Dietary flexibility in small carnivores: a case study on the endangered northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus

Dunlop, J. N.; Rayner, Kelly; Doherty, Tim S.

doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyx015

Cited by 41 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The lack of potential mammal prey at artificial dens is important, as small marsupials and rodents can make up a large portion of northern quoll diet (Dunlop et al, 2017), and predators often use habitat based on the availability of prey (Gallant et al, 2014; Khalatbari, Yusefi, Martínez‐Freiría, Jowkar, & Brito, 2018; Rabelo, Aragon, & Bicca‐Marques, 2019). The most commonly recorded mammal prey in this study was the common rock‐rat ( Z .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When forward‐facing cameras also detected prey species, these data were included in estimates of prey availability; however, predators were only included in visitation analysis when detected by forward‐facing cameras. Potential prey were animals that could be depredated by northern quolls, based on their diet in the Pilbara (Dunlop et al, 2017; Pollock, 1999). To avoid repeatedly counting single individuals over short period of time, we defined an “independent detection” as any triggers of the same species separated by more than 15 min (Diete, Meek, Dixon, Dickman, & Leung, 2016; Hofmeester, Rowcliffe, & Jansen, 2017; Rendall, Sutherland, Cooke, & White, 2014).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, we predict that quolls will select dens with specific physical dimensions that reduce predation risk, such as an opening that is large enough for quolls to enter, but small enough to exclude predators such as feral cats (Oakwood, 2000; O'Connell & Keppel, 2016). Finally, we predict that quolls will select dens in areas that minimize the likelihood of encountering larger predators (e.g., choosing areas with low feral cat activity and complex surrounding habitat structure; McGregor, Legge, Jones, & Johnson, 2015; Hernandez‐Santin et al, 2016), as well as having ample small vertebrate prey (Dunlop, Rayner, & Doherty, 2017). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Artificial refuges to combat habitat loss for an endangered marsupial predator: How do they measure up?

Cowan

Dunlop

Turner

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One technique used to combat the growing global species extinction crisis has been to create artificial refuges-human-made replacements for natural refuges destroyed during habitat modification. However, there is limited knowledge of how closely artificial refuges replicate the natural refuges they seek to replace. Mining threatens many species worldwide through large-scale habitat modification, and artificial refuges have been proposed as a method to offset the resulting habitat loss. Here, we examined the microclimatic, physical, and biotic characteristics of natural dens occupied by the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus)-an endangered marsupial threatened by habitat loss-and compared these to (a) superficially similar unoccupied crevices, and (b) artificial dens created by mining companies for northern quolls. Northern quolls occupied natural dens that were cooler and deeper than unoccupied crevices, likely to avoid lethal air temperatures as well as predators. Artificial dens provided similar thermal properties to occupied dens, but lacked key characteristics in having shallower den cavities, less complex surrounding habitat, increased feral cat visitation, and less small mammal prey compared to occupied dens.This study highlights the need to consider multiple facets when constructing artificial refuges, in order to avoid perverse outcomes, such as inadequate shelter, increased predation, and food shortages.activity patterns, artificial den, artificial refuge, Dasyurus hallucatus, feral cat, habitat loss, habitat restoration, northern quoll, revegetation, thermal limits

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Artificial refuges to combat habitat loss for an endangered marsupial predator: How do they measure up?

Cowan

Dunlop

Turner

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Fine-scale incidence of A. arktos was influenced greatest by percentage cover of leaf litter, then rock cover, and finally moss/lichen. According to Gray et al (2016), like most antechinus and many dasyurids (e.g., see Dickman, 1983;Dickman, 2014;Dunlop, Rayner, & Doherty, 2017;Fisher & Dickman, 1993;Mason, Burwell, & Baker, 2015;Pearce, Burwell, & Baker, 2017;Scarff, Rhind, & Bradley, 1998), A. arktos is a generalist forager. However, Gray et al (2016) also found A. arktos consumes considerably higher volumes of dipteran (fly) larvae and Diplopoda (millipedes) than its sympatric congener, A. stuartii.…”

Section: How Do a Arktos Captures Relate To Fine-scale Habitat Attmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation structure and ground cover attributes describe the occurrence of a newly discovered carnivorous marsupial on the Tweed Shield Volcano caldera, the endangered black‐tailed dusky antechinus (Antechinus arktos)

