Burrowing by translocated boodie (<i>Bettongia lesueur</i>) populations alters soils but has limited effects on vegetation

Palmer, Bryony; Valentine, Leonie E.; Lohr, Cheryl A.; Daskalova, Gergana N.; Hobbs, Richard J.

doi:10.1002/ece3.7218

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…We summarised the roles of bioturbator mammals in maintaining ecosystem processes and health, which goes beyond soil disturbance and includes changes in biotic and abiotic habitat characteristics, directly or indirectly affecting the availability of resources to other organisms (Desbiez & Kluyber 2013). Bioturbators also affect soil compaction (Palmer et al 2021), soil moisture (Garkaklis et al 1998), microbe diversity (Miranda et al 2019), nutrient cycling (Hagenah & Bennett 2013), plant germination and recruitment (Villarreal et al 2008, Radnan & Eldridge 2017), and fire regimes (Ryan et al 2020). Nevertheless, it is important to identify which species and processes are associated with bioturbator mammals to determine under what conditions these interactions can be positive, neutral, or negative.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the excavating activities by gophers while loosening soil may aid tree seedling establishment, due to the increased seedling root penetration in the soils. Likewise, translocated boodies Bettongia lesueur and eastern barred bandicoots Perameles gunnii in Australia reduce soil compaction while creating warrens (Palmer et al 2021) or digging for food, respectively, particularly in open grazed pastures (Halstead et al 2020). This can be beneficial in restoring pasture growth and ameliorating the effects of livestock trampling.…”

Section: Bioturbator Mammals As Ecosystem Engineersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecosystem roles and conservation status of bioturbator mammals

et al. 2021

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1. The action of biological reworking of soils is referred to as bioturbation, and many species of mammals globally have an important role in soil disturbance, modifying ecosystem characteristics. 2. We examined global patterns in the distribution, conservation status, and threats to the world's bioturbator mammals and illustrated the relevant roles these species play in ecosystem engineering related to soil processes and services. We searched the data available on 3932 non-flying land-dwelling mammals included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. 3. Using existing literature and online databases, we determined that 869 (22%) of the non-flying land-dwelling mammals accessed can be considered as bioturbators in three distinct groups: foragers (n = 123), semi-fossorial species (n = 652), and strictly fossorial species (n = 94). Of the world's bioturbator mammal species, 16% are threatened, 2% are already Extinct, and 8% are classified as Data Deficient. Foragers have the highest percentage of threatened (35%) and Extinct (5%) species, while strictly fossorial species have the highest percentage of Data Deficient species (12%). Although the majority of bioturbator mammal species are found in Asia (32%), Oceania is the continent with the highest percentage of threatened (27%) and Extinct (11%) bioturbator species, while Central and South America have the highest percentage of species classified as Data Deficient (24%). The threats experienced by the greatest number of bioturbator mammal species are activities related to agriculture and aquaculture (29%), and biological resource use (22%). 4. Soil bioturbation can improve ecosystem health by reducing soil compaction, increasing nutrient cycling, soil moisture, microbe diversity, plant recruitment, and carbon storage. The loss of bioturbator mammals could trigger cascading effects throughout the ecosystems they inhabit. A better understanding of their conservation status is important so that effective conservation measures can be developed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Bioturbator Mammals As Ecosystem Engineersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem roles and conservation status of bioturbator mammals

et al. 2021

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“…The Rangelands Restoration program at the Matuwa Indigenous Protected Area (2440 km 2 ; ex-Lorna Glen pastoral lease) in central Western Australia (26°13′ S, 121°33′ E; Figure 1 ) aims to achieve the successful reconstruction of an Australian arid zone native species assemblage. To date, five species have been successfully reintroduced to Matuwa; the bilby ( Macrotis lagortis ), common brushtail possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus ), Barrow Island golden bandicoot ( Isoodon auratus barrowensis ), burrowing bettong ( Bettongia leseuer ), and mala ( Lagorchestes hirsutus ), of which the final two are still confined to a predator-free fenced area [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. The successful reintroduction of native species to the open landscape can only be maintained if an effective and sustained feral cat control program can be achieved [ 10 , 38 , 39 , 40 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two Methods of Monitoring Cats at a Landscape-Scale

Lohr¹,

Nilsson²,

Johnson³

et al. 2021

Animals

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Feral cats are difficult to manage and harder to monitor. We analysed the cost and the efficacy of monitoring the pre- and post-bait abundance of feral cats via camera-traps or track counts using four years of data from the Matuwa Indigenous Protected Area. Additionally, we report on the recovery of the feral cat population and the efficacy of subsequent Eradicat® aerial baiting programs following 12 months of intensive feral cat control in 2019. Significantly fewer cats were captured in 2020 (n = 8) compared to 2019 (n = 126). Pre-baiting surveys for 2020 and 2021 suggested that the population of feral cats on Matuwa was very low, at 5.5 and 4.4 cats/100 km, respectively, which is well below our target threshold of 10 cats/100 km. Post-baiting surveys then recorded 3.6 and 3.0 cats/100 km, respectively, which still equates to a 35% and 32% reduction in cat activity. Track counts recorded significantly more feral cats than camera traps and were cheaper to implement. We recommend that at least two methods of monitoring cats be implemented to prevent erroneous conclusions.

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“…The Matuwa Indigenous Protected Area is an ex-pastoral lease in central Western Australia that has been managed for conservation for 20 years (2440 km 2 ; 7,097,616 N, 344,101 E; Figure 1). Feral cats have been controlled primarily through aerial baiting since 2007 and five native mammal species have been successfully reintroduced to the property [33][34][35][36][37]. The Western Shield baiting prescription consists of a fixed-wing aircraft, flying at a nominal speed of 160 kt and 500 ft. (Above Ground Level) to deploy batches of fifty Eradicat ® baits (Kensington, WA, Australia), which each contain 4.5 mg of sodium monofluoroacetate (1080) at 1 km intervals, along flight transects 1 km apart, to achieve an application rate of 50 baits/km 2 [38].…”

Section: Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feral Cats in the Subtropics of Australia—The Shamrock Station Irrigation Project

Löhr

Algar²,

Hamilton³

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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Environmental damage caused by the intensification of agriculture may be compensated by implementing conservation projects directed towards reducing threatening processes and conserving threatened native species. In Australia, feral cats (Felis catus) have been a ubiquitous threatening process to Australian fauna since European colonisation. On Shamrock Station, in the north-west of Western Australia, the Argyle Cattle Company has proposed intensifying agriculture through the installation of irrigation pivots. There is concern that irrigating land and storing agricultural produce may indirectly increase the abundance of feral cats and European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) on the property, which in turn may negatively impact threatened bilbies (Macrotis lagotis) that also inhabit the property. Feral cat control is required under the approved management plan for this project to mitigate this potential impact. Our baseline study revealed a high density of feral cats on Shamrock Station (0.87 cats km−2) and dietary data that suggest the current native mammal assemblage on Shamrock Station is depauperate. Given the high density of feral cats in this area, the effective control of this introduced predator is likely to confer benefits to the bilby and other native species susceptible to cat predation. We recommend ongoing monitoring of both native species and feral cats to determine if there is a benefit in implementing feral cat control around areas of intensive agriculture and associated cattle production.

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Burrowing by translocated boodie (Bettongia lesueur) populations alters soils but has limited effects on vegetation

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 8 publications

References 57 publications

Ecosystem roles and conservation status of bioturbator mammals

Ecosystem roles and conservation status of bioturbator mammals

Two Methods of Monitoring Cats at a Landscape-Scale

Feral Cats in the Subtropics of Australia—The Shamrock Station Irrigation Project

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