators such as climate change and bio ersity loss continue to deteriorate rather than improve. Ongoing failure to move towards sustainability calls into question the focus of current research and policy. We recommend two strategies for progress. First, sustainability must be conceptualized as a hierarchy of considerations, with the biophysical limits of the Earth setting the ultimate boundaries within which social and economic goals must be achieved. Second, transdisciplinary research programs must confront key normative questions facing modern consumer societies. The humanities should have a key role in such programs. Assisted by these strategies, ambitious targets that realistically reflect the biophysical limits of the life-support system of the Earth must be set and relentlessly worked towards.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-06-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2014
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1071/BT14246
Abstract: We report on the effects of broad-scale restoration treatments on the ground layer of eucalypt grassy woodland in south-eastern Australia. The experiment was conducted in two conservation reserves from which livestock grazing had previously been removed. Changes in biomass, species ersity, ground-cover attributes and life-form were analysed over a 4-year period in relation to the following experimental interventions: (1) reduced kangaroo density, (2) addition of coarse woody debris and (3) fire (a single burn). Reducing kangaroo density doubled total biomass in one reserve, but no effects on exotic biomass, species counts or ground cover attributes were observed. Coarse woody debris also promoted biomass, particularly exotic annual forbs, as well as plant ersity in one of the reserves. The single burn reduced biomass, but changed little else. Overall, we found the main driver of change to be the favourable growth seasons that had followed a period of drought. This resulted in biomass increasing by 67%, (mostly owing to the growth of perennial native grasses), whereas overall native species counts increased by 18%, and exotic species declined by 20% over the 4-year observation period. Strategic management of grazing pressure, use of fire where biomass has accumulated and placement of coarse woody debris in areas of persistent erosion will contribute to improvements in soil and vegetation condition, and gains in bio ersity, in the future.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-01-2023
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.06528
Abstract: Translocations are an important conservation tool that enable the restoration of species and their ecological functions. They are particularly important during the current environmental crisis. We used a combination of text‐analysis tools to track the history and evolution of the peer‐reviewed scientific literature on animal translocation science. We compared this corpus with research showcased in the IUCNs Global Conservation Translocation Perspectives, a curated collection of non‐peer‐reviewed reintroduction case studies. We show that the peer‐reviewed literature, in its infancy, was dominated by charismatic species. It then grew in two classical threads: management of the species of concern and management of the environment of the species. The peer‐reviewed literature exhibits a bias towards large charismatic mammals, and while these data are invaluable, expansion to under‐represented groups such as insects and reptiles will be critical to combating bio ersity loss across taxonomic groups. These biases were similar in the Translocation Perspectives, but with some subtle differences. To ensure translocation science can address global issues, we need to overcome barriers that restrict this research to a limited number of countries.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-11-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S10531-022-02495-6
Abstract: In response to the ongoing decline of fauna worldwide, there has been growing interest in the rewilding of whole ecosystems outside of fenced sanctuaries or offshore islands. This interest will inevitably result in attempts to restore species where eliminating threats from predators and competitors is extremely challenging or impossible, or reintroductions of predators that will increase predation risk for extant prey (i.e., coexistence conservation). We propose ‘Mini Safe Havens’ (MSHs) as a potential tool for managing these threats. Mini Safe Havens are refuges that are permanently permeable to the focal species allowing the emigration of in iduals while maintaining gene flow through the boundary. Crucial to the effectiveness of the approach is the ongoing maintenance and monitoring required to preserve a low-to-zero risk of key threats within the MSH facilitating in-situ learning and adaptation by focal species to these threats, at a rate and intensity of exposure determined by the animals themselves. We trialled the MSH approach for a pilot reintroduction of the Australian native New Holland mouse ( Pseudomys novaehollandiae ), in the context of a trophic rewilding project to address potential naïveté to a reintroduced native mammalian predator. We found that mice released into a MSH maintained their weight and continued to use the release site beyond 17 months (525 days) post-release. In contrast, in iduals in temporary soft-release enclosures tended to lose weight and became undetectable approximately 1-month post-release. We discuss the broad applicability of MSHs for population recovery and reintroductions ‘beyond-the-fence’ and recommend avenues for further refinement of the approach.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-01-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ACV.12764
