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Behrendorff L, King R, Allen BL. Trouble in paradise: When two species of conservation and cultural value clash, causing a management conundrum. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10726. [PMID: 38020708 PMCID: PMC10653987 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Threatened species throughout the world are in decline due to various causes. In some cases, predators of conservation or cultural value are causing the decline of threatened prey, presenting a conservation conundrum for managers. We surveyed marine turtle nests on K'gari (formally known as Fraser Island), Australia, to investigate dingo predation of green and loggerhead turtle nests, where each of these species is of conservation value. Our monitoring revealed that 84% of nests were predated by dingoes. Only 16% of nests were not consumed by dingoes, and only 5.7% of nests were confirmed to have successfully hatched. Up to 94% of nests were consumed in some areas, and predation rates were similar across different dingo packs. Information on the available numbers of nests and dingoes in the area indicated that turtle nests alone are sufficient to support extant dingoes over the summer. These results indicate that marine turtle eggs represent a previously unquantified but important food source for dingoes on K'gari, and that turtle nests at this rookery site are under serious threat from dingoes. This research should highlight the importance of prioritising the protection of turtle nests from dingoes or risk losing the entire rookery forever in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Behrendorff
- School of Agriculture and Food SciencesUniversity of QueenslandGattonQueenslandAustralia
- Queensland Government Department of Environment and ScienceQueensland Parks and Wildlife ServiceK'gariQueenslandAustralia
| | - Rachel King
- School of Mathematics, Physics and ComputingUniversity of Southern QueenslandToowoombaQueenslandAustralia
| | - Benjamin L. Allen
- Institute for Life Sciences and the EnvironmentUniversity of Southern QueenslandToowoombaQueenslandAustralia
- Centre for African Conservation EcologyNelson Mandela UniversityPort ElizabethSouth Africa
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2
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Donfrancesco V, Allen BL, Appleby R, Behrendorff L, Conroy G, Crowther MS, Dickman CR, Doherty T, Fancourt BA, Gordon CE, Jackson SM, Johnson CN, Kennedy MS, Koungoulos L, Letnic M, Leung LK, Mitchell KJ, Nesbitt B, Newsome T, Pacioni C, Phillip J, Purcell BV, Ritchie EG, Smith BP, Stephens D, Tatler J, van Eeden LM, Cairns KM. Understanding conflict among experts working on controversial species: A case study on the Australian dingo. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Benjamin L. Allen
- University of Southern Queensland Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment Toowoomba Queensland Australia
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela University Port Elizabeth South Africa
| | - Rob Appleby
- Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security Griffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
| | - Linda Behrendorff
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences University of Queensland Gatton Queensland Australia
| | - Gabriel Conroy
- Genecology Research Centre, School of Science, Technology and Engineering University of the Sunshine Coast Maroochydore DC Queensland Australia
| | - Mathew S. Crowther
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Christopher R. Dickman
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Tim Doherty
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Bronwyn A. Fancourt
- Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science University of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - Christopher E. Gordon
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World Aarhus University Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Stephen M. Jackson
- Collection Care and Conservation Australian Museum Research Institute Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Chris N. Johnson
- School of Natural Sciences and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Malcolm S. Kennedy
- Threatened Species Operations Department of Environment and Science Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Loukas Koungoulos
- Department of Archaeology, School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Mike Letnic
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Luke K.‐P. Leung
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences University of Queensland Gatton Queensland Australia
| | - Kieren J. Mitchell
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, School of Biological Sciences University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia Australia
| | - Bradley Nesbitt
- School of Environmental and Rural Science University of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - Thomas Newsome
- Global Ecology Lab, School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Carlo Pacioni
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Arthur Rylah Institute Heidelberg Victoria Australia
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences Murdoch University Murdoch Western Australia Australia
| | | | - Brad V. Purcell
- Kangaroo Management Program Office of Environment and Heritage Dubbo New South Wales Australia
| | - Euan G. Ritchie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Centre for Integrative Ecology Deakin University Burwood Victoria Australia
| | - Bradley P. Smith
- College of Psychology, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences CQUniversity Australia Wayville South Australia Australia
| | | | - Jack Tatler
- Narla Environmental Pty Ltd Warriewood New South Wales Australia
| | - Lily M. van Eeden
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Arthur Rylah Institute Heidelberg Victoria Australia
| | - Kylie M. Cairns
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
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Castle G, Smith D, Allen LR, Allen BL. Terrestrial mesopredators did not increase after top-predator removal in a large-scale experimental test of mesopredator release theory. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18205. [PMID: 34521924 PMCID: PMC8440509 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97634-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Removal or loss of top-predators has been predicted to cause cascading negative effects for ecosystems, including mesopredator release. However, reliable evidence for these processes in terrestrial systems has been mixed and equivocal due, in large part, to the systemic and continued use of low-inference study designs to investigate this issue. Even previous large-scale manipulative experiments of strong inferential value have been limited by experimental design features (i.e. failure to prevent migration between treatments) that constrain possible inferences about the presence or absence of mesopredator release effects. Here, we build on these previous strong-inference experiments and report the outcomes of additional large-scale manipulative experiments to eradicate Australian dingoes from two fenced areas where dingo migration was restricted and where theory would predict an increase in extant European red foxes, feral cats and goannas. We demonstrate the removal and suppression of dingoes to undetectable levels over 4–5 years with no corresponding increases in mesopredator relative abundances, which remained low and stable throughout the experiment at both sites. We further demonstrate widespread absence of negative relationships between predators, indicating that the mechanism underpinning predicted mesopredator releases was not present. Our results are consistent with all previous large-scale manipulative experiments and long-term mensurative studies which collectively demonstrate that (1) dingoes do not suppress red foxes, feral cats or goannas at the population level, (2) repeated, temporary suppression of dingoes in open systems does not create mesopredator release effects, and (3) removal and sustained suppression of dingoes to undetectable levels in closed systems does not create mesopredator release effects either. Our experiments add to similar reports from North America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa which indicate that not only is there a widespread absence of reliable evidence for these processes, but there is also a large and continually growing body of experimental evidence of absence for these processes in many terrestrial systems. We conclude that although sympatric predators may interact negatively with each other on smaller spatiotemporal scales, that these negative interactions do not always scale-up to the population level, nor are they always strong enough to create mesopredator suppression or release effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoff Castle
- Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
| | - Deane Smith
- Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia.,NSW Department of Primary Industries, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Lee R Allen
- Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Government, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
| | - Benjamin L Allen
- Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia. .,Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, 6034, South Africa.
