Interactions between a Top Order Predator and Exotic Mesopredators in the Australian Rangelands
TLDR
The results support anecdotal evidence that dingoes may suppress exotic mesopredators, particularly foxes, and outline further research required to determine if this suppression translates into a net benefit for threatened prey species.Abstract:
An increase in mesopredators caused by the removal of top-order predators can have significant implications for threatened wildlife. Recent evidence suggests that Australia’s top-order predator, the dingo, may suppress the introduced cat and red fox. We tested this relationship by reintroducing 7 foxes and 6 feral cats into a 37 km2 fenced paddock in arid South Australia inhabited by a male and female dingo. GPS datalogger collars recorded locations of all experimental animals every 2 hours. Interactions between species, mortality rates, and postmortems were used to determine the mechanisms of any suppression. Dingoes killed all 7 foxes within 17 days of their introduction and no pre-death interactions were recorded. All 6 feral cats died between 20 and 103 days after release and dingoes were implicated in the deaths of at least 3 cats. Dingoes typically stayed with fox and cat carcasses for several hours after death and/or returned several times in ensuing days. There was no evidence of intraguild predation, interference competition was the dominant mechanism of suppression. Our results support anecdotal evidence that dingoes may suppress exotic mesopredators, particularly foxes. We outline further research required to determine if this suppression translates into a net benefit for threatened prey species.read more
Citations
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Top predators as biodiversity regulators: the dingo Canis lupus dingo as a case study.
TL;DR: Studies of the ecological effects of the dingo Canis lupus dingo, Australia's largest land predator, are reviewed, using this as a case study to explore the influence of a top predator on biodiversity at a continental scale.
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Effects of predator control on behaviour of an apex predator and indirect consequences for mesopredator suppression
TL;DR: It is suggested that effective dingo control not only leads to higher abundance of feral cats, but allows them to optimize hunting behaviour when dingoes are less active, and in areas managed for conservation, stable dingo populations may contribute to management objectives by restricting feral cat access to prey populations.
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Landscape Management of Fire and Grazing Regimes Alters the Fine-Scale Habitat Utilisation by Feral Cats
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Impacts and management of feral cats Felis catus in Australia
Tim S. Doherty,Chris R. Dickman,Christopher N. Johnson,Sarah Legge,Euan G. Ritchie,John C. Z. Woinarski +5 more
TL;DR: Knowledge about the impacts and management of feral cats in Australia is reviewed, research and management priorities are identified, and the potential for native fauna to coexist with feral cats is increased.
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The pitfalls of wildlife camera trapping as a survey tool in Australia
TL;DR: An historical review of the technological evolution of camera trapping as a zoological survey tool in Australia is provided, revealing a change in camera trap use in Australia, from simple presence-absence studies, to more theoretical and experimental approaches related to population ecology, behavioural ecology, conservation biology and wildlife management.
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