Numbat nirvana: conservation ecology of the endangered numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) (Marsupialia : Myrmecobiidae) reintroduced to Scotia and Yookamurra Sanctuaries, Australia

Hayward, Matt W.; Poh, Aline Si Lin; Cathcart, Jennifer N.; Churcher, Chris; Bentley, Joss; Herman, Kerryn; Kemp, Leah; Riessen, Noel; Scully, Phil; Diong, Cheong Hoong; Legge, Sarah; Carter, Andrew; Gibb, Heloise; Friend, J. Anthony

doi:10.1071/zo15028

Cited by 27 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Three of the eight species studied were reintroduced. Because these engineers were reintroduced after long periods of regional extinction, it was possible to observe how the presence of burrowing species not only facilitated the survival and establishment of other threatened species (Hayward et al., ), but was also strongly associated with changes in ground‐dwelling arthropod, fungal and microbial communities (Clarke et al., ; Eldridge et al., ; Silvey et al., ), and changes in abundance and behaviour that affected the function of other engineers (Coggan, Hayward, & Gibb, ). The role of all burrowing species (particularly vertebrates) in supporting diversity by providing shelter is reflected in observations globally (see reviews by Davidson et al., ; Root‐Bernstein & Ebensperger, ).…”

Section: What Are the Impacts Of Ecosystem Engineers In Terrestrial Hmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contemporary research into ecosystem engineers has focussed on their impact on species diversity and, increasingly, on their potential as agents of ecosystem restoration (Byers et al., ). Ecosystem engineers are anticipated to speed ecological recovery by reinstating ecosystem functions following species declines (Manning, Eldridge, & Jones, ) and by facilitating the re‐establishment of other threatened species (Hayward et al., ). Functional extinctions of engineer species are also an increasing point of concern for conservation and ecosystem restoration (McCullough Hennessy et al., ; Silvey, Hayward, & Gibb, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A global database and “state of the field” review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals

Coggan

Hayward

Gibb

2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

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118

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Ecosystem engineers have been widely studied for terrestrial systems, but global trends in research encompassing the range of taxa and functions have not previously been synthesised. We reviewed contemporary understanding of engineer fauna in terrestrial habitats and assessed the methods used to document patterns and processes, asking: (a) which species act as ecosystem engineers and with whom do they interact? (b) What are the impacts of ecosystem engineers in terrestrial habitats and how are they distributed? (c) What are the primary methods used to examine engineer effects and how have these developed over time? We considered the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in knowledge related to each of these questions and suggested a conceptual framework to delineate "significant impacts" of engineering interactions for all terrestrial animals. We collected peer-reviewed publications examining ecosystem engineer impacts and created a database of engineer species to assess experimental approaches and any additional covariates that influenced the magnitude of engineer impacts. One hundred and twenty-two species from 28 orders were identified as ecosystem engineers, performing five ecological functions. Burrowing mammals were the most researched group (27%). Half of all studies occurred in dry/arid habitats. Mensurative studies comparing sites with and without engineers (80%) were more common than manipulative studies (20%). These provided a broad framework for predicting engineer impacts upon abundance and species diversity. However, the roles of confounding factors, processes driving these patterns and the consequences of experimentally adjusting variables, such as engineer density, have been neglected. True spatial and temporal replication has also been limited, particularly for emerging studies of engineer reintroductions. Climate change and habitat modification will challenge the roles that engineers play in regulating ecosystems, and these will become important avenues for future research. We recommend future studies include simulation of engineer effects and experimental manipulation of engineer densities to determine the potential for ecological cascades through trophic and engineering pathways due to functional decline. We also recommend improving knowledge of long-term engineering effects and replication of engineer reintroductions across landscapes to better understand how large-scale ecological gradients alter the magnitude of engineering impacts.

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Section: What Are the Impacts Of Ecosystem Engineers In Terrestrial Hmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global database and “state of the field” review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals

Coggan

Hayward

Gibb

2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

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118

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“…Few reintroduction studies have included site-level replication (e.g. Hayward et al, 2015), thus we consider the influence of site-specific factors, particularly that of land-use history, upon termite reactions to mammal reintroduction. The new knowledge will contribute to developing theories of environmental effects on biotic interactions (Schemske et al, 2009), and inform conservation practices which employ reintroduction of ecosystem engineer species (Manning et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Termite activity and decomposition are influenced by digging mammal reintroductions along an aridity gradient

Coggan

Hayward

Gibb

2016

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…Numerous studies demonstrate that consumers often use engineered ecological structures as refuges (e.g. Hayward et al., ; Hendy, Michie, & Taylor, ) and that this in turn can increase the consumption of prey or basal resources in areas with engineered structures (Crutsinger & Sanders, ). However, these studies have generally not explicitly examined the spatial patterns of consumption around engineered structures (but see Feichtinger & Reavey, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indirect effects of ecosystem engineering combine with consumer behaviour to determine the spatial distribution of herbivory

Griffen

Riley

Cannizzo

et al. 2017

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Ecosystem engineers alter environments by creating, modifying or destroying habitats. The indirect impacts of ecosystem engineering on trophic interactions should depend on the combination of the spatial distribution of engineered structures and the foraging behaviour of consumers that use these structures as refuges. In this study, we assessed the indirect effects of ecosystem engineering by a wood-boring beetle in a neotropical mangrove forest system. We identified herbivory patterns in a dwarf mangrove forest on the archipelago of Twin Cays, Belize. Past wood-boring activity impacted more than one-third of trees through the creation of tree holes that are now used, presumably as predation or thermal refuge, by the herbivorous mangrove tree crab Aratus pisonii. The presence of these refuges had a significant impact on plant-animal interactions; herbivory was more than fivefold higher on trees influenced by tree holes relative to those that were completely isolated from these refuges. Additionally, herbivory decreased exponentially with increasing distance from tree holes. We use individual-based simulation modelling to demonstrate that the creation of these herbivory patterns depends on a combination of the use of engineered tree holes for refuge by tree crabs, and the use of two behaviour patterns in this species-site fidelity to a "home tree," and more frequent foraging near their home tree. We demonstrate that understanding the spatial distribution of herbivory in this system depends on combining both the use of ecosystem engineering structures with individual behavioural patterns of herbivores.

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Numbat nirvana: conservation ecology of the endangered numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) (Marsupialia : Myrmecobiidae) reintroduced to Scotia and Yookamurra Sanctuaries, Australia

Cited by 27 publications

References 29 publications

A global database and “state of the field” review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals

A global database and “state of the field” review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals

Termite activity and decomposition are influenced by digging mammal reintroductions along an aridity gradient

Indirect effects of ecosystem engineering combine with consumer behaviour to determine the spatial distribution of herbivory

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