Ecosystem engineering by deep‐nesting monitor lizards

Doody, J. Sean; Soennichsen, Kari F.; James, H. G.; McHenry, Colin R.; Clulow, Simon

doi:10.1002/ecy.3271

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Reptilian predators seldom feature prominently in predator-prey studies of vertebrates, with reptiles more likely to be described as the prey of larger mammalian or avian predators (e.g., Woinarski et al 2018;Stobo-Wilson et al 2021). However, there is compelling evidence to indicate that, in some contexts, reptilian predators such as snakes, crocodilians and goannas represent the 'forgotten majority' (Sutherland and Bryant 2014), and can have considerable in uence on other vertebrates via competitive and predatory interactions (Savidge 1987;Sutherland et al 2011;Radford et al 2020), or through their role as ecosystem engineers (Doody et al 2020). Several studies show that snakes detect and track odours of their prey (e.g., Burghardt and Denny 1983; Webb and Shine 1992), and it is likely that at least some Varanus spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Odour-Mediated Interactions Between an Apex Reptilian Predator and its Mammalian Prey

Dickman

Fardell

Hills

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An important but understudied modality for eavesdropping between predators and prey is olfaction, especially between non-mammalian vertebrate predators and their prey. Here we test three olfactory eavesdropping predictions involving an apex reptilian predator, the sand goanna Varanus gouldii, and several species of its small mammalian prey in arid central Australia. Firstly, as expected, we found that small mammals recognised and avoided the faecal odour of sand goannas, feeding less intensively at food patches where the odour of V. gouldii was present than at patches with no odour or a pungency control odour. Secondly, V. gouldii was attracted to the odour of small mammals in artificial burrows, and dug more frequently at burrows containing the odour of species that were energetically profitable than at those of species likely to yield diminished returns. Our third prediction received mixed support. Rates of movement of three species of small mammals were no different where V. gouldii was present or absent, but burrow fidelity in two of these species increased as expected in an area where V. gouldii had been removed. We conclude that olfaction plays a key role in the dynamic interaction between V. gouldii and its mammalian prey, with the interactants using olfaction to balance their respective costs of foraging and reducing predation risk. We speculate that the risk of predation from this apex reptilian predator drives the marked and highly unusual burrow-shifting behaviour that characterises many of Australia's small desert mammals.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Odour-Mediated Interactions Between an Apex Reptilian Predator and its Mammalian Prey

Dickman

Fardell

Hills

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Large numbers of species live in subterranean microhabitats, especially where already extreme ambient environmental conditions prevail. Many fossorial species are ecosystem engineers, creating thermal refugia on the landscape upon which whole ecological communities are dependent(Doody et al, 2021;Pike & Mitchell, 2013), emphasizing the importance of protecting burrowing biota. Landscape-scale changes in species distributions, such as latitudinal and altitudinal shifts, in response to climate change are increasingly recognized.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate‐associated decline of body condition in a fossorial salamander

Moldowan

Tattersall

Rollinson

2021

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Global climate change is unequivocal, and rates of observed and predicted temperature increases are greater at higher latitudes (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014). High-and mid-latitude regions have experienced rapid environmental change over the past half-century, including increases in mean air and surface temperature, extreme high temperature events, decreases in the number of frost-free days, and decreases in ice cover (Bartolai et al., 2015;Cohen et al., 2014). The short post-glacial history of the Northern hemisphere mid-latitudes, combined with regional geology, climate, and varied habitat types, makes this region the

show abstract

“…that were aestivating there during the dry season (Doody et al 2021a). The warrens also provided nesting habitat for another goanna species (V. acanthurus) and the gecko Strophurus ciliaris (Böhm et al 2013;Doody et al 2017Doody et al , 2021b. These two goanna species thus join the burrowing tortoises of North America (Gopherus) and perhaps mound-nesting crocodilians as reptilian ecosystem engineers (Kinlaw and Grasmueck 2012;Somaweera et al 2020).…”

Section: Nesting Ecology In Australian Goannasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These warrens contain communal nests, solitary nests (with mothers returning to the same nest site year after year), nests with complex structures, and the deepest vertebrate nests in the world (up to 4 m deep: Doody et al 2014Doody et al , 2015Doody et al , 2018aDoody et al , 2018b. Moreover, the burrows provide refuges, foraging sites, aestivation sites and nesting sites for many other animals, which is the first demonstrated case of ecosystem engineering in lizards (Doody et al 2021b).…”

Section: Nesting Ecology In Australian Goannasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These two goanna species probably nest deeply to maintain moist conditions during the long (~8 month) incubation period that spans the entire dry season, rather than depth being related to temperature (Doody et al 2015). Varanus panoptes nests are deeper in a desert site than in a woodland site with higher rainfall (Doody et al 2018b), and V. panoptes mothers nest deeper in drier years (Doody et al 2021b). Decoupling of temperature from moisture in reptile nests (Doody et al 2021b) demonstrates plasticity in depth due to a soil moisture gradient; in all other (shallower) reptile nests, shallower nesting means warmer but drier conditions, complicating the isolation of whether temperature or moisture is the cue for plasticity in nest depth.…”

Section: Nesting Ecology In Australian Goannasmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Australian lizards are outstanding models for reproductive biology research

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Australian lizards are a diverse group distributed across the continent and inhabiting a wide range of environments. Together, they exhibit a remarkable diversity of reproductive morphologies, physiologies, and behaviours that is broadly representative of vertebrates in general. Many reproductive traits exhibited by Australian lizards have evolved independently in multiple lizard lineages, including sociality, complex signalling and mating systems, viviparity, and temperature-dependent sex determination. Australian lizards are thus outstanding model organisms for testing hypotheses about how reproductive traits function and evolve, and they provide an important basis of comparison with other animals that exhibit similar traits. We review how research on Australian lizard reproduction has contributed to answering broader evolutionary and ecological questions that apply to animals in general. We focus on reproductive traits, processes, and strategies that are important areas of current research, including behaviours and signalling involved in courtship; mechanisms involved in mating, egg production, and sperm competition; nesting and gestation; sex determination; and finally, birth in viviparous species. We use our review to identify important questions that emerge from an understanding of this body of research when considered holistically. Finally, we identify additional research questions within each topic that Australian lizards are well suited for reproductive biologists to address.

show abstract

Ecosystem engineering by deep‐nesting monitor lizards

Cited by 24 publications

References 17 publications

Odour-Mediated Interactions Between an Apex Reptilian Predator and its Mammalian Prey

Odour-Mediated Interactions Between an Apex Reptilian Predator and its Mammalian Prey

Climate‐associated decline of body condition in a fossorial salamander

Australian lizards are outstanding models for reproductive biology research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About