Abstract: Incorporating genetic data into conservation programmes improves management outcomes, but the impact of different s le grouping methods on genetic ersity analyses is poorly understood. To this end, the multi‐source reintroduction of the eastern bettong Bettongia gaimardi was used as a long‐term case study to investigate how s ling regimes may affect common genetic metrics and hence management decisions. The dataset comprised 5307 SNPs sequenced across 263 in iduals. S les included 45 founders from five genetically distinct Tasmanian source regions, and 218 of their descendants captured during annual monitoring at Mulligan’s Flat Woodland Sanctuary (121 s les across eight generations) and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve (97 s les across nine generations). The most management‐informative s ling regime was found to be generational cohorts, providing detailed long‐term trends in genetic ersity. When these generation‐specific trends were not investigated, recent changes in population genetics were masked, and it became apparent that management recommendations would be less appropriate. The results also illuminated the importance of considering establishment and persistence as separate phases of a multi‐source reintroduction. The establishment phase (useful for informing early adaptive management) should consist of no less than two generations and continue until admixture is achieved (admixture defined here as % of in iduals possessing % of source genotypes, with no one source composing % of % in iduals’ genotype) is achieved. This ensures that the persistence phase analyses of population trends remain minimally biased. Based on this case study, we recommend that emphasis be given to the value of generationally specific analyses, and that conservation programmes collect DNA s les throughout the establishment and persistence phases and avoid collecting genetic s les only when the analysis is imminent. We also recommend that population genetic analyses for multi‐source reintroductions consider whether admixture has been achieved when calculating descriptive genetic metrics.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-12-2013
DOI: 10.1111/ACV.12006
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2002
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-11-2013
DOI: 10.1007/S10493-013-9758-7
Abstract: Carrion is an ephemeral and nutrient-rich resource that attracts a erse array of arthropods as it decomposes. Carrion-associated mites often disperse between animal carcasses using phoresy, the transport of one species by another. Yet few studies have contrasted the dynamics of mite assemblages with other insect taxa present at carrion. We examined and compared the changes in abundance, species richness and composition of mite and beetle assemblages s led at kangaroo carcasses in a grassy eucalypt woodland at four different times over a 6-month period. We found that the majority of mites were phoretic, with the mesostigmatid genera Uroseius (Uropodidae), Macrocheles (Macrochelidae) and Parasitus (Parasitidae) the most abundant taxa (excluding astigmatid mites). Abundance and richness patterns of mites and beetles were very different, with mites reaching peak abundance and richness at weeks 6 and 12, and beetles at weeks 1 and 6. Both mites and beetles showed clear successional patterns via changes in species presence and relative abundance. Our study shows that mesostigmatid mite assemblages have a delay in peak abundance and richness relative to beetle assemblages. This suggests that differences in dispersal and reproductive traits of arthropods may contribute to the contrasting ersity dynamics of carrion arthropod communities, and further highlights the role of carrion as a driver of ersity and heterogeneity in ecosystems.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 18-01-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-07-2017
DOI: 10.1111/JZO.12494
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 05-12-2012
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 11-01-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2004
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.447
Abstract: Predation of threatened fauna by native and introduced predators can drive extinction and prevent population recovery. Most predator management involves exclusion or culling. Evidence suggests that exclusion may have detrimental effects on a prey species' predator awareness. At the same time, culling can cause selection of control‐resistant predators. There is increasing interest in harnessing evolutionary processes to drive adaptation of threatened fauna to cope, but there is limited attention on trying this from the predator direction. We need to shift the survival advantage away from predators that avoid lethal control, and go on to kill, towards those that demonstrate behaviors that reduce impact on threatened fauna. Instead of driving undesirable predator selection, could we select through management actions desirable traits to make them “less lethal” to threatened fauna? We draw on experimental research on predator aversion that suggests there may be an alternative way to mitigate the impacts of predators, while maintaining the learning opportunities of prey species. Using the case study of the invasive red fox in Australia, we propose a conceptual framework within which future research and management could occur to select for these desirable traits in predators and develop practical regimes for predator impact mitigation.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-06-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2011
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-06-2012
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2015
Abstract: Carbon dioxide off-setting policy in the agricultural sector is focused on manipulating the terrestrial carbon cycle by reafforestation and increasing the retention of carbon within agricultural soils. We quantified the amount of carbon stored in the living and dead biomass and the surface soils of a previously grazed woodland ecosystem. We demonstrate that modification of coarse woody debris management could potentially store 8 to 15 t C ha. This large carbon pool raises the prospect that appropriate management of temperate woodlands to retain coarse woody debris and increase its volume into the future could achieve increased landscape carbon storage.