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Cairns KM, Newman KD, Crowther MS, Letnic M. Pelage variation in dingoes across southeastern Australia: implications for conservation and management. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- K. M. Cairns
- Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
| | - K. D. Newman
- School of Biosciences University of Melbourne Parkville VIC Australia
| | - M. S. Crowther
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - M. Letnic
- Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
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Hacker RB, McDonald SE. Prospects for sustainable use of the pastoral areas of Australia’s southern rangelands: a synthesis. RANGELAND JOURNAL 2021. [DOI: 10.1071/rj21036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
There is growing recognition of the need to achieve land use across the southern Australian rangelands that accommodates changing societal preferences and ensures the capacity of future generations to satisfy their own preferences. This paper considers the prospects for sustainable use of the pastoral lands based either on continued grazing or emerging, alternative land uses. After an overview of the southern rangelands environment, the status of the pastoral industry, its environmental impacts, and key issues for pastoral management, we propose four principles and 19 associated guidelines for sustainable pastoralism. Although some continued withdrawal of land from pastoralism is anticipated, we expect that pastoralism will continue throughout much of the region currently grazed, particularly in the higher rainfall environments in the east. Within these areas, sustainable pastoral land use should be achievable by the application of four broad management principles, as follows: (1) manage grazing within a risk management framework based on the concept of tactical grazing, (2) develop infrastructure to allow best management of both domestic and non-domestic grazing pressure, (3) incorporate management of invasive native scrub, where required, into overall, ongoing property management and (4) manage grazing to enhance biodiversity conservation at landscape scale. Application of these principles and guidelines will require the development of appropriate policy settings, particularly in relation to kangaroo management, climate change, and natural resource governance, together with innovative approaches to research, development and extension. Policy development will also be required if the new industry of carbon sequestration is to deliver socio-ecological benefits without perverse outcomes. Other emerging industries based on renewable energy or ecosystem services appear to have considerable potential, with little risk of adverse ecological consequences.
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Edwards GP, Eldridge SR, Shakeshaft BJ, Nano T. Lethal control reduces the relative abundance of dingoes but not cattle production impacts. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1071/wr20076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
ContextLethal control through the application of 1080 baits is widely used in Australia to manage the negative impacts of wild dogs (dingoes, wild domestic dogs and their hybrids) on cattle production, but its effectiveness in this regard is not well understood.
AimsTo evaluate the efficacy of once yearly 1080 baiting on dingoes and its effects in mitigating predation and sublethal impacts on beef cattle.
MethodsA replicated experiment with two paired treatments (1080 poisoned and non-poisoned) was conducted on each of four cattle stations of 3782–10850km2, over 2.5 years (2000–02) in the southern Northern Territory. The study was undertaken in relatively good rainfall years.
Key resultsTrack-based surveys indicated that dingo abundance declined on poisoned relative to non-poisoned areas immediately following a single baiting episode. However, there was no detectable difference about 8 months after baiting. No difference was detected in observed levels of calf damage or calf loss between poisoned and non-poisoned areas.
ConclusionsThe results add to the growing body of consistent evidence that contemporary dingo control practices yield little benefit to rangeland beef producers most of the time.
ImplicationsRoutine dingo baiting (as currently undertaken) may be largely unnecessary for beef cattle producers in arid and semiarid areas. Alternative strategies and practices to reduce dingo mauling and predation impacts should be investigated using replicated and controlled field studies.
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7
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Roy P, Jain S, Maama M. Assessing the viability of tri-trophic food chain model in designing a conservation plan: The case of dwindling Quokka population. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2020.100811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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8
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Fancourt BA, Cremasco P, Wilson C, Gentle MN. Do introduced apex predators suppress introduced mesopredators? A multiscale spatiotemporal study of dingoes and feral cats in Australia suggests not. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bronwyn A. Fancourt
- Pest Animal Research Centre Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Biosecurity Queensland Toowoomba Qld Australia
- School of Environmental and Rural Science University of New England Armidale NSW Australia
| | - Peter Cremasco
- Pest Animal Research Centre Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Biosecurity Queensland Toowoomba Qld Australia
| | - Cameron Wilson
- Pest Animal Research Centre Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Biosecurity Queensland Toowoomba Qld Australia
| | - Matthew N. Gentle
- Pest Animal Research Centre Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Biosecurity Queensland Toowoomba Qld Australia
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Hayward MW, Callen A, Allen BL, Ballard G, Broekhuis F, Bugir C, Clarke RH, Clulow J, Clulow S, Daltry JC, Davies-Mostert HT, Fleming PJS, Griffin AS, Howell LG, Kerley GIH, Klop-Toker K, Legge S, Major T, Meyer N, Montgomery RA, Moseby K, Parker DM, Périquet S, Read J, Scanlon RJ, Seeto R, Shuttleworth C, Somers MJ, Tamessar CT, Tuft K, Upton R, Valenzuela-Molina M, Wayne A, Witt RR, Wüster W. Deconstructing compassionate conservation. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2019; 33:760-768. [PMID: 31206825 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Compassionate conservation focuses on 4 tenets: first, do no harm; individuals matter; inclusivity of individual animals; and peaceful coexistence between humans and animals. Recently, compassionate conservation has been promoted as an alternative to conventional conservation philosophy. We believe examples presented by compassionate conservationists are deliberately or arbitrarily chosen to focus on mammals; inherently not compassionate; and offer ineffective conservation solutions. Compassionate conservation arbitrarily focuses on charismatic species, notably large predators and megaherbivores. The philosophy is not compassionate when it leaves invasive predators in the environment to cause harm to vastly more individuals of native species or uses the fear of harm by apex predators to terrorize mesopredators. Hindering the control of exotic species (megafauna, predators) in situ will not improve the conservation condition of the majority of biodiversity. The positions taken by so-called compassionate conservationists on particular species and on conservation actions could be extended to hinder other forms of conservation, including translocations, conservation fencing, and fertility control. Animal welfare is incredibly important to conservation, but ironically compassionate conservation does not offer the best welfare outcomes to animals and is often ineffective in achieving conservation goals. Consequently, compassionate conservation may threaten public and governmental support for conservation because of the limited understanding of conservation problems by the general public.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt W Hayward
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, University Way, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth, 6019, South Africa
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Lynwood Road, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Alex Callen
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Benjamin L Allen
- Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, West Street, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
| | - Guy Ballard
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Northern Ring Road, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
- Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales Government, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia
| | - Femke Broekhuis
- WildCRU, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Abington Road, Oxford, OX135QL, U.K
| | - Cassandra Bugir
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Rohan H Clarke
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - John Clulow
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Simon Clulow
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Balclava Road, Sydney, NSWs, 2019, Australia