Riordan

Pearce

McDonald³

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The black‐tailed dusky antechinus (Antechinus arktos) is a recently discovered, endangered, carnivorous marsupial mammal endemic to the Tweed Shield Volcano caldera, straddling the border between Queensland and New South Wales in eastern Australia. The species' preference for cool, high‐altitude habitats makes it particularly vulnerable to a shifting climate as these habitats recede. Aside from basic breeding and dietary patterns, the species' ecology is largely unknown. Understanding fine‐scale habitat attributes preferred by this endangered mammal is critical to employ successful conservation management. Here, we assess vegetation attributes of known habitats over three sites at Springbrook and Border Ranges National Parks, including detailed structure data and broad floristic assessment. Floristic compositional assessment of the high‐altitude cloud rainforest indicated broad similarities. However, only 22% of plant species were shared between all sites indicating a high level of local endemism. This suggests a diverse assemblage of vegetation across A. arktos habitats. Habitat characteristics were related to capture records of A. arktos to determine potential fine‐scale structural habitat requirements. Percentage of rock cover and leaf litter were the strongest predictors of A. arktos captures across survey sites, suggesting a need for foraging substrate and cover. Habitat characteristics described here will inform predictive species distribution models of this federally endangered species and are applicable to other mammal conservation programs.

show abstract

“…Northern quolls are also a suitable study system for this investigation because they inhabit a wide range of habitats, ranging from rainforests to deserts (Begg, 1981; Moore et al., 2019; Oakwood, 2002). They are opportunistic foragers of small vertebrates, invertebrates, fruit, and carrion (Dunlop, Rayner, & Doherty, 2017). The species is also expected to evolve quickly because, as a semelparous species, most males die off in their first year after mating (Oakwood, Bradley, & Cockburn, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skull shape of a widely distributed, endangered marsupial reveals little evidence of local adaptation between fragmented populations

Viacava

Blomberg

Sansalone

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The biogeographic distribution of diversity among populations of threatened mammalian species is generally investigated using population genetics. However, intraspecific phenotypic diversity is rarely assessed beyond taxonomy‐focused linear measurements or qualitative descriptions. Here, we use a technique widely used in the evolutionary sciences—geometric morphometrics—to characterize shape diversity in the skull of an endangered marsupial, the northern quoll, across its 5,000 km distribution range along Northern Australia. Skull shape is a proxy for feeding, behavior, and phenotypic differentiation, allowing us to ask whether populations can be distinguished and whether patterns of variation indicate adaptability to changing environmental conditions. We analyzed skull shape in 101 individuals across four mainland populations and several islands. We assessed the contribution of population, size, sex, rainfall, temperature, and geography to skull shape variation using principal component analysis, Procrustes ANOVA, and variation partitioning analyses. The populations harbor similar amounts of broadly overlapping skull shape variation, with relatively low geographic effects. Size predicted skull shape best, coinciding with braincase size variation and differences in zygomatic arches. Size‐adjusted differences in populations explained less variation with far smaller effect sizes, relating to changes in the insertion areas of masticatory muscles, as well as the upper muzzle and incisor region. Climatic and geographic variables contributed little. Strikingly, the vast majority of shape variation—76%—remained unexplained. Our results suggest a uniform intraspecific scope for shape variation, possibly due to allometric constraints or phenotypic plasticity beyond the relatively strong allometric effect. The lack of local adaptation indicates that cross‐breeding between populations will not reduce local morphological skull (and probably general musculoskeletal) adaptation because none exists. However, the potential for heritable morphological variation (e.g., specialization to local diets) seems exceedingly limited. We conclude that 3D geometric morphometrics can provide a comprehensive, statistically rigorous phenomic contribution to genetic‐based conservation studies.

show abstract

Dietary flexibility in small carnivores: a case study on the endangered northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus

Cited by 41 publications

References 37 publications

Artificial refuges to combat habitat loss for an endangered marsupial predator: How do they measure up?

Artificial refuges to combat habitat loss for an endangered marsupial predator: How do they measure up?

Vegetation structure and ground cover attributes describe the occurrence of a newly discovered carnivorous marsupial on the Tweed Shield Volcano caldera, the endangered black‐tailed dusky antechinus (Antechinus arktos)

Skull shape of a widely distributed, endangered marsupial reveals little evidence of local adaptation between fragmented populations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About