Publisher: Wildlife Disease Association
Date: 04-2014
DOI: 10.7589/2013-08-202
Abstract: Sixty (19 male, 41 female) free-ranging adult eastern bettongs (Bettongia gaimardi) were captured in Tasmania and translocated to the Australian Capital Territory between July 2011 and September 2012 for reintroduction into fenced, predator-proof reserves. The bettongs were anesthetized for physical examination and screened for selected diseases during translocation. Reference ranges for hematologic and biochemical parameters were determined. Two bettongs had detectable antibodies to the alphaherpesviruses macropodid herpesvirus 1 and macropodid herpesvirus 2 by serum neutralization assay. A novel gammaherpesvirus was detected, via PCR, from pooled swabs collected from the nasal, conjunctival, and urogenital tract mucosa of four other bettongs. Sera from 59 bettongs were negative for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii as assessed by both the modified agglutination test and the direct agglutination test (n = 53) or by the modified agglutination test only (n = 6). Rectal swabs from 14 bettongs were submitted for bacterial culture and all were negative for Salmonella serovars. Ectoparasites identified on the bettongs included fleas (Pygiopsylla zethi, Stephanocircus harrisoni), a louse (Paraheterodoxous sp.), mites (Guntheria cf. pertinax, Haemolaelaps hatteni, a suspected protonymph of Thadeua sp., Cytostethum tasmaniense, Cytostethum intermedium, Cytostethum thetis, Cytostethum wallabia), and ticks (Ixodes cornuatus, Ixodes trichosuri, Ixodes tasmani). An intraerythrocytic organism morphologically consistent with a Theileria species was identified in blood smears from four bettongs. These data provide baseline health and disease information for free-ranging eastern bettongs that can be used for the conservation management of both the source and translocated populations.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2007
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2016
DOI: 10.1002/ECS2.1537
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2009
DOI: 10.1890/09.WB.012
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-12-2013
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12031
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-12-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12293
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-10-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-02-2012
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-09-2008
DOI: 10.1111/J.1523-1739.2008.00997.X
Abstract: Mature trees scattered throughout agricultural landscapes are critical habitat for some biota and provide a range of ecosystem services. These trees are declining in intensively managed agricultural landscapes globally. We developed a simulation model to predict the rates at which these trees are declining, identified the key variables that can be manipulated to mitigate this decline, and compared alternative management proposals. We used the initial numbers of trees in the stand, the predicted ages of these trees, their rate of growth, the number of recruits established, the frequency of recruitment, and the rate of tree mortality to simulate the dynamics of scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. We applied this simulation model to case studies from Spain, United States, Australia, and Costa Rica. We predicted that mature trees would be lost from these landscapes in 90-180 years under current management. Existing management recommendations for these landscapes--which focus on increasing recruitment--would not reverse this trend. The loss of scattered mature trees was most sensitive to tree mortality, stand age, number of recruits, and frequency of recruitment. We predicted that perpetuating mature trees in agricultural landscapes at or above existing densities requires a strategy that keeps mortality among established trees below around 0.5% per year, recruits new trees at a rate that is higher than the number of existing trees, and recruits new trees at a frequency in years equivalent to around 15% of the maximum life expectancy of trees. Numbers of mature trees in landscapes represented by the case studies will decline before they increase, even if strategies of this type are implemented immediately. This decline will be greater if a management response is delayed.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2009
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2009
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2007
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2008
DOI: 10.1890/07-0945.1
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2009
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-10-2008
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-08-2014
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1071/WR12036
Abstract: Context Understanding the ecological impacts of the palm-oil industry on native fauna requires information on anthropogenic threats that may cause species decline or local extinction. Aim The main aim of the study was to assess wildlife deaths caused by illegal hunting, road accidents and introduced predators in established oil-palm landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods Between April and October 2009, we interviewed 362 oil-palm workers at 36 sites, including large industrial estates and semi-traditional smallholdings. Key results Our results showed that (1) illegal hunting by oil-palm workers in different oil-palm management systems was not statistically significant (P = 0.097), (2) native fauna were more often destroyed as pests in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.005), (3) non-local poachers conducted illegal activity more often in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.011), (4) road accidents were reported to kill more native fauna in conventional plantation estates than in smallholdings and eco-friendly plantation estates (P 0.001) and (5) feral dogs were reported as killing more native fauna in eco-friendly plantation estates than in conventional plantation estates and smallholdings (P = 0.034). Conclusion In addition to the conversion of native forest to oil-palm monocultures, various other anthropogenic threats can have a substantial effect on wildlife in oil-palm landscapes. Implications To improve the conservation value of oil-palm landscapes, we recommend that palm-oil stakeholders should implement anti-poaching patrols, organise conservation programs to educate workers, reduce vehicle speeds on roads within oil-palm landscapes, and control local populations of feral dogs.
Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 27-05-2019
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.6622
Abstract: The eastern bettong ( Bettongia gaimardi ), a medium-sized digging marsupial, was reintroduced to a predator-free reserve after 100 years of absence from the Australian mainland. The bettong may have the potential to restore temperate woodlands degraded by a history of livestock grazing, by creating numerous small disturbances by digging. We investigated the digging capacity of the bettong and compared this to extant fauna, to answer the first key question of whether this species could be considered an ecosystem engineer, and ultimately if it has the capacity to restore lost ecological processes. We found that eastern bettongs were frequent diggers and, at a density of 0.3–0.4 animals ha −1 , accounted for over half the total foraging pits observed (55%), with echidnas ( Tachyglossus aculeatus ), birds and feral rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) accounting for the rest. We estimated that the population of bettongs present dug 985 kg of soil per ha per year in our study area. Bettongs dug more where available phosphorus was higher, where there was greater basal area of Acacia spp. and where kangaroo grazing was less. There was no effect on digging of eucalypt stem density or volume of logs on the ground. While bettong digging activity was more frequent under trees, digging also occurred in open grassland, and bettongs were the only species observed to dig in scalds (areas where topsoil has eroded to the B Horizon). These results highlight the potential for bettongs to enhance soil processes in a way not demonstrated by the existing fauna (native birds and echidna), and introduced rabbit.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-06-2023
Abstract: Captive breeding is often used to produce in iduals for reintroduction programs in order to reestablish a species in an area where it has become locally extinct. To maximize the likelihood of establishing a self-sustaining population in the wild, an analysis of data from captive breeding programs is commonly undertaken to (1) increase the quantity of in iduals and rate at which they can be released, and (2) maintain or improve the genetic and phenotypic quality of in iduals. Here we demonstrate how the knowledge gained from these analyses can also be applied to decision-making during the design of subsequent reintroductions to further advance a reintroduction program toward success. We conducted an analysis of data from a captive breeding program for the threatened pookila (Pseudomys novaehollandiae, New Holland mouse) spanning 6 years. We found evidence for relationships between the reproductive output of pookila and behavioral, demographic, experiential, health, and physiological predictors. Based on a biological interpretation of these results, and with reference to a checklist of all known translocation tactics, we recommend 11 specific design elements to maximize the probability of pookila reproduction postrelease (thereby improving the likelihood of reintroduction success). These recommendations should be interpreted as hypotheses to be evaluated and refined in future reintroduction trials for the pookila. The uncertainty around the postrelease survival and reproduction of a species that is common in reintroduction practice warrants the creative use of existing data to inform adaptive management. Indeed, there is a wealth information in well-kept captive breeding records that is currently underused by reintroduction practitioners. The direct integration of knowledge derived from captive breeding (where available) with decision-making for reintroductions, as described here, will help navigate these uncertainties, which would benefit the conservation of both understudied and well-known species around the world.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 18-03-2021
DOI: 10.3390/SU13063347
Abstract: The vision of rewilding is to return ecosystems to a “natural” or “self-willed” state with trophic complexity, dispersal (and connectivity) and stochastic disturbance in place. The concept is gaining traction, particularly in Europe where significant land abandonment has taken place in recent years. However, in reality, the purest form of rewilding (Rewilding Max) is constrained by a number of context-specific factors whereby it may not be possible to restore the native species that form part of the trophic structure of the ecosystem if they are extinct (for ex le, mammoths, Mammuthus spp., aurochs, Bos taurus primigenius). In addition, populations/communities of native herbivores redators may not be able to survive or be acceptable to the public in small scale rewilding projects close to areas of high human density or agricultural land. Therefore, the restoration of natural trophic complexity and disturbance regimes within rewilding projects requires careful consideration if the broader conservation needs of society are to be met. Here we highlight the importance of herbivory as a key factor in rewilding. We argue that the use of the suite of livestock species, and in particular traditional breeds, offers the opportunity, under both land sharing/sparing strategies, to reinstate a more “natural” form of herbivory but still retain the option for management interventions (Rewilding Lite). It will even be possible to gain economic returns (ecotourism, sale of livestock products) from these systems, which will make them more acceptable to state and private landowners. We develop our case based on the advantages of using landraces versus de-domestication strategies, and on the implementation of eco-shepherding herbivory as a restoration tool in fine mosaics of agriculture/natural patches. If this approach is adopted, then larger areas can be given over to conservation, because of the potential broader benefits to society from these spaces and the engagement of farmers in practices that are closer to their traditions.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 26-11-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2015