| | - Jennifer C Daltry
- Fauna & Flora International, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB23QZ, U.K
| | - Harriet T Davies-Mostert
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Lynwood Road, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
- Endangered Wildlife Trust, Pinelands Office Park, Building K2, Ardeer Road, Modderfontein 1609, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Peter J S Fleming
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Northern Ring Road, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
- Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales Government, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia
| | - Andrea S Griffin
- School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Lachlan G Howell
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Graham I H Kerley
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, University Way, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth, 6019, South Africa
| | - Kaya Klop-Toker
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Sarah Legge
- Centre for Biodiversity Conservation Science, University of Queensland, University Drive, Saint Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Linnaeus Way, Acton, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Tom Major
- College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, College Road, Gwynedd, LL572DG, U.K
| | - Ninon Meyer
- Fondation Yaguara Panama, Ciudad del Saber, calle Luis Bonilla, Panama City, 0843-03081, Panama
| | - Robert A Montgomery
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 220 Trowbridge Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A
| | - Katherine Moseby
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, ANZAC Parade, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Arid Recovery, Roxby Downs, SA, 5725, Australia
| | - Daniel M Parker
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Drosty Road, Grahamstown, 6139, South Africa
- School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, D725 Roads, Mbombela, 1200, South Africa
| | | | - John Read
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Kintore Avenue, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Robert J Scanlon
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Rebecca Seeto
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Craig Shuttleworth
- College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, College Road, Gwynedd, LL572DG, U.K
| | - Michael J Somers
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Lynwood Road, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology, University of Pretoria, Lynwood Road, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Cottrell T Tamessar
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | | | - Rose Upton
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Marcia Valenzuela-Molina
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita, C.P. 23096, La Paz, B.C.S., México
| | - Adrian Wayne
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Brain Street, Manjimup, WA, 6258, Australia
| | - Ryan R Witt
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Wolfgang Wüster
- College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, College Road, Gwynedd, LL572DG, U.K
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Sweeney OF, Turnbull J, Jones M, Letnic M, Newsome TM, Sharp A. An Australian perspective on rewilding. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2019; 33:812-820. [PMID: 30693968 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Rewilding is increasingly recognized as a conservation tool but is often context specific, which inhibits broad application. Rewilding in Australia seeks to enhance ecosystem function and promote self-sustaining ecosystems. An absence of large-bodied native herbivores means trophic rewilding in mainland Australia has focused on the restoration of functions provided by apex predators and small mammals. Because of the pervasive influence of introduced mesopredators, predator-proof fences, and establishment of populations on predator-free islands are common rewilding approaches. This sets Australian rewilding apart from most jurisdictions and provides globally relevant insights but presents challenges to restoring function to broader landscapes. Passive rewilding is of limited utility in arid zones. Although increasing habitat extent and quality in mesic coastal areas may work, it will likely be necessary to undertake active management. Because much of Australia's population is in urban areas, rewilding efforts must include urban areas to maximize effectiveness. Thus rewilding is not synonymous with wilderness and can occur over multiple scales. Rewilding efforts must recognize human effects on other species and benefit both nature and humans. Rewilding in Australia requires development of a shared vision and strategy and proof-of-concept projects to demonstrate the benefits. The repackaging of existing conservation activities as rewilding may confuse and undermine the success of rewilding programs and should be avoided. As elsewhere, rewilding in Australia should be viewed as an important conservation tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oisín F Sweeney
- National Parks Association of New South Wales, Pyrmont, NSW, 2009, Australia
| | - John Turnbull
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Menna Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Mike Letnic
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Thomas M Newsome
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Andy Sharp
- Natural Resources Northern and Yorke, Clare, SA, 5453, Australia
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11
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Waters CM, McDonald SE, Reseigh J, Grant R, Burnside DG. Insights on the relationship between total grazing pressure management and sustainable land management: key indicators to verify impacts. RANGELAND JOURNAL 2019. [DOI: 10.1071/rj19078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Demonstrating sustainable land management (SLM) requires an understanding of the linkages between grazing management and environmental stewardship. Grazing management practices that incorporate strategic periods of rest are promoted internationally as best practice. However, spatial and temporal trends in unmanaged feral (goat) and native (kangaroo) populations in the southern Australian rangelands can result land managers having, at times, control over less than half the grazing pressure, precluding the ability to rest pastures. Few empirical studies have examined the impacts of total grazing pressure (TGP) on biodiversity and resource condition, while the inability to manage grazing intensity at critical times may result in negative impacts on ground cover, changes in pasture species composition, increased rates of soil loss and reduce the ability for soils to store carbon. The widespread adoption of TGP control through exclusion fencing in the southern Australian rangelands has created unprecedented opportunities to manage total grazing pressure, although there is little direct evidence that this infrastructure leads to more sustainable land management. Here we identify several key indicators that are either outcome- or activity-based that could serve as a basis for verification of the impacts of TGP management. Since TGP is the basic determinant of the impact of herbivory on vegetation it follows that the ability for rangeland pastoral management to demonstrate SLM and environmental stewardship will rely on using evidence-based indicators to support environmental social licence to operate.
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12
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Doherty TS, Davis NE, Dickman CR, Forsyth DM, Letnic M, Nimmo DG, Palmer R, Ritchie EG, Benshemesh J, Edwards G, Lawrence J, Lumsden L, Pascoe C, Sharp A, Stokeld D, Myers C, Story G, Story P, Triggs B, Venosta M, Wysong M, Newsome TM. Continental patterns in the diet of a top predator: Australia's dingo. Mamm Rev 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tim S. Doherty
- Deakin University; Geelong; Australia and School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Centre for Integrative Ecology; 221 Burwood Highway Burwood VIC 3125 Australia
| | - Naomi E. Davis
- School of BioSciences; The University of Melbourne; Victoria Australia
| | - Chris R. Dickman
- Desert Ecology Research Group; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; University of Sydney; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - David M. Forsyth
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research; Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning; Heidelberg VIC Australia
- Vertebrate Pest Research Unit; New South Wales Department of Primary Industries; Orange NSW Australia
| | - Mike Letnic
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences; University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Dale G. Nimmo
- School of Environmental Science; Institute for Land, Water and Society; Charles Sturt University; Albury NSW Australia
| | - Russell Palmer
- Science and Conservation Division; Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions; Bentley WA Australia
| | - Euan G. Ritchie
