Sharing meals: Predation on Australian mammals by the introduced European red fox compounds and complements predation by feral cats

Stobo‐Wilson, Alyson M.; Murphy, Brett P.; Crawford, Heather M.; Dawson, Stuart J.; Dickman, Chris R.; Doherty, Tim S.; Fleming, Patricia A.; Gentle, Matthew; Legge, Sarah; Newsome, Thomas M.; Palmer, Russell; Rees, Matthew W.; Ritchie, Euan G.; Speed, James D. M.; Stuart, John‐Michael; Thompson, Eilysh; Turpin, Jeff M.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109284

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The mammals most commonly consumed by cats were three widespread invasive species (rabbit, house mouse and black rat) and two native species that can be locally common (long-haired rat and common ringtail possum). The distribution of cat-prey body sizes indicated that many small mammal species are vulnerable to cat predation [ 35 ], and while mammals occurred less frequently in cat diets overall, cat diet included more small mammals than foxes and dingoes, particularly rodents (e.g. FOO Notomys alexis Thomas 13 ± 16% n = 17 studies/timepoints reporting their presence, Pseudomys hermannsburgensis (Waite) 11 ± 15% n = 21, P. desertor Troughton 10 ± 12% n = 11, bush rat 16 ± 11% n = 11, and Leggadina forresti (Thomas) 8 ± 10% n = 21) and small dasyurids (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(1) We examined prey species traits that might increase the likelihood that they are consumed by cats, foxes or dingoes. These included body mass (because it influences species composition of cat and fox diets [31,[33][34][35] and is linked with the impacts of these predators on mammals of conservation significance [11][12][13][14]), activity patterns (i.e. overlap with the nocturnally active cat and fox or the crepuscular dingo) and habitat use, traits that have been used to predict the potential vulnerability of native fauna to cat, fox and dingo predation [39][40][41].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia

et al. 2022

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Introduction of the domestic cat and red fox has devastated Australian native fauna. We synthesized Australian diet analyses to identify traits of prey species in cat, fox and dingo diets, which prey were more frequent or distinctive to the diet of each predator, and quantified dietary overlap. Nearly half (45%) of all Australian terrestrial mammal, bird and reptile species occurred in the diets of one or more predators. Cat and dingo diets overlapped least (0.64 ± 0.27, n = 24 location/time points) and cat diet changed little over 55 years of study. Cats were more likely to have eaten birds, reptiles and small mammals than foxes or dingoes. Dingo diet remained constant over 53 years and constituted the largest mammal, bird and reptile prey species, including more macropods/potoroids, wombats, monotremes and bandicoots/bilbies than cats or foxes. Fox diet had greater overlap with both cats (0.79 ± 0.20, n = 37) and dingoes (0.73 ± 0.21, n = 42), fewer distinctive items (plant material, possums/gliders) and significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity over 69 years, suggesting the opportunity for prey switching (especially of mammal prey) to mitigate competition. Our study reinforced concerns about mesopredator impacts upon scarce/threatened species and the need to control foxes and cats for fauna conservation. However, extensive dietary overlap and opportunism, as well as low incidence of mesopredators in dingo diets, precluded resolution of the debate about possible dingo suppression of foxes and cats.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia

et al. 2022

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“…6.2 million km 2 ), resulting in a larger total population of feral cats (2.8 million cf. 1.7 million foxes); (ii) there is an additional component of the Australian cat population, pet cats, that adds considerably to the total toll taken by cats (Legge et al, 2020); (iii) much more of the fox's dietary intake is derived from carrion, so they do not need to make as many kills as cats; (iv) although vertebrates are staples in fox diet, as omnivores they also supplement their diet with more invertebrates and plant material than do cats (Fleming et al, 2021) which are obligate carnivores; (v) although there is extensive overlap between foxes and cats in the vertebrate species eaten, foxes tend to take larger prey items than do cats (Stobo‐Wilson, Murphy, Crawford, et al, 2021; Stobo‐Wilson, Murphy, Legge, et al, 2021) and so obtain the same volume of food with fewer kills and (vi) birds and reptiles occur less frequently in fox diets than in cat diets. The disparity in numbers of animals killed by foxes relative to cats varies across prey groups, and for a few groups (notably possums and macropods), foxes kill more individuals than do cats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent series of related papers, building on large datasets of dietary studies, have documented the number of species (and their biological traits) of Australian vertebrates killed by cats (Woinarski et al, 2018, 2020; Woinarski, Woolley, et al, 2017; Woolley et al, 2019), and the number of species (and their traits) of Australian reptile, bird and mammal species killed by foxes (Stobo‐Wilson, Murphy, Crawford, et al, 2021; Stobo‐Wilson, Murphy, Legge, et al, 2021; Woinarski et al, 2021). This allows the complement of species eaten by these two predator species to be compared, and the species eaten by one or both predators to be tallied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Counting the bodies: Estimating the numbers and spatial variation of Australian reptiles, birds and mammals killed by two invasive mesopredators

Stobo‐Wilson

Murphy

Legge

et al. 2022

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Introduced predators negatively impact biodiversity globally, with insular fauna often most severely affected. Here, we assess spatial variation in the number of terrestrial vertebrates (excluding amphibians) killed by two mammalian mesopredators introduced to Australia, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus). We aim to identify prey groups that suffer especially high rates of predation, and regions where losses to foxes and/or cats are most substantial. Location Australia. Methods We draw information on the spatial variation in tallies of reptiles, birds and mammals killed by cats in Australia from published studies. We derive tallies for fox predation by (i) modelling continental‐scale spatial variation in fox density, (ii) modelling spatial variation in the frequency of occurrence of prey groups in fox diet, (iii) analysing the number of prey individuals within dietary samples and (iv) discounting animals taken as carrion. We derive point estimates of the numbers of individuals killed annually by foxes and by cats and map spatial variation in these tallies. Results Foxes kill more reptiles, birds and mammals (peaking at 1071 km−2 year−1) than cats (55 km−2 year−1) across most of the unmodified temperate and forested areas of mainland Australia, reflecting the generally higher density of foxes than cats in these environments. However, across most of the continent – mainly the arid central and tropical northern regions (and on most Australian islands) – cats kill more animals than foxes. We estimate that foxes and cats together kill 697 million reptiles annually in Australia, 510 million birds and 1435 million mammals. Main conclusions This continental‐scale analysis demonstrates that predation by two introduced species takes a substantial and ongoing toll on Australian reptiles, birds and mammals. Continuing population declines and potential extinctions of some of these species threatens to further compound Australia's poor contemporary conservation record.

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“…2021; Stobo‐Wilson et al . 2021; Stobo‐Wilson et al . 2021) and livestock, particularly sheep, goats and poultry (Saunders et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interspecific variation in the diet of a native apex predator and invasive mesopredator in an alpine ecosystem

et al. 2022

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Carnivores have key ecological roles in structuring and regulating ecosystems through their impacts on prey populations. When apex-and meso-predators co-occur in ecosystems, there is the potential for complex interspecific interactions and trophic dynamics that can affect the composition and functioning of ecological communities. Investigating the diet of sympatric carnivores can allow us to better understand their ecological roles (e.g. potential suppression of herbivores) or impacts (e.g. predation of threatened species). Australia's alpine region provides an ideal system in which to explore spatial and temporal variation in predator and prey interactions, using the dingo (Canis dingo) and invasive red fox (Vulpes vulpes) diet. We examined the diet of dingoes and foxes across three different mountains and seasons in Victoria's alpine region, using macroscopic scat analysis. There was little diet overlap between the two carnivores, with foxes having a broader diet than dingoes. Dingoes primarily consumed larger mammal species, including invasive sambar deer (Cervus unicolor, 44%), and the native common wombat (Vombatus ursinus, 34%), whereas foxes typically consumed smaller mammals, including the native bush rat (Rattus fuscipes, 55%), and the invasive European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus, 15%). Dingoes consumed more than thirty times the volume of large invasive mammals (predominantly sambar deer) than did foxes. Foxes consumed close to 15 times as many critical weight range individuals per scat than dingoes. Only one threatened critical weight range mammal species was identified within scats, the broadtoothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus), found within five fox scats. Our results suggest that the introduction of novel prey may alter predator-predator interactions by causing a reduction in the dietary overlap. Therefore, in the context of integrated wildlife management and biodiversity conservation, any control of novel, invasive prey populations needs to consider possible flow on effects to apex-and meso-predator diets and potential secondary impacts on native prey.

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Sharing meals: Predation on Australian mammals by the introduced European red fox compounds and complements predation by feral cats

Cited by 18 publications

References 42 publications

Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia

Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia

Counting the bodies: Estimating the numbers and spatial variation of Australian reptiles, birds and mammals killed by two invasive mesopredators

Interspecific variation in the diet of a native apex predator and invasive mesopredator in an alpine ecosystem

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