Long-term benefits and short-term costs: small vertebrate responses to predator exclusion and native mammal reintroductions in south-western New South Wales, Australia
David A. Roshier
A B H , Felicity L Hotellier A , Andrew Carter A C , Leah Kemp A , Joanne Potts D , Matt W. Hayward A E and Sarah M. Legge A F G
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Australian Wildlife Conservancy, PO Box 8070, Subiaco East, WA 6008, Australia.
B Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
C Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia.
D The Analytical Edge Pty Ltd, PO Box 47, Blackmans Bay, Tas. 7052, Australia.
E School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
F Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
G Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Level 5 Goddard Building, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
H Corresponding author. Email: david.roshier@australianwildlife.org
Wildlife Research 47(8) 570-579 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR19153
Submitted: 6 September 2019 Accepted: 10 January 2020 Published: 8 April 2020
Abstract
Context: The success of conservation fences at protecting reintroduced populations of threatened mammals from introduced predators has prompted an increase in the number and extent of fenced exclosures. Excluding introduced species from within conservation fences could also benefit components of in situ faunal assemblages that are prey for introduced predators, such as reptiles and small mammals. Conversely, reintroduced mammals may compete with smaller mammals and reptiles for resources, or even prey on them.
Aims: In a 10-year study from 2008, we examine how small terrestrial vertebrates respond to the exclusion of introduced predators, the feral cat (Felis catus) and red fox (Vulpes Vulpes), introduced herbivores and the reintroduction of regionally extinct mammal species.
Methods: Differences in the yearly relative abundance of reptiles and mammals according to habitat type and whether sites were fenced or not, were tested using multivariate generalised linear models. Next, we calculated univariate P-values to identify individual species that showed significant relationships, positive and negative, with any of the explanatory variables.
Key results: Total captures of reptiles were lower inside the conservation fence in all years, whereas total captures of small mammals were markedly higher inside the fenced area, notably in dasyurids.
Conclusion: Our results showed that conservation fences can deliver benefits for some fauna (but not all) beyond facilitating the reintroduction of highly threatened mammals.
Implications: Our results demonstrated the consequential impacts of introduced predators on the Australian small mammal fauna, and showed that predator-exclusion fences can be an effective conservation intervention for this guild.
Additional keywords: conservation fencing, Ctenotus, dasyurid, feral cat, predation, predator control, red fox, threatened species.
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