- Deakin University; Geelong; Australia and School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Centre for Integrative Ecology; 221 Burwood Highway Burwood VIC 3125 Australia
| | - Joe Benshemesh
- Department of Ecology; Environment and Evolution; La Trobe University; Bundoora VIC Australia
| | - Glenn Edwards
- Flora and Fauna Division; Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Alice Springs NT Australia
| | | | - Lindy Lumsden
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research; Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning; Heidelberg VIC Australia
| | | | - Andy Sharp
- Natural Resources Northern and Yorke; Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources; Clare SA Australia
| | - Danielle Stokeld
- Northern Territory Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Palmerston NT Australia
| | - Cecilia Myers
- Dunkeld Pastoral Company Pty Ltd; Dunkeld VIC Australia
| | | | - Paul Story
- Australian Plague Locust Commission; Canberra ACT Australia
| | | | | | - Mike Wysong
- School of Plant Biology; University of Western Australia; Crawley WA Australia
| | - Thomas M. Newsome
- Deakin University; Geelong; Australia and School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Centre for Integrative Ecology; 221 Burwood Highway Burwood VIC 3125 Australia
- Desert Ecology Research Group; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; University of Sydney; Sydney NSW Australia
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society; Oregon State University; Corvallis Oregon USA
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; University of Washington; Seattle Washington USA
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13
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Cairns KM, Shannon LM, Koler-Matznick J, Ballard JWO, Boyko AR. Elucidating biogeographical patterns in Australian native canids using genome wide SNPs. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198754. [PMID: 29889854 PMCID: PMC5995383 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dingoes play a strong role in Australia's ecological framework as the apex predator but are under threat from hybridization and agricultural control programs. Government legislation lists the conservation of the dingo as an important aim, yet little is known about the biogeography of this enigmatic canine, making conservation difficult. Mitochondrial and Y chromosome DNA studies show evidence of population structure within the dingo. Here, we present the data from Illumina HD canine chip genotyping for 23 dingoes from five regional populations, and five New Guinea Singing Dogs to further explore patterns of biogeography using genome-wide data. Whole genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data supported the presence of three distinct dingo populations (or ESUs) subject to geographical subdivision: southeastern (SE), Fraser Island (FI) and northwestern (NW). These ESUs should be managed discretely. The FI dingoes are a known reservoir of pure, genetically distinct dingoes. Elevated inbreeding coefficients identified here suggest this population may be genetically compromised and in need of rescue; current lethal management strategies that do not consider genetic information should be suspended until further data can be gathered. D statistics identify evidence of historical admixture or ancestry sharing between southeastern dingoes and South East Asian village dogs. Conservation efforts on mainland Australia should focus on the SE dingo population that is under pressure from domestic dog hybridization and high levels of lethal control. Further data concerning the genetic health, demographics and prevalence of hybridization in the SE and FI dingo populations is urgently needed to develop evidence based conservation and management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kylie M. Cairns
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Laura M. Shannon
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Janice Koler-Matznick
- The New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society, Central Point, Oregon, United States of America
| | - J. William O. Ballard
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Adam R. Boyko
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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14
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Behrendorff L, Leung LKP, Allen BL. Utilisation of stranded marine fauna washed ashore on K’gari (Fraser Island), Australia, by dingoes. AUST J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1071/zo18022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Stranded marine fauna have been identified as a potentially significant food resource for terrestrial carnivores, but how such subsidisation influences terrestrial species ecology is not well understood. We describe the dietary and behavioural responses of dingoes (Canis familiaris) to the occurrence of large-animal marine strandings (e.g. dead cetaceans, marine turtles and pinnipeds) between 2006 and 2016 on K’gari (Fraser Island), Australia, to better understand the trophic links between marine and terrestrial systems. A total of 309 strandings were recorded during this period (~3.1 strandings per month), yielding an annual average of 30.3 tons of available carrion to the 100–200 dingoes present on the island. Carcass monitoring with camera traps showed that dingoes used carcasses almost daily after a short period of decomposition. Whole packs of up to seven dingoes of all age classes at a time were observed visiting carcasses for multiple successive days. These data demonstrate that large-animal marine subsidies can be a common, substantial and important food source for dingoes, and that the estimated daily dietary needs of roughly 5–10% of the island’s dingo population were supported by this food source. Our data suggest that marine subsidisation can influence terrestrial carnivore diet, behaviour and abundance, which may produce cascading indirect effects for terrestrial ecosystems in contexts where subsidised carnivores interact strongly with other species.
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15
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Allen BL, Fawcett A, Anker A, Engeman RM, Lisle A, Leung LKP. Environmental effects are stronger than human effects on mammalian predator-prey relationships in arid Australian ecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 610-611:451-461. [PMID: 28818660 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2017] [Revised: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Climate (drought, rainfall), geology (habitat availability), land use change (provision of artificial waterpoints, introduction of livestock), invasive species (competition, predation), and direct human intervention (lethal control of top-predators) have each been identified as processes driving the sustainability of threatened fauna populations. We used a systematic combination of empirical observational studies and experimental manipulations to comprehensively evaluate the effects of these process on a model endangered rodent, dusky hopping-mice (Notomys fuscus). We established a large manipulative experiment in arid Australia, and collected information from relative abundance indices, camera traps, GPS-collared dingoes (Canis familiaris) and dingo scats, along with a range of related environmental data (e.g. rainfall, habitat type, distance to artificial water etc.). We show that hopping-mice populations were most strongly influenced by geological and climatic effects of resource availability and rainfall, and not land use, invasive species, or human effects of livestock grazing, waterpoint provision, or the lethal control of dingoes. Hopping-mice distribution declined along a geological gradient of more to less available hopping-mice habitat (sand dunes), and their abundance was driven by rainfall. Hopping-mice populations fluctuated independent of livestock presence, artificial waterpoint availability or repeated lethal dingo control. Hopping-mice populations appear to be limited first by habitat availability, then by food availability, then by predation. Contemporary top-predator control practices (for protection of livestock) have little influence on hopping-mice behaviour or population dynamics. Given our inability to constrain the effects of predation across broad scales, management actions focusing on increasing available food and habitat (e.g. alteration of fire and herbivory) may have a greater chance of improving the conservation status of hopping-mice and other small mammals in arid areas. Our study also reaffirms the importance of using systematic and experimental approaches to detect true drivers of population distribution and dynamics where multiple potential drivers operate simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L Allen
- University of Southern Queensland, Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia.
| | - Alana Fawcett
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia.
| | - Alison Anker
- Robert Wicks Pest Animal Research Centre, Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia
| | - Richard M Engeman
- National Wildlife Research Centre, US Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO 8051-2154, USA.
| | - Allan Lisle
- University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia.
| | - Luke K-P Leung
- University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia.
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16
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Morgan HR, Hunter JT, Ballard G, Fleming PJ. The trophic cascades concept may constrain Australian dingo reintroduction experiments: A response to Newsome et al. (2017). FOOD WEBS 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2017.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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17
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Reprint of: The case for a dingo reintroduction in Australia remains strong: A reply to Morgan et al., 2016. FOOD WEBS 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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18
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Morrant DS, Wurster CM, Johnson CN, Butler JRA, Congdon BC. Prey use by dingoes in a contested landscape: Ecosystem service provider or biodiversity threat? Ecol Evol 2017; 7:8927-8935. [PMID: 29152188 PMCID: PMC5677475 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 07/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In Australia, dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) have been implicated in the decline and extinction of a number of vertebrate species. The lowland Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia is a biologically rich area with many species of rainforest-restricted vertebrates that could be threatened by dingoes; however, the ecological impacts of dingoes in this region are poorly understood. We determined the potential threat posed by dingoes to native vertebrates in the lowland Wet Tropics using dingo scat/stomach content and stable isotope analyses of hair from dingoes and potential prey species. Common mammals dominated dingo diets. We found no evidence of predation on threatened taxa or rainforest specialists within our study areas. The most significant prey species were northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus), canefield rats (Rattus sordidus), and agile wallabies (Macropus agilis). All are common species associated with relatively open grass/woodland habitats. Stable isotope analysis suggested that prey species sourced their nutrients primarily from open habitats and that prey choice, as identified by scat/stomach analysis alone, was a poor indicator of primary foraging habitats. In general, we find that prey use by dingoes in the lowland Wet Tropics does not pose a major threat to native and/or threatened fauna, including rainforest specialists. In fact, our results suggest that dingo predation on "pest" species may represent an important ecological service that outweighs potential biodiversity threats. A more targeted approach to managing wild canids is needed if the ecosystem services they provide in these contested landscapes are to be maintained, while simultaneously avoiding negative conservation or economic impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian S Morrant
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS) James Cook University Cairns QLD Australia.,College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Cairns QLD Australia
| | - Christopher M Wurster
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS) James Cook University Cairns QLD Australia.,College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Cairns QLD Australia
| | | | - James R A Butler
- Adaptive Social and Economic Systems Program CSIRO Land and Water Flagship Brisbane QLD Australia
| | - Bradley C Congdon
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS) James Cook University Cairns QLD Australia.,College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Cairns QLD Australia
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19
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Allen BL, Allen LR, Andrén H, Ballard G, Boitani L, Engeman RM, Fleming PJ, Ford AT, Haswell PM, Kowalczyk R, Linnell JD, David Mech L, Parker DM. Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science? FOOD WEBS 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2017.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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20
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21
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Cooke BD, Soriguer RC. Do dingoes protect Australia's small mammal fauna from introduced mesopredators? Time to consider history and recent events. FOOD WEBS 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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22
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Meadows AJ, Crowder DW, Snyder WE. Are wolves just wasps with teeth? What invertebrates can teach us about mammal top predators. FOOD WEBS 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2016.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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23
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24
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Trophic cascades and dingoes in Australia: Does the Yellowstone wolf–elk–willow model apply? FOOD WEBS 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2016.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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25
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Opportunities and challenges for the study and conservation of large carnivores. FOOD WEBS 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2017.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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26
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27
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Behrendorff L, Belonje G, Allen BL. Intraspecific killing behaviour of canids: how dingoes kill dingoes. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2017.1316522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Behrendorff
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
- Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Fraser Island, Queensland 4581, Australia
| | - Grant Belonje
- Fraser Coast Veterinary Services, Maryborough, Queensland 4650, Australia
| | - Benjamin L. Allen
- Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, The University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia
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28
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The case for a dingo reintroduction in Australia remains strong: A reply to Morgan et al., 2016. FOOD WEBS 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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29
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Cursino MS, Harriott L, Allen BL, Gentle M, Leung LKP. Do female dingo–dog hybrids breed like dingoes or dogs? AUST J ZOOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1071/zo17005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Hybridisation between animals that breed once (e.g. dingoes) and twice (e.g. domestic dogs) annually may produce offspring that breed either way. This question was investigated by determining the breeding seasonality of female dingo–dog hybrids in south-east Queensland, Australia, through evaluating macroscopic and histological features of 71 female reproductive tracts. All animals were sourced from urban areas where levels of hybridisation are generally high. Most animals trapped in summer were pups less than 6 months of age. A peak of uterus diameter and weight coincided with a peak of corpus luteum in winter. The follicular phase was characterised by growing follicles, ~1–3 mm wide, in late summer and autumn. Only two of the animals (1.4%) showed out-of-season reproductive cycles: one was found with corpus luteum in summer and another in autumn. Our data clearly show that hybrids have a single annual breeding season in winter, exhibiting the same breeding seasonality as dingoes. Our findings are similar to those found in the New Guinea singing dog. Future studies should be conducted to understand and exploit the mechanism and drivers of the breeding seasonality of dingo–dog hybrids to develop more effective management of their populations.
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30
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Kinnear JE, Pentland C, Moore N, Krebs CJ. Fox control and 1080 baiting conundrums: time to prepare for a CRISPR solution. AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1071/am16020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
For many years, managing rock-wallaby colonies (Petrogale lateralis lateralis) in the Western Australian Wheatbelt seemed to be a matter of routinely exposing foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to toxic baits (sodium fluoroacetate, 1080®) laid around their rocky outcrops. Recent research has revealed that 1080 baitings are no longer a viable management option. Baiting is flawed over the long term because it does not erase the wallabies’ pervasive fear of being depredated by foxes, which can still make their menacing presence felt before succumbing to poison bait. Accordingly, a ‘landscape of fear’ exists on all rock-wallaby sites, creating a ‘virtual boundary’ beyond which they fear to forage. Severe overgrazing occurs, ultimately causing population crashes, leaving behind devastated outcrops greatly diminished in carrying capacity. The fallout from this scenario produces a management conundrum. Rock-wallaby populations are unstable in the absence of fox control, and conversely, they are also unstable under long-term fox control. Management is now left with few options, and the future of the colonies remains open. Other conundrums involving bait interference and mesopredator release are described. An alternative to 1080 baiting is clearly needed. Recent developments in gene engineering (CRISPR technology) offer a solution in the foreseeable future.
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31
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Behrendorff L, Leung LKP, McKinnon A, Hanger J, Belonje G, Tapply J, Jones D, Allen BL. Insects for breakfast and whales for dinner: the diet and body condition of dingoes on Fraser Island (K'gari). Sci Rep 2016; 6:23469. [PMID: 27009879 PMCID: PMC4806299 DOI: 10.1038/srep23469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Top-predators play stabilising roles in island food webs, including Fraser Island, Australia. Subsidising generalist predators with human-sourced food could disrupt this balance, but has been proposed to improve the overall health of the island’s dingo (Canis lupus dingo) population, which is allegedly ‘starving’ or in ‘poor condition’. We assess this hypothesis by describing the diet and health of dingoes on Fraser Island from datasets collected between 2001 and 2015. Medium-sized mammals (such as bandicoots) and fish were the most common food items detected in dingo scat records. Stomach contents records revealed additional information on diet, such as the occurrence of human-sourced foods. Trail camera records highlighted dingo utilisation of stranded marine fauna, particularly turtles and whales. Mean adult body weights were higher than the national average, body condition scores and abundant-excessive fat reserves indicated a generally ideal-heavy physical condition, and parasite loads were low and comparable to other dingo populations. These data do not support hypotheses that Fraser Island dingoes have restricted diets or are in poor physical condition. Rather, they indicate that dingoes on Fraser Island are capable of exploiting a diverse array of food sources which contributes to the vast majority of dingoes being of good-excellent physical condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Behrendorff
- The University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia.,Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing, Fraser Island, Queensland 4581, Australia
| | - Luke K-P Leung
- The University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
| | - Allan McKinnon
- Department of Environmental Heritage Protection, Threatened Species Unit, Moggill, Queensland 4070, Australia
| | - Jon Hanger
- Endeavour Veterinary Ecology, Toorbul, Queensland 4510, Australia
| | - Grant Belonje
- Fraser Coast Veterinary Services, Maryborough, Queensland 4650, Australia
| | - Jenna Tapply
- Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing, Fraser Island, Queensland 4581, Australia
| | - Darryl Jones
- Griffith University, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Benjamin L Allen
- The University of Southern Queensland, Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia
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32
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Bannister HL, Lynch CE, Moseby KE. Predator swamping and supplementary feeding do not improve reintroduction success for a threatened Australian mammal, Bettongia lesueur. AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1071/am15020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Broad-scale Australian mammal declines following European settlement have resulted in many species becoming regionally or globally extinct. Attempts to reintroduce native mammals are often unsuccessful due to a suboptimal number of founders being used, high rates of predation and a lack of knowledge of the reintroduction biology for the species concerned. We trialled predator swamping and supplementary feeding in an attempt to offset predation and improve reintroduction success for the burrowing bettong (Bettongia lesueur) in arid South Australia. We compared population longevity of a large release group (1266 animals) with five releases of smaller groups (~50 animals at each). We compared release sites with (n = 5) and without (n = 1) supplementary food to determine whether site fidelity, body condition and reproduction were affected, and whether these traits aided population establishment. Predator swamping did not facilitate reintroduction success, with no bettongs detected more than 122 days after release. While supplementary food increased site fidelity and persistence at release sites, bettongs failed to establish successfully at any site. Neither predator swamping nor supplementary feeding enhanced reintroduction success at our sites but results suggested that supplementary feeding should be explored as an aid to reintroduction success for Australian mammals.
