Population dynamics and prey selection of native and introduced predators during a rodent outbreak in arid Australia

Pavey, Chris R.; Eldridge, Stephen R.; Heywood, M.

doi:10.1644/07-mamm-a-168r.1

Cited by 111 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The poorer 476 condition of R. tunneyi on Heirisson Prong during the decline phase suggests a food shortage related either to overshooting their food supply or to declining seasonal 478 conditions impacting on food quality and supply as a key cause. This is consistent with Pavey et al (2008)'s conclusion that the decline of rodents after irruption is in 480 part due to starvation resulting from declines in food availability, but at variance with that of Korpimäki et al (2004) who saw food shortage acting primarily to stop 482 population increases as the population approached peak numbers, rather than being responsible for the subsequent decline. 484…”

Section: Irruptions Of Rattus and Other Murids 436supporting

confidence: 83%

Irruption and collapse of a population of pale field-rat (Rattus tunneyi) at Heirisson Prong, Shark Bay, Western Australia

2018

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suggested that the population inhabited few localised 'source' areas and a broad area of 'sink' habitat, with the latter only occupied after extraordinarily high rainfall events 24 leading to higher grass cover. A return to dry years and the consequent loss of cover (aided by an abundant rabbit population) and strong growth in predator numbers (feral 26 cats and small birds of prey) in response to the high number of field-rats appears to have facilitated the collapse. 28

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Section: Irruptions Of Rattus and Other Murids 436supporting

confidence: 83%

Irruption and collapse of a population of pale field-rat (Rattus tunneyi) at Heirisson Prong, Shark Bay, Western Australia

2018

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“…This may be used as indirect evidence supporting the idea that foxfeeding is altering the way that red foxes use habitats in Stanhope. In Stanhope, red foxes did not show much preference for habitats such as forests, abandoned fields, and shrubs, in which they would normally have to hunt for prey such as small mammals (e.g., [16,[37][38][39][40]). Movement-segments within both dunes and human-use areas tended to be longer than in other habitat types.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interestingly, we found that in both sites foxes used forested areas less than expected based on their availability. A possible explanation for this finding is that rodents, often a main prey of foxes (e.g., [39][40]), were more accessible in other habitat types. Several studies have shown that red fox uses forested areas significantly more than expected based on their availability mainly due to both low snow accumulation and the ability to forage for small mammals [38,41].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat use and home range size of red foxes in Prince Edward Island (Canada) based on snow-tracking and radio-telemetry data

2009

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There is a lack of information regarding the ecology and behaviour of red foxes that can be used to elaborate effective management programs for this species on Prince Edward Island (Canada). The main goal of this study was to provide baseline information on habitat selection and home range size of red foxes on Prince Edward Island. Data were collected from snow-tracking and radio-telemetry sessions conducted in two study sites (including one site within Prince Edward Island National Park). Our results indicated that red foxes selected for roads and human-use areas during both the breeding and the kit-rearing seasons in the park. Outside the park, however, the data failed to conclusively show that foxes have a unique preference for human-use habitats or roads. Forests were selected against in both study sites. Although roads are frequently visited by foxes during the kit-rearing season in the park, each individual fox typically stays in this habitat only for short periods of time (< 15 min). This finding suggests that foraging efficiency along the roads is very high possibly reflecting the abundance of anthropogenic food sources. Overall, we present the largest amount of data on habitat selection ever collected for red foxes in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Our results show that food sources in human-use areas and roads are altering the selection and/or use of habitats of red foxes in some areas of Prince Edward Island.

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“…Later findings by Newsome (2011); but see also Newsome et al (2013) concur, demonstrating an elevated risk of decline to desert mice (Pseudomys desertor; 25 g) where dingoes were provided alternative food subsidies. Pavey et al (2008) likewise report that rodents (including N. alexis) were the main prey for dingoes when available, occurring in over 70% of dingo scats, or at a rate of two rodents per dingo per day. In accord with these studies, Allen and Leung (2012) reported that hoppingmice may also be suppressed by dingoes, potentially consuming up to 20 hopping-mice per dingo per day at times.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…All three predators are relatively small (b16 kg mean adult body weight), generalist carnivores with highly overlapping diets primarily consisting of medium and small-sized mammals (e.g. Pavey et al, 2008;Cupples et al, 2011;Glen et al, 2011;Allen and Leung, 2012). Hopping-mice are native and endemic to Australia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental effects are stronger than human effects on mammalian predator-prey relationships in arid Australian ecosystems

Allen

Fawcett

Anker³

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

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Climate (drought, rainfall), geology (habitat availability), land use change (provision of artificial waterpoints, introduction of livestock), invasive species (competition, predation), and direct human intervention (lethal control of top-predators) have each been identified as processes driving the sustainability of threatened fauna populations. We used a systematic combination of empirical observational studies and experimental manipulations to comprehensively evaluate the effects of these process on a model endangered rodent, dusky hopping-mice (Notomys fuscus). We established a large manipulative experiment in arid Australia, and collected information from relative abundance indices, camera traps, GPS-collared dingoes (Canis familiaris) and dingo scats, along with a range of related environmental data (e.g. rainfall, habitat type, distance to artificial water etc.). We show that hopping-mice populations were most strongly influenced by geological and climatic effects of resource availability and rainfall, and not land use, invasive species, or human effects of livestock grazing, waterpoint provision, or the lethal control of dingoes. Hopping-mice distribution declined along a geological gradient of more to less available hopping-mice habitat (sand dunes), and their abundance was driven by rainfall. Hopping-mice populations fluctuated independent of livestock presence, artificial waterpoint availability or repeated lethal dingo control. Hopping-mice populations appear to be limited first by habitat availability, then by food availability, then by predation. Contemporary top-predator control practices (for protection of livestock) have little influence on hopping-mice behaviour or population dynamics. Given our inability to constrain the effects of predation across broad scales, management actions focusing on increasing available food and habitat (e.g. alteration of fire Contents lists available at ScienceDirectScience of the Total Environment j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / s c i t o t e n v This document is a U.S. government work and is not subject to copyright in the United States. and herbivory) may have a greater chance of improving the conservation status of hopping-mice and other small mammals in arid areas. Our study also reaffirms the importance of using systematic and experimental approaches to detect true drivers of population distribution and dynamics where multiple potential drivers operate simultaneously.

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Population dynamics and prey selection of native and introduced predators during a rodent outbreak in arid Australia

Cited by 111 publications

References 18 publications

Irruption and collapse of a population of pale field-rat (Rattus tunneyi) at Heirisson Prong, Shark Bay, Western Australia

Irruption and collapse of a population of pale field-rat (Rattus tunneyi) at Heirisson Prong, Shark Bay, Western Australia

Habitat use and home range size of red foxes in Prince Edward Island (Canada) based on snow-tracking and radio-telemetry data

Environmental effects are stronger than human effects on mammalian predator-prey relationships in arid Australian ecosystems

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