DOI: 10.1111/REC.12303
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-11-2019
DOI: 10.1111/ACV.12550
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-09-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-07-2017
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12506
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2005
DOI: 10.1071/MU04057
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.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-07-2023
DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.12984
Abstract: Predation by invasive mammalian species is one of the key drivers of native species' population declines and extinctions. Current management of invasive species focuses on their removal from the landscape. However, total removal can be difficult, costly and even impossible. If eradication is not achieved, reductions in predator numbers are often temporary. New tactics are needed to target predators in situ, to reduce their negative impacts. We test the efficacy of conditioned taste aversion (CTA), a tactic that could reduce the impact of predation on target prey species. By associating nausea with a specific food source, it may be possible to condition an aversion to a target bait, and ultimately to live animals in the wild. To assess if wild invasive red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) can be conditioned to avoid a specific food source, we used baits (fried deboned chicken) containing encapsulated levamisole, an anthelmintic agent known to induce nausea leading to emesis and/or diarrhea at high dosages with no long‐term side effects. We buried baits at 30 stations across an open landscape. After treatment, reductions in control baits taken (at least 30%) were observed for 68 days, indicating the use of CTA had successfully reduced bait consumption by red foxes in a wild context. To our knowledge, this study represents the first successful test of CTA to a meat bait in a wild red fox population. Our results suggest that CTA shows promise as a tool to reduce the predation of vulnerable animals providing an alternative tactic to manage the impacts of invasive mammalian predators where eradication is currently impossible.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-06-2022
DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.12742
Abstract: Invasive predators are responsible for declines in many animal species across the globe. To redress these declines, conservationists have undertaken substantial work to remove invasive predators or mitigate their effects. Yet, the challenges associated with removal of invasive predators mean that most successful conservation programs have been restricted to small islands, enclosures (“safe havens”), or refuge habitats where threatened species can persist. While these approaches have been, and will continue to be, crucial for the survival of many species, in some contexts they may eventually lock in a baseline where native species vulnerable to invasive predators are accepted as permanently absent from the wild (shifting baseline syndrome). We propose an explicit theme in conservation biology termed “ coexistence conservation , ” that is distinguished by its pursuit of innovative solutions that drive or enable adaptive evolution of threatened species and invasive predators to occur over the long term. We argue evolution has a large role to play but using it to adapt native species to a new environmental order requires a shift in mindset from small, isolated, and short‐term leaps to deliberate, staged steps within a long‐term strategy. A key principle of coexistence conservation is that predation is treated as the threat, rather than the predator , driving a focus on the outcome rather than the agent. Without a long‐term strategy, we face the permanent loss of many species in the wild. Coexistence conservation is a complementary approach to current practice and will play an important role in shifting our current trajectory from continued and rapid invasive predator‐driven defaunation to a world where invasive predators and native prey can coexist.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-09-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12120
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2006
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-06-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.516