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33
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Stephens D, Wilton AN, Fleming PJS, Berry O. Death by sex in an Australian icon: a continent-wide survey reveals extensive hybridization between dingoes and domestic dogs. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:5643-56. [PMID: 26514639 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Hybridization between domesticated animals and their wild counterparts can disrupt adaptive gene combinations, reduce genetic diversity, extinguish wild populations and change ecosystem function. The dingo is a free-ranging dog that is an iconic apex predator and distributed throughout most of mainland Australia. Dingoes readily hybridize with domestic dogs, and in many Australian jurisdictions, distinct management strategies are dictated by hybrid status. Yet, the magnitude and spatial extent of domestic dog-dingo hybridization is poorly characterized. To address this, we performed a continent-wide analysis of hybridization throughout Australia based on 24 locus microsatellite DNA genotypes from 3637 free-ranging dogs. Although 46% of all free-ranging dogs were classified as pure dingoes, all regions exhibited some hybridization, and the magnitude varied substantially. The southeast of Australia was highly admixed, with 99% of animals being hybrids or feral domestic dogs, whereas only 13% of the animals from remote central Australia were hybrids. Almost all free-ranging dogs had some dingo ancestry, indicating that domestic dogs could have poor survivorship in nonurban Australian environments. Overall, wild pure dingoes remain the dominant predator over most of Australia, but the speed and extent to which hybridization has occurred in the approximately 220 years since the first introduction of domestic dogs indicate that the process may soon threaten the persistence of pure dingoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Stephens
- School of Animal Biology and Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, M092, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - Alan N Wilton
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Peter J S Fleming
- Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Biosecurity NSW, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, Orange, New South Wales, 2800, Australia.,School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - Oliver Berry
- School of Animal Biology and Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, M092, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
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34
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Allen BL. More buck for less bang: Reconciling competing wildlife management interests in agricultural food webs. FOOD WEBS 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2014.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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35
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Newsome TM, Ballard GA, Crowther MS, Dellinger JA, Fleming PJS, Glen AS, Greenville AC, Johnson CN, Letnic M, Moseby KE, Nimmo DG, Nelson MP, Read JL, Ripple WJ, Ritchie EG, Shores CR, Wallach AD, Wirsing AJ, Dickman CR. Resolving the value of the dingo in ecological restoration. Restor Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M. Newsome
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences; The University of Sydney; New South Wales 2006 Australia
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society; Oregon State University; Corvallis OR 97331 U.S.A
| | - Guy-Anthony Ballard
- School of Environmental and Rural Sciences; University of New England; Armidale New South Wales 2351 Australia
- Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Biosecurity NSW, NSW Department of Primary Industries; University of New England; PO Box U86 Armidale New South Wales 2351 Australia
| | - Mathew S. Crowther
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences; The University of Sydney; New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Justin A. Dellinger
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; University of Washington; Seattle WA 98195 U.S.A
| | - Peter J. S. Fleming
- School of Environmental and Rural Sciences; University of New England; Armidale New South Wales 2351 Australia
- Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Biosecurity NSW; NSW Department of Primary Industries; Locked Bag 6006 Orange New South Wales 2800 Australia
| | | | - Aaron C. Greenville
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences; The University of Sydney; New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Chris N. Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Tasmania; Private Bag 55 Hobart Tasmania 7001 Australia
| | - Mike Letnic
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences; University of New South Wales; Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
| | - Katherine E. Moseby
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences; The University of Adelaide; South Australia 5005 Australia
- Arid Recovery; PO Box 147 Roxby Downs South Australia 5725 Australia
| | - Dale G. Nimmo
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Melbourne Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Highway Burwood Victoria 3125 Australia
| | - Michael Paul Nelson
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society; Oregon State University; Corvallis OR 97331 U.S.A
| | - John L. Read
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences; The University of Adelaide; South Australia 5005 Australia
- Arid Recovery; PO Box 147 Roxby Downs South Australia 5725 Australia
| | - William J. Ripple
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society; Oregon State University; Corvallis OR 97331 U.S.A
| | - Euan G. Ritchie
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Melbourne Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Highway Burwood Victoria 3125 Australia
| | - Carolyn R. Shores
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; University of Washington; Seattle WA 98195 U.S.A
| | - Arian D. Wallach
- Charles Darwin University; Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods; Darwin Northern Territory 0909 Australia
| | - Aaron J. Wirsing
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; University of Washington; Seattle WA 98195 U.S.A
| | - Christopher R. Dickman
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences; The University of Sydney; New South Wales 2006 Australia
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Marlow NJ, Thomas ND, Williams AAE, Macmahon B, Lawson J, Hitchen Y, Angus J, Berry O. Cats (Felis catus) are more abundant and are the dominant predator of woylies (Bettongia penicillata) after sustained fox (Vulpes vulpes) control. AUST J ZOOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1071/zo14024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The control of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) is a key component of many fauna recovery programs in Australia. A question crucial to the success of these programs is how fox control influences feral cat abundance and subsequently affects predation upon native fauna. Historically, this question has been difficult to address because invasive predators are typically challenging to monitor. Here, non-invasive DNA analysis was used to determine the fate of radio-collared woylies (Bettongia penicillata) in two reserves in a mesic environment where foxes had been controlled intensively for over two decades. Woylie trap success had increased more than 20-fold after fox baiting commenced in the 1980s but decreased precipitously in 2000. Ninety-eight monitored woylies were killed between 2006 and 2009. DNA analysis of swabs taken from radio-collars and carcasses of these woylies indicated that predation by cats (Felis catus) caused most mortalities (65%) and was three times the fox predation rate (21%). Also, indices of cat abundance were higher in fox-baited sites where foxes were less abundant. Predation on woylies by cats was greater than previously recognised and, by implication, may significantly reduce the effectiveness of fox control programs throughout Australia. Integrated fox and cat control is essential to ensure the success of fauna recovery programs.
