Register      Login
Australian Mammalogy Australian Mammalogy Society
Journal of the Australian Mammal Society
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > AM > AM09038
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(2)

Prevalence of threatened native species in canid scats from coastal and near-coastal landscapes in south-eastern Australia

Andrew W. Claridge A B D , Douglas J. Mills A and Simon C. Barry C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, Parks and Wildlife Group, Planning and Assessment Team, Southern Ranges Branch, PO Box 733, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620, Australia.

B School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy, Northcott Drive, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia.

C CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences, Computer Science and Information Technology Building, North Road, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: andrew.claridge@environment.nsw.gov.au

Australian Mammalogy 32(2) 117-126 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM09038
Submitted: 17 December 2009  Accepted: 17 March 2010   Published: 5 August 2010

Abstract

Predator scat analysis was used to infer the potential impact of wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo, C. l. familiaris and hybrids of the two) on threatened native terrestrial mammals in coastal and near-coastal southern New South Wales, Australia. Prey items recorded in wild dog scats were compared with those occurring in scats of the red fox collected at the same study sites. Six threatened mammal species were recorded in either wild dog or fox scats: eastern pygmy possum, grey-headed flying fox, long-nosed potoroo, southern brown bandicoot, white-footed dunnart and yellow-bellied glider. The prevalence of these threatened species in fox scats was significantly higher than in wild dog scats. Otherwise, wild dogs mostly consumed larger prey items such as swamp wallabies and wombats whereas foxes more heavily preyed on small mammals such as antechinus and rats. Our results suggest that foxes are the major threat to threatened mammal species in the study region. Land management agencies in south-eastern mainland Australia should therefore focus on controlling foxes for biodiversity gain.

Additional keywords: diet, foxes, forests, wild dogs.


Acknowledgements

This is the third paper stemming from the Dogs in Space project (© New South Wales Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water), an initiative to better understand the ecology of wild dogs in south-eastern Australia to inform land-management decisions. The Parks and Wildlife Group Southern Branch Senior Management Team provided most of the funding for dietary analyses and their support is gratefully acknowledged. This research was also partly funded through a grant from the Australian Alps Liaison Committee, comprising park management agencies from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria. For assistance in the field we give special thanks to Rod Avery, Max Beukers, Scott Channing, James Dawson, Craig Dickman, Lyn Evans, Russell Graham, George Malolakis and Dr David Paull. Barbara Triggs analysed scat samples. Mary Knolls facilitated access to Sydney Water Authority Lands while Rob Humphries provided logistical support at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Assoc. Prof. Jóse Cuervo provided earlier constructive comments on this paper. Finally, our research was conducted under the auspices of a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Section 120 Scientific Investigation Licence (A10018) and DECCW Animal Ethics Committee Approval No. 980315/01.


References

Banks, S. C. , Horsup, A. , Wilton, A. N. , and Taylor, A. C. (2003). Genetic marker investigation of the source and impact of predation on a highly endangered species. Molecular Ecology 12, 1663–1667.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Brunner H. , and Coman B. (1974). ‘The Identification of Mammalian Hair.’ (Inkata Press: Melbourne.)

Brunner, H. , and Wallis, L. R. (1986). Roles of predator scat analysis in Australian mammal research. The Victorian Naturalist 103, 79–87.
Environment Australia (1999). ‘Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by the European Red Fox.’ (Environment Australia: Canberra.)

Fleming, P. J. S. , and Korn, T. J. (1989). Predation of livestock by wild dogs in eastern New South Wales. Australian Rangelands Journal 11, 61–66.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Fleming P. J. S. , Corbett L. , Harden R. , and Thompson P. (2001). ‘Managing the Impact of Dingoes and Other Wild Dogs.’ (Australian Government Publishing: Canberra.)

Fleming, P. J. S. , Allen, L. R. , Lapidge, S. J. , Robley, A. , Saunders, G. R. , and Thomson, P. C. (2006). A strategic approach to mitigating the impacts of wild canids: proposed activities of the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, 753–762.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Johnson C. N. (2006). ‘Australia’s Mammal Extinctions: a 50 000 Year History.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Johnson, C. N. , Isaac, J. L. , and Fisher, D. O. (2007). Rarity of a top order predator triggers continent-wide collapse of mammal prey: dingoes and marsupials in Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 274, 341–346.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Keith D. (2004). ‘Ocean Shores to Desert Dunes: Native Vegetation of New South Wales and the ACT.’ (Department of Environment and Climate Change: Sydney.)

Kinnear, J. E. , Summer, N. R. , and Onus, M. L. (2002). The red fox in Australia – an exotic predator turned biocontrol agent. Biological Conservation 108, 335–359.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | McLeod R. (2004). ‘Counting the Cost: Impact of Invasive Animals in Australia 2004.’ (Cooperative Research Centre for Pest Animal Control: Canberra.)

Mitchell, B. D. , and Banks, P. B. (2005). Do wild dogs exclude foxes? Evidence for competition from dietary and spatial overlaps. Austral Ecology 30, 581–591.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | New South Wales Department of Environment and Conservation (2005). Approved recovery plan for the southern brown bandicoot Isoodon obesulus. New South Wales Department of Environment and Conservation, Hurstville, NSW.

New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (2001). Threat abatement plan for predation by the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville, NSW.

New South Wales Scientific Committee (2009). http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/feraldogsFD.htm (accessed 12 February 2010).

Newsome, A. E. (1990). The control of vertebrate pests by vertebrate predators. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 5, 187–191.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Welsh A. H. (1996). ‘Aspects of Statistical Inference.’ (Wiley: Chichester.)

Wilton, A. N. , Steward, D. J. , and Zafaris, K. (1999). Microsatellite variation in the Australian dingo. The Journal of Heredity 90, 108–111.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |