Recoveries and cascading declines of native mammals associated with control of an introduced predator

Wayne, Adrian F.; Maxwell, Marika A.; Ward, Colin G.; Wayne, Julia C.; Vellios, C.; Wilson, I. J.

doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyw237

Cited by 44 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…For instance, most predator exclosures typically exclude cats and foxes alike, many islands on which native species have persisted have neither introduced predator species, and management actions taken to reduce the abundance of one introduced predator species may produce complex responses from the other introduced predator species. As an example of this complex response, sustained and effective fox control may deliver short-term respite and recovery for predatorsusceptible native mammal species, but this recovery may be reversed if the cat population then increases because of reduced fox abundance (Marlow et al 2015;Wayne et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degrees of population-level susceptibility of Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species to predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus)

et al. 2018

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Context Over the last 230 years, the Australian terrestrial mammal fauna has suffered a very high rate of decline and extinction relative to other continents. Predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus) is implicated in many of these extinctions, and in the ongoing decline of many extant species. Aims To assess the degree to which Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species are susceptible at the population level to predation by the red fox and feral cat, and to allocate each species to a category of predator susceptibility. Methods We collated the available evidence and complemented this with expert opinion to categorise each Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (extinct and extant) into one of four classes of population-level susceptibility to introduced predators (i.e. ‘extreme’, ‘high’, ‘low’ or ‘not susceptible’). We then compared predator susceptibility with conservation status, body size and extent of arboreality; and assessed changes in the occurrence of species in different predator-susceptibility categories between 1788 and 2017. Key results Of 246 Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (including extinct species), we conclude that 37 species are (or were) extremely predator-susceptible; 52 species are highly predator-susceptible; 112 species are of low susceptibility; and 42 species are not susceptible to predators. Confidence in assigning species to predator-susceptibility categories was strongest for extant threatened mammal species and for extremely predator-susceptible species. Extinct and threatened mammal species are more likely to be predator-susceptible than Least Concern species; arboreal species are less predator-susceptible than ground-dwelling species; and medium-sized species (35 g–3.5kg) are more predator-susceptible than smaller or larger species. Conclusions The effective control of foxes and cats over large areas is likely to assist the population-level recovery of ~63 species – the number of extant species with extreme or high predator susceptibility – which represents ~29% of the extant Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal fauna. Implications Categorisation of predator susceptibility is an important tool for conservation management, because the persistence of species with extreme susceptibility will require intensive management (e.g. predator-proof exclosures or predator-free islands), whereas species of lower predator susceptibility can be managed through effective landscape-level suppression of introduced predators.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degrees of population-level susceptibility of Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species to predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus)

et al. 2018

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“…Predator communities are in flux worldwide due to the loss of apex predators, release of mesocarnivore populations, introduction of exotic species, and removal of predators associated with the management of livestock, game, and species of conservation concern 13,68–72 . Further, predators affect prey populations in complex ways that can be influenced by a predator’s hunting mode, preference for prey with certain physical characteristics, or preference for hunting in certain habitats 3,6,73 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mesocarnivores affect hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) body mass

Morris

Conner

2019

Sci Rep

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Predator communities are changing worldwide: large carnivores are declining while mesocarnivores (medium-sized mammalian predators) are increasing in number and ecological influence. Predator choice of prey is not random and different predators select prey with different characteristics. Changes in predator communities can change predation patterns experienced by prey. Little is known about how mesocarnivore communities influence prey morphology. We used 14 years of mark-recapture data to investigate how mesocarnivore exclusion affected body mass of hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus). Finding adult male cotton rats were 9% heavier with mesocarnivore exclusion, we developed hypotheses to explain this observation. Greater adult male body mass in exclosures resulted from: (1) a non-significant trend of increased survival of large males, (2) faster juvenile male growth during the fall and a similar non-significant trend among adult males, and (3) spatial partitioning by size among males. Taxa-specific predation rates (i.e., rates of predation by snakes, raptors, or mesocarnivores) did not differ among male body mass classes. Mesocarnivores disproportionately preyed on large females while raptors targeted small females, but female body mass was not influenced by mesocarnivore exclusion. Changes in predator communities can result in multiple small effects that collectively result in large differences in prey morphology.

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“…Populations recovering after fox control in Australia.-We used data from long-term monitoring (7.6+ yr) of 20 mammal species at 45 sites in Australia (169 populations with a total of 3,384 estimates of population abundance through time; Friend 1990, Dexter and Murray 2009, Kinnear et al 2010, Dexter et al 2011, Wayne et al 2017, Lindenmayer et al 2018; Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions 2017, unpublished data). The populations were monitored to assess their recovery following intensive control of introduced foxes (Vulpes vulpes), which have caused widespread population declines and can strongly limit mammal populations in Australia through predation (Woinarski et al 2015).…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Eruptive dynamics are common in managed mammal populations

Duncan

Dexter

Wayne³

et al. 2020

Ecology

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Successful conservation management is often based on the principle that small or declining populations can recover if we identify and remove the factors that caused them to decline in the first place. But what form will that recovery take? Theory tells us that when a strong limiting factor is removed, a population should increase in size to where it becomes limited by some other factor. However, if the subsequent limitation involves feedbacks between the density of a consumer and its resource, there is potential for the consumer population to undergo substantial fluctuations in size that we would characterize as boom-bust or eruptive dynamics. We analysed long-term (7.6-29 yr) data documenting changes in the abundance of 169 populations of 20 mammal species released from a strong limiting factor (fox predation) in Australia. We show that many populations (44) exhibited eruptive dynamics, with exponential increase to a peak and subsequent population decline. Of 51 populations showing eruptive dynamics (the Australian populations plus seven translocated ungulate populations), the time taken for erupting populations to reach a peak before declining was related negatively to the intrinsic rate of population growth and positively to body mass, such that larger-bodied species with slow rates of population growth had a longer period of population increase before declining. Our results suggest that a substantial proportion of populations recovering after removal of a threatening process are likely to exhibit eruptive dynamics, and that managers of recovering or translocated populations should anticipate this outcome in conservation planning.

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Recoveries and cascading declines of native mammals associated with control of an introduced predator

Cited by 44 publications

References 51 publications

Degrees of population-level susceptibility of Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species to predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus)

Degrees of population-level susceptibility of Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species to predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus)

Mesocarnivores affect hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) body mass

Eruptive dynamics are common in managed mammal populations

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