Abstract: Invasive mammalian predators have had a devastating effect on native species globally. The European red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) is one such species where it has been introduced in Australia. A novel but unexplored tactic to reduce the impact of mammalian predators is the use of unrewarded prey odors to undermine the effectiveness of olfactory hunting behavior. To test the viability of unrewarded prey odors in an applied setting we investigated how foxes responded to the odors of three different prey species. We used the odors of two locally extinct native Australian marsupials the eastern quoll (a smaller carnivore) and eastern bettong (a fungivore), and the European rabbit, an introduced herbivore. Conducting our research over a period of 3 weeks in a pastoral environment in South‐eastern Australia, we used video observations of foxes' behaviors, as they encountered the different odors. We found a reduction in the number of fox visits to bettong odors in the third week. In contrast, we observed a sustained number of visits to rabbit odors. Foxes also spent more time investigating rabbit odors and displayed longer durations of vigilance behavior at quoll odors. Our results support the hypothesis that the exposure of wild foxes to unrewarded odors of novel prey species can reduce their interest in these odors, which might translate to a reduction in predation pressure. Our results also suggest, however, that olfactory pre‐exposure may not be as effective at reducing fox interest in a competitor species' odor.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2006
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2011.016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2008
DOI: 10.1890/070019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-01-2013
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12017
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 11-12-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2014
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-06-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-03-2013
DOI: 10.1111/IBI.12025
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12611
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 05-03-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-04-2011
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 04-05-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-03-2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 28-03-2016
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605315001283
Abstract: The eastern bettong Bettongia gaimardi , a potoroid marsupial, has been extinct on the Australian mainland since the 1920s. Sixty adult bettongs were reintroduced from the island of Tasmania to two predator-free fenced reserves on mainland Australia. We examined baseline health parameters (body weight, haematology and biochemistry, parasites and infectious disease exposure) in a subset of 30 (13 male, 17 female) in iduals at translocation and again at 12–24 months post-reintroduction. The mean body weight increased significantly post-reintroduction but there were no significant differences in body weight between the two reintroduction sites or between the sexes in response to reintroduction. Differences were evident in multiple haematological and biochemical variables post-reintroduction but there were few differences between the two reintroduced populations or between the sexes in response to reintroduction. Ectoparasite assemblages differed, with five of 13 species failing to persist, and an additional four species were identified post-reintroduction. None of the bettongs had detectable antibodies to the alphaherpesviruses Macropodid herpesvirus 1 and 2 post-reintroduction, including one in idual that was seropositive at translocation. Similarly, the novel gammaherpesvirus potoroid herpesvirus 1 was not detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in any of the bettongs post-reintroduction, including one in idual that was PCR-positive at translocation. None of the bettongs had detectable antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii either at translocation or post-reintroduction. Our data demonstrate changing baseline health parameters in eastern bettongs following reintroduction to the Australian mainland are suggestive of improved health in the reintroduced populations, and provide additional metrics for assessing the response of macropodoids to reintroduction.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 18-06-2014
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-11-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-03-2017
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12488
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.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-2006
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-01-2023
DOI: 10.1111/ACV.12855
Abstract: Reproductive skew occurs when a few in iduals monopolize breeding output, which can act as a mechanism of natural selection. However, when population sizes become small, reproductive skew can depress effective population size and worsen inbreeding. Identifying the cause of reproductive skew is important for mitigating its effect on conservation of small populations. We hypothesized that superb parrots Polytelis swainsonii , which strongly select for the morphology of tree cavity nests, may be reproductively skewed toward pairs that monopolize access to nests. We use SNP genotyping to reconstruct a pedigree, estimate molecular relatedness and genetic ersity of wild superb parrot in the Australian Capital Territory. We successfully genotyped 181 nestlings (a census between 2015–2019) and showed they were the progeny of 34 monogamous breeding pairs. There was a strong reproductive skew – 21 pairs bred only once producing 40% of the nestlings, whereas 13 pairs bred two to four times, producing 60% of the total nestlings. Five of these repeat‐breeders produced 28% of all nestlings, which was nearly triple the productivity of one‐time breeders. Repeat breeders usually monopolized access to their nest cavities, but the few pairs that switched nests did not differ in fecundity from those that stayed. The cause of nest switching was unknown, but uninterrupted access to a suitable nest (not minor variations in morphology between nests) better predicted fitness of breeding superb parrots. Pedigrees offer powerful insights into demographic processes, and identifying reproductive skew early provides opportunities to proactively avoid irreversible loss of genetic ersity via conservation management. We identify new research questions based on our results to clarify the relationship between access to resources and breeding success.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2009
