Holocene vertebrate fossils aid the management and restoration of Australian ecosystems

The influence of environmental awareness and conditions on successful aging: Evidence of air and water pollution in China

This study examines three aspects of successful aging including subjective health, cognitive ability, and social participation and their relations with environmental conditions and environmental awareness. We used the seemingly uncorrelated regression and multilevel models to estimate the joint relationship by combining the Chinese General Social Survey (2013 and 2021) (N = 5404 and 1580 accordingly) and the Chinese Statistical Yearbook and used propensity score analysis to identify potential endogenous issues. The first finding is that older people who were men, married, lived in urban areas, or received social security had an edge in aging successfully. Secondly, the adverse effects of environmental pollution on older adults' cognitive ability and social participation can be reduced by the protective effects of environmental awareness. Additionally, air pollution had more apparent effects, and water pollution was more modest in social involvement. This study offers empirical results to enhance the well-being of the older population by lifting their environmental perception and improving environmental quality.

Using historical and palaeoecological data to inform ambitious species recovery targets

Historical data are a valuable resource for addressing present-day conservation issues, for example by informing the establishment of appropriate recovery targets. However, while the recovery of threatened species is the end goal of many conservation programmes, data made available through the efforts of palaeoecologists and historical ecologists are rarely consulted. The proposal of a 'Green List of Species' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will soon change this. The Green List of Species measures recovery against historical baselines; in particular, the method requires estimates of species range and abundance in previous centuries. In this paper, we present the case for why setting species recovery against a historical baseline is necessary to produce ambitious conservation targets, and we highlight examples from palaeoecology and historical ecology where fossil and archival data have been used to establish historical species baselines. Finally, we introduce Conservation Archive (https://conservationarchive.shinyapps.io/ConservationArchive/), a database of resources that can be used to infer baseline species conditions, and invite contributions to this database. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?'

The Burramys Project: a conservationist's reach should exceed history's grasp, or what is the fossil record for?

The fossil record provides important information about changes in species diversity, distribution, habitat and abundance through time. As we understand more about these changes, it becomes possible to envisage a wider range of options for translocations in a world where sustainability of habitats is under increasing threat. The Critically Endangered alpine/subalpine mountain pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus (Marsupialia, Burramyidae), is threatened by global heating. Using conventional strategies, there would be no viable pathway for stopping this iconic marsupial from becoming extinct. The fossil record, however, has inspired an innovative strategy for saving this species. This lineage has been represented over 25 Myr by a series of species always inhabiting lowland, wet forest palaeocommunities. These fossil deposits have been found in what is now the Tirari Desert, South Australia (24 Ma), savannah woodlands of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Queensland (approx. 24–15 Ma) and savannah grasslands of Hamilton, Victoria (approx. 4 Ma). This palaeoecological record has led to the proposal overviewed here to construct a lowland breeding facility with the goal of monitoring the outcome of introducing this possum back into the pre-Quaternary core habitat for the lineage. If this project succeeds, similar approaches could be considered for other climate-change-threatened Australian species such as the southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree) and the western swamp tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina).

This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?’

Insights into the pre-European mammalian fauna of the southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia

Many Australian mammal species have suffered significant declines since European colonisation. During the first century of settlement, information on species distribution was rarely recorded. However, fossil accumulations can assist the reconstruction of historical distributions. We examine a fossil vertebrate assemblage from Mair’s Cave, one of few known from the southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia. The Mair’s Cave assemblage was dominated by mammals but also included birds and reptiles. Of the 18 mammals recovered, two have not previously been recorded from the southern Flinders Ranges, at least one is extinct and seven are recognised as threatened nationally. Characteristics of the assemblage suggest that it was accumulated by a Tyto owl species. Remains of Tyto delicatula and a larger unidentified owl were recovered from the assemblage. Most mammals identified from the assemblage presently occupy Australia’s semiarid zone, but a single specimen of the broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus), which primarily occurs in high-moisture, low-temperature environments was also recovered. This suggests either that the southern Flinders Ranges once experienced higher past precipitation, or that M. fuscus can tolerate a broader climatic range than its current distribution suggests. Our study contributes new knowledge on the biogeography and ecology of several mammal species, data useful for helping to refine restoration targets.

Fossils reveal late Holocene diversity and post-European decline of the terrestrial mammals of the Murray–Darling Depression

Context Establishing appropriate faunal baselines is critical for understanding and abating biodiversity declines. However, baselines can be highly reliant on historical records that come from already disturbed ecosystems. This is exemplified in the Murray–Darling Depression bioregion of Australia, where European settlement (and accompanying marked land-management changes and the introduction of many species) triggered rapid declines and losses of native species, often before their documentation. Aims We aim to establish the mammal fauna present when Europeans settled the Murray Mallee and Murray–Darling Depression bioregion and determine the extent of mammal loss since European settlement. Methods We describe a dated vertebrate assemblage from Light’s Roost in the lower Murray Mallee region of South Australia. We compare our data with those of modern fauna surveys and historical records to document the extent of change in the mammal fauna since European settlement. Key results Radiocarbon ages showed that the assemblage was accumulating, at a minimum, within an interval from 1900 to 1300 years ago. Since this time, the Murray–Darling Depression has lost half of its flightless terrestrial mammals. Species lost include the mulgara (Dasycercus blythi/cristicauda), which places this taxon within only 40km of Lake Alexandrina, the hitherto-disputed type locality for D. cristicauda. Fossils provided the principal evidence for nearly half of the Murray Mallee fauna and over three-quarters of the fauna are represented in the fossil record. Conclusions Late Holocene assemblages provide important archives of species biogeography and diversity. Our revised faunal baseline indicated that the pre-European fauna of the Murray–Darling Depression was more diverse than hitherto understood and its reduction appears largely caused by the impacts of European settlement. Implications Baselines for species distributions derived from historical records and modern faunal surveys are likely to be incomplete and warrant revision, particularly for smaller and more cryptic species. Deficiencies in regional records mask the extent of mammal declines caused by European colonisation and associated agricultural practices, and thus vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbance.