The importation, release, establishment, spread, and early impact on prey animals of the red fox<i>Vulpes vulpes</i>in Victoria and adjoining parts of south-eastern Australia

Abbott, Ian

doi:10.7882/az.2011.003

Cited by 44 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The term "fox" was used generally in 19th century English (Haber 1962) and a "fox" used by hunting clubs was sometimes a species other than the red fox (Longrigg 1975, Carr 1976. In some accounts during the mid-1800s, dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) were referred to as the "Reynard" and hunted for sport (Roland 1970, Rolls 1984 although the extent of this practice is unclear (Abbott 2011). "Fox" is also a name given to a wide range of mammals that are not necessarily members of the Canidae, such as the "flying fox" (Pteropodidae; Strahan 1981Strahan , 1991 and fox squirrel (Sciurus niger; Moore 1957).…”

Section: Discussion Historical Records 1843-1997mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) was established on mainland Australia from multiple intentional introductions after 1845 (Abbott 2011) and currently threatens the conservation status of a range of Australian fauna (Bennett et al 1989, Dickman 1996, Priddel and Wheeler 1997. In 1998 a single fox was reported to have escaped from a cargo vessel berthed at the Port of Burnie (Tasmania) that originated from the Port of Melbourne (Bryant 2001) that supports an extensive fox population (Marks and Bloomfield 1999).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Opportunistically acquired evidence is unsuitable data to model fox (Vulpes vulpes) distribution in Tasmania

Marks¹,

Obendorf²,

Pereira

et al. 2014

Wildl. Soc. Bull.

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Despite the absence of direct observation of live foxes in the Tasmanian environment, a recent study concluded that foxes are now widespread on the island and proposed a habitat-specific model incorporating 9 cases of physical evidence presumed to confirm their unique presence. We briefly review the history of fox incursions into Tasmania and then assess the quality of putative physical evidence against a defined evidentiary standard. Overall, 14 of 17 incidents described since 1998 were associated with between 1 and 4 criteria indicative of unreliable data or were not associated with adequately documented physical evidence. Anonymous and anecdotal information was fully or partially relied upon in 10 of 17 cases and of these 5 were widely acknowledged to be hoaxes. We conclude that opportunistically acquired evidence is a poor substitute for data obtained by properly designed and independent wildlife surveys for confirming unique fox incursions and as the basis of ecological models predicting true habitat-specific fox distribution. Species rarity decreases the reliability of wildlife surveys and population models; thus validation of unique incursions in particular requires appropriate rigor in evidentiary standards and data quality. Precautionary management that may be considered in response to uncertain information, or opportunistically collected specimens of doubtful provenance, does not imply that such information should be treated as scientific data. We suggest that an eradication program is justified as a precautionary measure only after rigorous qualitative analysis reveals data capable of rejecting the null hypothesis that the species of interest is absent. Ó 2014 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussion Historical Records 1843-1997mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunistically acquired evidence is unsuitable data to model fox (Vulpes vulpes) distribution in Tasmania

Marks¹,

Obendorf²,

Pereira

et al. 2014

Wildl. Soc. Bull.

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“…The arrival of dingoes (Canis lupis dingo) to mainland Australia around 3500 years ago coincided with the extirpation of thylacines and Tasmanian devils Sarcophilus harrisii, which at the time were positioned at the top of the trophic web, from mainland Australia (Johnson and Wroe 2003, Johnson 2006. European colonisation at the end of the 18th century resulted in the introduction of yet more species (Abbott 2002(Abbott , 2008(Abbott , 2011. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), cats (Felis catus) and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) spread across the Australian continent, leaving in their wake a wave of localised extirpations and, ultimately, the extinctions of numerous species of smaller bodied, native mammals (Marlow 1958, Finlayson 1961.…”

Section: Mammal Extinctions In Australiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Foxes became established in the state of Victoria by the 1860's and reached most of their current range by the early 20 th century. The impact of cats and foxes on native wildlife was apparent by the turn of the 20th century (Abbott 2002(Abbott , 2008(Abbott , 2011). Australia's marsupials provide a unique case study to investigate the patterns of historic sampling in declining species against a known timeline of decline.…”

Section: The Case Of Australia's Declining Marsupialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Australia is a global epicentre of mammal extinctions (Woinarski et al 2015), driven primarily by invasive foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and cats (Felis catus; (Abbott 2011, Woinarski et al 2011. Currently 58 mammal species are recognised in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) as threatened by invasive predators, many of which might benefit from predator exclusion fences (Chapter 1.1,…”

Section: Albers and Ando 2003 Armsworth Et Al 2012) A Networmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conserving Australia's predator-threatened mammals

Ringma¹

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Australian mammals are amongst the most threatened in the world. Predation by invasive cats and foxes has driven many species to extinction, and has caused rapid declines and extirpation among others. ManyAustralian mammals now only persist in a small number of refugial populations of few individuals with a high risk of extinction from demographic population failure and catastrophic events. The persistence of many Australian mammal species now depends on continuous management, and the creation of new populations through translocations into predator controlled areas. Predator exclusion fences have become pivotal for effectively abating the predation threat for remnant populations and translocations. However, translocations are notoriously costly and failure prone, making it particularly important to identify protocols that maximize the likelihood of success. Thorough assessments are therefore required to improve outcomes, but knowledge to make them is often lacking. In this thesis, I address key knowledge gaps associated with translocation and predator management for Australian mammals, with particular regard to conservation fences.In Chapter 2 I address the issue of uncertainty of the accuracy of habitat models. Reintroductions often rely on models to identify suitable habitat, and such modelling requires occurrence data from a representative sample of a species' niche. However, the historic distributions of species that have subsequently declined are often poorly sampled. Therefore, we need to know how thoroughly a species' historic distribution was sampled before habitat suitability models can be trusted. I propose and test a method for determining whether a species' niche is well sampled pre-decline for Australian marsupials, by comparing accumulation curves of niche volume when data are arranged in forward and reverse chronological order. I found that accumulation curves can be used to test if a species' niche is poorly sampled, and that poor association between chronologically and randomly arranged data implies an under sampled niche.A good understanding of how translocated animals use the space within a fence is crucial in making choices about its size. In Chapter 3, I investigate the spatial use of woylies (Bettongia penicillata) a species of acute conservation concern at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy's Scotia Sanctuary in the arid extreme of their known historic distribution. Using GPS tracking devices, I measured the movements of woylies in two adjacent fenced populations. The higher density population occupied foraging ranges similar in size to those previously reported (37ha) while woylies at lower density had homes ranges 2.5 times greater in size (96 ha).The woylies in the lower density population increased the size of their foraging range by covering more unique ground each evening, and spending more time further away from their nest. While the differences between the two populations are most likely related to density, it remains uncertain whether intraspecific competition or environm...

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The genetic signature left by the range expansion of red foxes in Australia is detectable after more than 80 years of population stability

Sarre,

Adamack,

Hitchen

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Reconstructing biological invasions from historical sources can provide insights into how they occur but are difficult to do when invasions are poorly documented. Genetic signatures left by invaders can also offer insights into invasion routes, points of origin and general biology but often present conclusions that are contradictory to expectations. Here, we test the ability of continental‐wide microsatellite genotype data from 29 loci and 3122 samples to reconstruct the well‐documented invasion of red foxes Vulpes vulpes from the United Kingdom into Australia over 150 years ago, an invasion that has led to the extinction of many native species. Our analysis reveals several key signals of invasion evident in Australian foxes. They display lower levels of diversity than foxes sampled from the UK, exhibit clines in diversity from the point of introduction (south‐east Australia) to the edge of their range, and show strong evidence of allele surfing in westerly and north‐easterly directions. These characteristics are consistent with a single point of origin followed by rapid expansion in westerly and north‐easterly directions as suggested by historical records. We also find little genetic structure in foxes across Australia with only the vast Nullarbor Plains and Great Victoria Desert region presenting a detectable barrier to their dispersal. As such, no mainland region within the current range of foxes can be considered genetically isolated and therefore appropriate for localised eradication efforts. Overall, our analyses demonstrate the ability of comprehensive population genetic studies to reconstruct invasion histories even after more than 80 years since colonisation was stabilised.

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The importation, release, establishment, spread, and early impact on prey animals of the red foxVulpes vulpesin Victoria and adjoining parts of south-eastern Australia

Cited by 44 publications

References 17 publications

Opportunistically acquired evidence is unsuitable data to model fox (Vulpes vulpes) distribution in Tasmania

Opportunistically acquired evidence is unsuitable data to model fox (Vulpes vulpes) distribution in Tasmania

Conserving Australia's predator-threatened mammals

The genetic signature left by the range expansion of red foxes in Australia is detectable after more than 80 years of population stability

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