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Cowan MA, Dunlop JA, Gibson LA, Moore HA, Setterfield SA, Nimmo DG. Movement ecology of an endangered mesopredator in a mining landscape. Mov Ecol 2024; 12:5. [PMID: 38233871 PMCID: PMC10795371 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00439-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Efficient movement and energy expenditure are vital for animal survival. Human disturbance can alter animal movement due to changes in resource availability and threats. Some animals can exploit anthropogenic disturbances for more efficient movement, while others face restricted or inefficient movement due to fragmentation of high-resource habitats, and risks associated with disturbed habitats. Mining, a major anthropogenic disturbance, removes natural habitats, introduces new landscape features, and alters resource distribution in the landscape. This study investigates the effect of mining on the movement of an endangered mesopredator, the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus). Using GPS collars and accelerometers, we investigate their habitat selection and energy expenditure in an active mining landscape, to determine the effects of this disturbance on northern quolls. METHODS We fit northern quolls with GPS collars and accelerometers during breeding and non-breeding season at an active mine site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. We investigated broad-scale movement by calculating the movement ranges of quolls using utilisation distributions at the 95% isopleth, and compared habitat types and environmental characteristics within observed movement ranges to the available landscape. We investigated fine-scale movement by quolls with integrated step selection functions, assessing the relative selection strength for each habitat covariate. Finally, we used piecewise structural equation modelling to analyse the influence of each habitat covariate on northern quoll energy expenditure. RESULTS At the broad scale, northern quolls predominantly used rugged, rocky habitats, and used mining habitats in proportion to their availability. However, at the fine scale, habitat use varied between breeding and non-breeding seasons. During the breeding season, quolls notably avoided mining habitats, whereas in the non-breeding season, they frequented mining habitats equally to rocky and riparian habitats, albeit at a higher energetic cost. CONCLUSION Mining impacts northern quolls by fragmenting favoured rocky habitats, increasing energy expenditure, and potentially impacting breeding dispersal. While mining habitats might offer limited resource opportunities in the non-breeding season, conservation efforts during active mining, including the creation of movement corridors and progressive habitat restoration would likely be useful. However, prioritising the preservation of natural rocky and riparian habitats in mining landscapes is vital for northern quoll conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Cowan
- Gulbali Institute, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, 386 Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona, NSW, 2640, Australia.
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - J A Dunlop
- Gulbali Institute, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, 386 Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona, NSW, 2640, Australia
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - L A Gibson
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, 17 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia
| | - H A Moore
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, 17 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia
| | - S A Setterfield
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - D G Nimmo
- Gulbali Institute, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, 386 Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona, NSW, 2640, Australia
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Michael DR, Nimmo DG, Stevens E, Schlen T, Wassens S. Finding Ngabi (Hemiaspis damelii): factors affecting the use of modified floodplain wetlands by an endangered snake. Wildl Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1071/wr22147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
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Cowan MA, Moore HA, Hradsky BA, Jolly CJ, Dunlop JA, Wysong ML, Hernandez-Santin L, Davis RA, Fisher DO, Michael DR, Turner JM, Gibson LA, Knuckey CG, Henderson M, Nimmo DG. Non-preferred habitat increases the activity area of the endangered northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) in a semi-arid landscape. Aust Mammalogy 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/am22006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Webster C, Massaro M, Michael DR, Bambrick D, Riley JL, Nimmo DG. Native reptiles alter their foraging in the presence of the olfactory cues of invasive mammalian predators. R Soc Open Sci 2018; 5:180136. [PMID: 30473801 PMCID: PMC6227964 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Invasive mammalian predators are linked to terrestrial vertebrate extinctions worldwide. Prey naïveté may explain the large impact invasive predators have on native prey; prey may fail to detect and react appropriately to the cues of novel predators, which results in high levels of depredation. In Australia, the feral cat (Felis catus) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) are implicated in more than 30 animal extinctions and the naïveté of native prey is often used to explain this high extinction rate. Reptiles are one group of animals that are heavily preyed upon by F. catus and V. vulpes. However, very few studies have examined whether reptiles are naive to their cues. In this study, we examine the ability of two native reptile species (Morethia boulengeri and Christinus marmoratus) to detect and distinguish between the chemical cues of two invasive predators (V. vulpes and F. catus) and three native predators (spotted-tailed quoll, Dasyurus maculatus; dingo, Canis lupus dingo; eastern brown snake, Pseudonaja textilis), as well as two non-predator controls (eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus and water). We conducted experiments to quantify the effects of predator scents on lizard foraging (the amount of food eaten) during 1 h trials within Y-maze arenas. We found both study species reduced the amount they consumed when exposed to predator scents-both native and invasive-indicating that these species are not naive to invasive predators. An evolved generalized predator-recognition system, rapid evolution or learned behaviour could each explain the lack of naïveté in some native Australian reptiles towards invasive predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Webster
