Natural and anthropogenic processes influence the occurrence of vertebrate fauna in coastal dunes

Chadwick, Alicia; Weston, Michael A.; Burns, Thomas J.; Randall, Georgia; Radvan, Max; Rendall, Anthony R.

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2022.108025

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…None of the variables predicted the activity of small mammals, a finding at odds with previous studies on these species that identified relationships with NDVI (Chadwick et al, 2022;Hale et al, 2016) and changes in habitat use following fire (Fordyce et al, 2016;Lees et al, 2022;Swan et al, 2016). One reason for this discrepancy may be that our camera arrangement, in terms of both density and spatial extent, was insufficient to reliably detect discrete patterns of microhabitat use for these species, especially considering the depauperate state of the small mammal community (Wilson & Garkaklis, 2020).…”

Section: Small-and Medium-sized Mammalscontrasting

confidence: 73%

How do invasive predators and their native prey respond to prescribed fire?

Watchorn,

Doherty,

Wilson

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Fire shapes animal communities by altering resource availability and species interactions, including between predators and prey. In Australia, there is particular concern that two highly damaging invasive predators, the feral cat (Felis catus) and European red fox (Vulpes vulpes), increase their activity in recently burnt areas and exert greater predation pressure on the native prey due to their increased exposure. We tested how prescribed fire occurrence and extent, along with fire history, vegetation, topography, and distance to anthropogenic features (towns and farms), affected the activity (detection frequency) of cats, foxes, and the native mammal community in south‐eastern Australia. We used camera traps to quantify mammal activity before and after a prescribed burn and statistically tested how the fire interacted with these habitat variables to affect mammal activity. We found little evidence that the prescribed fire influenced the activity of cats and foxes and no evidence of an effect on kangaroo or small mammal (<800 g) activity. Medium‐sized mammals (800–2000 g) were negatively associated with prescribed fire extent, suggesting that prescribed fire has a negative impact on these species in the short term. The lack of a clear activity increase from cats and foxes is likely a positive outcome from a fire management perspective. However, we highlight that their response is likely dependent upon factors like fire size, severity, and prey availability. Future experiments should incorporate GPS‐trackers to record fine‐scale movements of cats and foxes in temperate ecosystems immediately before and after prescribed fire to best inform management within protected areas.

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Section: Small-and Medium-sized Mammalscontrasting

confidence: 73%

How do invasive predators and their native prey respond to prescribed fire?

Watchorn,

Doherty,

Wilson

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Complex vegetation structures can provide more diverse resources for bird communities such as the provision of nesting sites and material, perches to escape from predators or to facilitate ambush hunting strategies (Jähnig et al, 2018). A substantial body of literature supports associations between vegetative structure and bird or mammal occurrence and/or abundance (Arthur et al, 2004; Chadwick et al, 2022; Ferger et al, 2014; Malo et al, 2012) and demonstrates that invasive plants can form an important habitat element in the home ranges of many native birds (Ranyard et al, 2018). Revegetation that focuses on diversifying the floristic community through small‐scale weed management may encourage rarer, more specialised birds to utilise these areas of infestation without requiring the complete simultaneous ‘eradication’ of weeds from large tracts of a landscape.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive African boneseed and a native shrub support similar faunal assemblages in a heavily infested landscape

et al. 2023

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Invasive weeds may provide habitat for wildlife in altered landscapes. We compare fauna within three types of sites in You Yangs Regional Park in central Victoria, Australia, that is, sites with an invasive shrub understory (African boneseed, Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. monilifera (DC.) T. Norl.), native shrub understory (snowy mintbush Prostanthera nivea), and sites without an understory (open sites).Sites with an understory dominated by boneseed provided habitat for avian species and an introduced small mammal, comparable with sites with mintbush as the understory. Species-specific models of common species suggest vegetation structure, rather than composition, drove this effect. Open sites differed in terms of avifaunal assemblage, and the abundance of three common native birds and one common invasive small mammal. Boneseed additionally showed phenological differences in fruiting and flowering and differences in flowering abundance when compared with mintbush, comparably offering resources to wildlife. Transitioning vegetation communities to more natural states should consider wildlife already depending on weeds, a dependency likely driven by a paucity of alternative native vegetation.

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“…Here, removal of boneseed may have imparted increased predation risk, which resulted in a reduction in the use of these sites by mice (Arthur et al 2004). The role of retained structure supporting small mammals is likely to apply to native species (Rendall et al 2019; Chadwick et al 2022; White et al 2022), and where native species overlap with house mice, they are likely to outcompete them (Stokes et al 2009; Rendall et al 2019). House mouse was the only small mammal species captured throughout the study, with no native species observed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maintaining vegetative structure during weed management sustains birds and an invasive mammal

Carlos

Rendall

Gibson

et al. 2023

Restoration Ecology

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Weed management often involves active measures to minimize or prevent negative impacts on local wildlife. Approaches include retention of weed structure, altered timing of management to avoid wildlife breeding seasons, and/or the gradual removal of weeds in conjunction with revegetation of native plants. We assess the short‐term impacts of retaining some structural complexity offered by weeds post management to birds and a small mammal in two ecosystems. One ecosystem involves a wetland with an emergent weed, the other a woodland with a sub‐canopy weed. Before‐After‐Reference‐Control‐Impact experiments revealed that assemblage and activity of birds and an invasive small mammal—the only captured in numbers during our study—were minimally altered by weed management. In some instances, we observed the activity of native bird species favoring the use of weeds. Evidence also suggested the weedy sites supported different species assemblages compared to reference sites without weeds. This study indicates that, in the short‐term, retention of weed structure can sustain birds and an exotic mammal that use weeds.

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Natural and anthropogenic processes influence the occurrence of vertebrate fauna in coastal dunes

Cited by 8 publications

References 74 publications

How do invasive predators and their native prey respond to prescribed fire?

How do invasive predators and their native prey respond to prescribed fire?

Invasive African boneseed and a native shrub support similar faunal assemblages in a heavily infested landscape

Maintaining vegetative structure during weed management sustains birds and an invasive mammal

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