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 17-01-2011
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-07-2017
DOI: 10.1111/AVSC.12321
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-07-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2004
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2012
DOI: 10.1071/MU11048
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2015
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12180
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-07-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2009
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-10-2017
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12658
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 18-03-2021
DOI: 10.3389/FSUFS.2021.550410
Abstract: Human influence extends across the globe, from the tallest mountains to the deep bottom of the oceans. There is a growing call for nature to be protected from the negative impacts of human activity (particularly intensive agriculture) so-called “land sparing”. A relatively new approach is “rewilding”, defined as the restoration of self-sustaining and complex ecosystems, with interlinked ecological processes that promote and support one another while minimising or gradually reducing human intervention. The key theoretical basis of rewilding is to return ecosystems to a “natural” or “self-willed” state with trophic complexity, dispersal (and connectivity) and stochastic disturbance in place. However, this is constrained by context-specific factors whereby it may not be possible to restore the native species that formed part of the trophic structure of the ecosystem if they are extinct (e.g., mammoths, Mammuthus spp., aurochs, Bos primigenius ) and, populations/communities of native herbivores redators may not be able to survive or be acceptable to the public in small scale rewilding projects close to areas of high human density. Therefore, the restoration of natural trophic complexity and disturbance regimes within rewilding projects requires careful consideration if the broader conservation needs of society are to be met. In some circumstances, managers will require a more flexible deliberate approach to intervening in rewilding projects using the range of tools in their toolbox (e.g., controlled burning regimes using domestic livestock to replicate the impacts of extinct herbivore species), even if this is only in the early stages of the rewilding process. If this approach is adopted, then larger areas can be given over to conservation, because of the potential broader benefits to society from these spaces and the engagement of farmers in practises that are closer to their traditions. We provide ex les, primarily European, where domestic and semi-domestic livestock are used by managers as part of their rewilding toolbox. Here managers have looked at the broader phenotype of livestock species as to their suitability in different rewilding systems. We assess whether there are ways of using livestock in these systems for conservation, economic (e.g., branded or certified livestock products) and cultural gains.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-10-2013
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 26-09-2014
Abstract: We describe new radiocarbon-dated evidence for the late survival of beavers from an upland site in northern England. A wood specimen with beaver gnaw marks was recovered from the bank of the Scaup Burn in Kielder Forest in Northumberland. The marks were analysed, the tree species were identified and the s le was radiocarbon dated to between 1269 and 1396. Other wood remains in the same context suggest a most likely dating between 1330 and 1390. This find represents the most recent radiocarbon-dated physical evidence of beaver yet found in Britain, by at least 400 years. In conjunction with documentary and other archaeological evidence from the period, this discovery indicates beaver were present within the Tyne River catchment up until at least the 14th century ad. In addition, this find highlights the need to investigate all possible evidence of beaver fully when discovered and to remain open-minded about the possibility of making finds in unexpected locations and contexts.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2006
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 11-08-2016
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605315000496