- Institute for Land, Water and Society, School of Environmental Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales 2640, Australia
| | - M. Massaro
- Institute for Land, Water and Society, School of Environmental Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales 2640, Australia
| | - D. R. Michael
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2611, Australia
| | - D. Bambrick
- Institute for Land, Water and Society, School of Environmental Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales 2640, Australia
| | - J. L. Riley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - D. G. Nimmo
- Institute for Land, Water and Society, School of Environmental Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales 2640, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- E. C. Pryde
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences; James Cook University; Cairns Qld Australia
| | - D. G. Nimmo
- Landscape Ecology Research Group and Centre for Integrative Ecology; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Burwood Vic. Australia
- School of Environmental Science; Institute for Land, Water and Society; Charles Sturt University; Albury NSW Australia
| | - G. J. Holland
- Landscape Ecology Research Group and Centre for Integrative Ecology; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Burwood Vic. Australia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution; La Trobe University; Bundoora Vic. Australia
| | - S. J. Watson
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution; La Trobe University; Bundoora Vic. Australia
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Forsyth DM, Woolnough AP, Nimmo DG, Ritchie EG, Kennedy M, Pople A, Watson I. A comment on the influence of dingoes on the Australian sheep flock. Aust Vet J 2014; 92:461-2. [DOI: 10.1111/avj.12277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- DM Forsyth
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research; Department of Environment and Primary Industries; Heidelberg Victoria 3084 Australia
| | - AP Woolnough
- Biosecurity Division; Department of Environment and Primary Industries; East Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - DG Nimmo
- Centre for Integrative Ecology and School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - EG Ritchie
- Centre for Integrative Ecology and School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - M Kennedy
- Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia; South Perth Western Australia Australia
| | - A Pople
- Invasive Plant and Animal Science; Biosecurity Queensland; Department of Agriculture; Fisheries and Forestry; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - I Watson
- CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences; Aitkenvale Queensland Australia
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Nimmo DG, Kelly LT, Spence-Bailey LM, Watson SJ, Taylor RS, Clarke MF, Bennett AF. Fire mosaics and reptile conservation in a fire-prone region. Conserv Biol 2013; 27:345-353. [PMID: 23163245 DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01958.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2012] [Accepted: 07/06/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Fire influences the distribution of fauna in terrestrial biomes throughout the world. Use of fire to achieve a mosaic of vegetation in different stages of succession after burning (i.e., patch-mosaic burning) is a dominant conservation practice in many regions. Despite this, knowledge of how the spatial attributes of vegetation mosaics created by fire affect fauna is extremely scarce, and it is unclear what kind of mosaic land managers should aim to achieve. We selected 28 landscapes (each 12.6 km(2) ) that varied in the spatial extent and diversity of vegetation succession after fire in a 104,000 km(2) area in the semiarid region of southeastern Australia. We surveyed for reptiles at 280 sites nested within the 28 landscapes. The landscape-level occurrence of 9 of the 22 species modeled was associated with the spatial extent of vegetation age classes created by fire. Biogeographic context and the extent of a vegetation type influenced 7 and 4 species, respectively. No species were associated with the diversity of vegetation ages within a landscape. Negative relations between reptile occurrence and both extent of recently burned vegetation (≤10 years postfire, n = 6) and long unburned vegetation (>35 years postfire, n = 4) suggested that a coarse-grained mosaic of areas (e.g. >1000 ha) of midsuccessional vegetation (11-35 years postfire) may support the fire-sensitive reptile species we modeled. This age class coincides with a peak in spinifex cover, a keystone structure for reptiles in semiarid and arid Australia. Maintaining over the long term a coarse-grained mosaic of large areas of midsuccessional vegetation in mallee ecosystems will need to be balanced against the short-term negative effects of large fires on many reptile species and a documented preference by species from other taxonomic groups, particularly birds, for older vegetation.
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Affiliation(s)
- D G Nimmo
- Landscape Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia
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Watson SJ, Taylor RS, Nimmo DG, Kelly LT, Clarke MF, Bennett AF. The influence of unburnt patches and distance from refuges on post-fire bird communities. Anim Conserv 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2012.00542.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - R. S. Taylor
- Department of Zoology; La Trobe University; Melbourne; Vic; Australia
| | - D. G. Nimmo
- Landscape Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Burwood; Vic; Australia
| | | | - M. F. Clarke
- Department of Zoology; La Trobe University; Melbourne; Vic; Australia
| | - A. F. Bennett
- Landscape Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Burwood; Vic; Australia
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