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Allen BL, Leung LKP. The (non)effects of lethal population control on the diet of Australian dingoes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e108251. [PMID: 25243466 PMCID: PMC4171516 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Top-predators contribute to ecosystem resilience, yet individuals or populations are often subject to lethal control to protect livestock, managed game or humans from predation. Such management actions sometimes attract concern that lethal control might affect top-predator function in ways ultimately detrimental to biodiversity conservation. The primary function of a predator is predation, which is often investigated by assessing their diet. We therefore use data on prey remains found in 4,298 Australian dingo scats systematically collected from three arid sites over a four year period to experimentally assess the effects of repeated broad-scale poison-baiting programs on dingo diet. Indices of dingo dietary diversity and similarity were either identical or near-identical in baited and adjacent unbaited treatment areas in each case, demonstrating no control-induced change to dingo diets. Associated studies on dingoes' movement behaviour and interactions with sympatric mesopredators were similarly unaffected by poison-baiting. These results indicate that mid-sized top-predators with flexible and generalist diets (such as dingoes) may be resilient to ongoing and moderate levels of population control without substantial alteration of their diets and other related aspects of their ecological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L. Allen
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, the University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Luke K.-P. Leung
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, the University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
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Allen BL, Allen LR, Engeman RM, Leung LKP. Sympatric prey responses to lethal top-predator control: predator manipulation experiments. Front Zool 2014. [DOI: 10.1186/s12983-014-0056-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Allen BL, Lundie-Jenkins G, Burrows ND, Engeman RM, Fleming PJ, Leung LKP. Does lethal control of top-predators release mesopredators? A re-evaluation of three Australian case studies. ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/emr.12118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Allen BL, Allen LR, Leung LKP. Interactions between two naturalised invasive predators in Australia: are feral cats suppressed by dingoes? Biol Invasions 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-014-0767-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Sparkes J, Fleming PJS, Ballard G, Scott-Orr H, Durr S, Ward MP. Canine rabies in Australia: a review of preparedness and research needs. Zoonoses Public Health 2014; 62:237-53. [PMID: 24934203 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Australia is unique as a populated continent in that canine rabies is exotic, with only one likely incursion in 1867. This is despite the presence of a widespread free-ranging dog population, which includes the naturalized dingo, feral domestic dogs and dingo-dog cross-breeds. To Australia's immediate north, rabies has recently spread within the Indonesian archipelago, with outbreaks occurring in historically free islands to the east including Bali, Flores, Ambon and the Tanimbar Islands. Australia depends on strict quarantine protocols to prevent importation of a rabid animal, but the risk of illegal animal movements by fishing and recreational vessels circumventing quarantine remains. Predicting where rabies will enter Australia is important, but understanding dog population dynamics and interactions, including contact rates in and around human populations, is essential for rabies preparedness. The interactions among and between Australia's large populations of wild, free-roaming and restrained domestic dogs require quantification for rabies incursions to be detected and controlled. The imminent risk of rabies breaching Australian borders makes the development of disease spread models that will assist in the deployment of cost-effective surveillance, improve preventive strategies and guide disease management protocols vitally important. Here, we critically review Australia's preparedness for rabies, discuss prevailing assumptions and models, identify knowledge deficits in free-roaming dog ecology relating to rabies maintenance and speculate on the likely consequences of endemic rabies for Australia.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Sparkes
- School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
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Greenville AC, Wardle GM, Tamayo B, Dickman CR. Bottom-up and top-down processes interact to modify intraguild interactions in resource-pulse environments. Oecologia 2014; 175:1349-58. [PMID: 24908053 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-2977-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Top predators are declining globally, in turn allowing populations of smaller predators, or mesopredators, to increase and potentially have negative effects on biodiversity. However, detection of interactions among sympatric predators can be complicated by fluctuations in the background availability of resources in the environment, which may modify both the numbers of predators and the strengths of their interactions. Here, we first present a conceptual framework that predicts how top-down and bottom-up interactions may regulate sympatric predator populations in environments that experience resource pulses. We then test it using 2 years of remote-camera trapping data to uncover spatial and temporal interactions between a top predator, the dingo Canis dingo, and the mesopredatory European red fox Vulpes vulpes and feral cat Felis catus, during population booms, declines and busts in numbers of their prey in a model desert system. We found that dingoes predictably suppress abundances of the mesopredators and that the effects are strongest during declines and busts in prey numbers. Given that resource pulses are usually driven by large yet infrequent rains, we conclude that top predators like the dingo provide net benefits to prey populations by suppressing mesopredators during prolonged bust periods when prey populations are low and potentially vulnerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron C Greenville
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building, A08, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia,
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Newsome TM, Ballard GA, Crowther MS, Fleming PJS, Dickman CR. Dietary niche overlap of free-roaming dingoes and domestic dogs: the role of human-provided food. J Mammal 2014. [DOI: 10.1644/13-mamm-a-145.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt W. Hayward
- College of Natural Sciences; Bangor University; Bangor LL572UW UK
| | - Nicky Marlow
- Woodvale Research Centre; Department of Environment and Conservation; Woodvale 6026 WA Australia
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Doherty TS, Bengsen AJ, Davis RA. A critical review of habitat use by feral cats and key directions for future research and management. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2014. [DOI: 10.1071/wr14159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Feral cats (Felis catus) have a wide global distribution and cause significant damage to native fauna. Reducing their impacts requires an understanding of how they use habitat and which parts of the landscape should be the focus of management. We reviewed 27 experimental and observational studies conducted around the world over the last 35 years that aimed to examine habitat use by feral and unowned cats. Our aims were to: (1) summarise the current body of literature on habitat use by feral and unowned cats in the context of applicable ecological theory (i.e. habitat selection, foraging theory); (2) develop testable hypotheses to help fill important knowledge gaps in the current body of knowledge on this topic; and (3) build a conceptual framework that will guide the activities of researchers and managers in reducing feral cat impacts. We found that feral cats exploit a diverse range of habitats including arid deserts, shrublands and grasslands, fragmented agricultural landscapes, urban areas, glacial valleys, equatorial to sub-Antarctic islands and a range of forest and woodland types. Factors invoked to explain habitat use by cats included prey availability, predation/competition, shelter availability and human resource subsidies, but the strength of evidence used to support these assertions was low, with most studies being observational or correlative. We therefore provide a list of key directions that will assist conservation managers and researchers in better understanding and ameliorating the impact of feral cats at a scale appropriate for useful management and research. Future studies will benefit from employing an experimental approach and collecting data on the relative abundance and activity of prey and other predators. This might include landscape-scale experiments where the densities of predators, prey or competitors are manipulated and then the response in cat habitat use is measured. Effective management of feral cat populations could target high-use areas, such as linear features and structurally complex habitat. Since our review shows often-divergent outcomes in the use of the same habitat components and vegetation types worldwide, local knowledge and active monitoring of management actions is essential when deciding on control programs.
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Allen BL, Allen LR, Engeman RM, Leung LKP. Intraguild relationships between sympatric predators exposed to lethal control: predator manipulation experiments. Front Zool 2013; 10:39. [PMID: 23842144 PMCID: PMC3733732 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-10-39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Terrestrial top-predators are expected to regulate and stabilise food webs through their consumptive and non-consumptive effects on sympatric mesopredators and prey. The lethal control of top-predators has therefore been predicted to inhibit top-predator function, generate the release of mesopredators and indirectly harm native fauna through trophic cascade effects. Understanding the outcomes of lethal control on interactions within terrestrial predator guilds is important for zoologists, conservation biologists and wildlife managers. However, few studies have the capacity to test these predictions experimentally, and no such studies have previously been conducted on the eclectic suite of native and exotic, mammalian and reptilian taxa we simultaneously assess. We conducted a series of landscape-scale, multi-year, manipulative experiments at nine sites spanning five ecosystem types across the Australian continental rangelands to investigate the responses of mesopredators (red foxes, feral cats and goannas) to contemporary poison-baiting programs intended to control top-predators (dingoes) for livestock protection. Result Short-term behavioural releases of mesopredators were not apparent, and in almost all cases, the three mesopredators we assessed were in similar or greater abundance in unbaited areas relative to baited areas, with mesopredator abundance trends typically either uncorrelated or positively correlated with top-predator abundance trends over time. The exotic mammals and native reptile we assessed responded similarly (poorly) to top-predator population manipulation. This is because poison baits were taken by multiple target and non-target predators and top-predator populations quickly recovered to pre-control levels, thus reducing the overall impact of baiting on top-predators and averting a trophic cascade. Conclusions These results are in accord with other predator manipulation experiments conducted worldwide, and suggest that Australian populations of native prey fauna at lower trophic levels are unlikely to be negatively affected by contemporary dingo control practices through the release of mesopredators. We conclude that contemporary lethal control practices used on some top-predator populations do not produce the conditions required to generate positive responses from mesopredators. Functional relationships between sympatric terrestrial predators may not be altered by exposure to spatially and temporally sporadic application of non-selective lethal control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L Allen
- The University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Warrego Highway, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.
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Johnson CN, Ritchie EG. The dingo and biodiversity conservation: response to Fleming et al. (2012). AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/am12005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Several authors have recently argued that dingoes could be used to help conserve biodiversity in Australia. Fleming et al. (2012) [Australian Mammalogy 34, 119–131] offer the alternative view that restoration of dingo predation is unlikely to help native species, and is more likely to do harm. We think many of the arguments used by Fleming et al. to reach that conclusion are either unsound or beside the point, and we explain why.
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Claridge AW. Examining interactions between dingoes (wild dogs) and mesopredators: the need for caution when interpreting summary data from previously published work. AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/am12026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Australian Mammalogy has recently published papers by Fleming et al. (2012) and Johnson and Ritchie (2013). While not diametrically opposed, these papers variously question the notion that wild dogs can help suppress and/or regulate the activity and abundance of foxes and feral cats. They examine the evidence, or lack thereof, for support of the hypothesis. In doing so, it is clear from both papers that (1) hard experimental data to support or refute the hypothesis are mostly lacking, and (2) supporting or refuting the hypothesis is largely contingent on analyses and reanalyses of correlative evidence. Johnson and Ritchie (2013) inadvertently misinterpreted the results of a third study but they were not privy to additional information from that work that does not support their view. The main purpose of this paper is to, first, point out that information, and, second, to argue that until further experimental work is conducted, continuing to define the role and relative importance of wild dogs in Australian landscapes and applying that knowledge in a management setting will be difficult.
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Newsome TM, Stephens D, Ballard GA, Dickman CR, Fleming PJS. Genetic profile of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) and free-roaming domestic dogs (C. l. familiaris) in the Tanami Desert, Australia. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/wr12128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context Many rare and endangered species are threatened by the effects of hybridisation with their domesticated and often numerically dominant relatives. However, factors that influence interactions between hybridising species are poorly understood, thus limiting our ability to develop ameliorative strategies. Aims Here, we identify family groups and investigate patterns of gene flow between dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) and domestic dogs (C. l. familiaris) in the Tanami Desert of central Australia. We aimed to determine whether human-provided resources facilitate hybridisation or alter typical patterns of dingo breeding and social behaviour. We also ask whether remote townships are arenas for dingo–dog hybridisation. Methods Tissue samples and morphological details were collected from dingo-like animals around two mine sites where humans provide abundant supplementary food and water. Using molecular DNA analyses, we assigned animals to population clusters, determined kinship and the numbers of family groups. Rates of hybridisation were assessed around the mines and in two nearby townships. Key results Of 142 samples from mine sites, ‘pure’ dingoes were identified genetically in 89% of cases. This predominance of dingoes was supported by our observations on coat colour and body morphology. Only 2 of 86 domestic dogs sampled at the two townships showed evidence of dingo ancestry. Around the mine sites, there were two distinct population clusters, including a large family group of 55 individuals around a refuse facility. Conclusions Where superabundant and consistent food, and reliable water, was available, dingo packs were much larger and co-existed with others, contrary to expectations derived from previous research. Dingo sociality and pack structures can therefore be altered where human-provided food and water are constantly available, and this could facilitate accelerated rates of hybridisation. Implications The development of appropriate domestic-waste management strategies should be a high priority in remote areas to ensure only normal rates of population increase by dingoes, and other canids more broadly. It will also potentially impede hybridisation rates if typical canid social and behavioural traits remain intact. Additionally, areas surrounding remote human settlements are likely arenas for accentuated dingo–domestic dog interactions and should be a target for future studies.
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Fleming PJS, Allen BL, Ballard GA. Cautionary considerations for positive dingo management: a response to the Johnson and Ritchie critique of Fleming et al. (2012). AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/am12036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Johnson and Ritchie (2012) have provided a criticism of our opinion piece (Fleming et al. 2012). There is some common ground, but we remain unconvinced by their view that our reasoning was unsound or beside the point. In this response, we discuss where Johnson and Ritchie have provided unconvincing evidence to refute our seven considerations, and reiterate and demonstrate why these considerations remain important. The mesopredator release or suppression hypothesis in Australian ecosystems must be objectively evaluated before positive management of dingoes and other free-ranging dogs is recommended or implemented. Adaptive comanagement of free-ranging dogs can be used for both biodiversity conservation and the mitigation of livestock predation but caution must be exercised when considering using free-ranging dogs as a conservation tool.
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