Abstract: Reintroductions are used to re-establish populations of species within their indigenous range, but their outcomes are variable. A key decision when developing a reintroduction strategy is whether to include a temporary period of confinement prior to release. Pre-release confinement is primarily used for the purpose of quarantine or as a delayed-release tactic to influence the performance or behaviour of founders post-release. A common difference between these approaches is that quarantine tends to be conducted in ex situ captivity, whereas delayed releases tend to involve in situ confinement at the release site. Although these practices are commonly viewed independently, it may be possible for a single confinement period to be used for both purposes. We tested whether temporarily holding wild eastern bettongs Bettongia gaimardi in ex situ captivity for 95–345 days prior to release (delayed release) influenced their body mass, pouch occupancy or survival during the first 1.5 years post-release, compared to founders released without confinement (immediate release). Our results suggest that exposing founders to captivity did not alter their body mass or performance post-release, despite being heavier and having fewer pouch young when released. We conclude that, for this species, ex situ captivity does not represent a tactical opportunity to improve post-release performance but can be used for quarantine without affecting the probability of establishment.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 06-1997
DOI: 10.1177/095968369700700205
Abstract: The results of pollen analyses from two ditch fills of early Roman age from the fort at Vindolanda, close to Hadrian's Wall, are presented. The ditch fills can be closely dated to the periods c. AD 85-92 and c. AD 160-180, and this chronological precision provides insights into the timing of human impacts on the vegetation around this part of Hadrian's Wall which are unobtainable from more conventional radiocarbon dated stratigraphies. The analyses show that anthropogenic woodland clearance occurred before c. AD 85 around Vindolanda. Deforestation may have been by native farmers rather than by Roman troops. Clearance occurred prior to the construction of Hadrian's Wall in the second century AD, and was probably intended to allow an expansion of agricultural land, and in particular pasture for grazing animals. Cereal cultivation was possibly established at Vindolanda in the early to mid-second century AD.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 31-05-2022
Abstract: Egg-laying mammals (monotremes) are a sister clade of therians (placental mammals and marsupials) and a key clade to understand mammalian evolution. They are classified into platypus and echidna, which exhibit distinct ecological features such as habitats and diet. Chemosensory genes, which encode sensory receptors for taste and smell, are believed to adapt to the in idual habitats and diet of each mammal. In this study, we focused on the molecular evolution of bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) in monotremes. The sense of bitter taste is important to detect potentially harmful substances. We comprehensively surveyed agonists of all TAS2Rs in platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and compared their functions with orthologous TAS2Rs of marsupial and placental mammals (i.e., therians). As results, the agonist screening revealed that the deorphanized monotreme receptors were functionally ersified. Platypus TAS2Rs had broader receptive ranges of agonists than those of echidna TAS2Rs. While platypus consumes a variety of aquatic invertebrates, echidna mainly consumes subterranean social insects (ants and termites) as well as other invertebrates. This result indicates that receptive ranges of TAS2Rs could be associated with feeding habits in monotremes. Furthermore, some orthologous receptors in monotremes and therians responded to β-glucosides, which are feeding deterrents in plants and insects. These results suggest that the ability to detect β-glucosides and other substances might be shared and ancestral among mammals.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1038/463425A
Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 20-08-2019
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.7506
Abstract: Temperate grasslands and woodlands are the focus of extensive restoration efforts worldwide. Reintroduction of locally extinct soil-foraging and burrowing animals has been suggested as a means to restore soil function in these ecosystems. Yet little is known about the physical and chemical effects of digging on soil over time and how these effects differ between species of digging animal, vegetation types or ecosystems. We compared foraging pits of a native reintroduced marsupial, the eastern bettong ( Bettongia gaimardi ) and that of the exotic European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ). We simulated pits of these animals and measured pit dimensions and soil chemical properties over a period of 2 years. We showed that bettong and rabbit pits differed in their morphology and longevity, and that pits had a strong moderating effect on soil surface temperatures. Over 75% of the simulated pits were still visible after 2 years, and bettong pits infilled faster than rabbit pits. Bettong pits reduced diurnal temperature range by up to 25 °C compared to the soil surface. We did not find any effects of digging on soil chemistry that were consistent across vegetation types, between bettong and rabbit pits, and with time since digging, which is contrary to studies conducted in arid biomes. Our findings show that animal foraging pits in temperate ecosystems cause physical alteration of the soil surface and microclimatic conditions rather than nutrient changes often observed in arid areas.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Start Date: 2011
End Date: 12-2016
Amount: $705,699.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 06-2011
End Date: 12-2015
Amount: $770,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 05-2015
End Date: 12-2019
Amount: $557,981.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity