TY - JOUR
T1 - Sharing meals
T2 - Predation on Australian mammals by the introduced European red fox compounds and complements predation by feral cats
AU - Stobo-Wilson, Alyson M.
AU - Murphy, Brett P.
AU - Crawford, Heather M.
AU - Dawson, Stuart J.
AU - Dickman, Chris R.
AU - Doherty, Tim S.
AU - Fleming, Patricia A.
AU - Gentle, Matthew N.
AU - Legge, Sarah M.
AU - Newsome, Thomas M.
AU - Palmer, Russell
AU - Rees, Matthew W.
AU - Ritchie, Euan G.
AU - Speed, James
AU - Stuart, John Michael
AU - Thompson, Eilysh
AU - Turpin, Jeff
AU - Woinarski, John C.Z.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research received support from the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub. MR received funding from the Conservation Ecology Centre , Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment and Victorian Environmental Assessment Council . J-MS received funding from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). SD receives funding from the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions . We thank Joanna Riley for contributing fox diet data.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - Two introduced carnivores, the European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus, have had, and continue to have, major impacts on wildlife, particularly mammals, across Australia. Based mainly on the contents of almost 50,000 fox dietary samples, we provide the first comprehensive inventory of Australian mammal species known to be consumed by foxes, and compare this with a similar assessment for cats. We recorded consumption by foxes of 114 species of Australian land mammal (40% of extant species), fewer than consumed by cats (173 species). Foxes are known to consume 42 threatened mammal species (50% of Australia's threatened land mammals and 66% of those within the fox's Australian range). Reflecting the importance of mammals in their diet, foxes are known to consume a far higher proportion of Australian mammal species (40%) than of Australian birds (24%) and reptiles (16%). Both foxes and cats were most likely to consume medium-sized mammals, with the likelihood of predation by foxes peaking for mammals of ca. 280 g and by cats at ca. 130 g. For non-flying mammals, threatened species had a higher relative likelihood of predation by foxes than non-threatened species. Using trait-based modelling, we estimate that many now-extinct Australian mammal species had very high likelihoods of predation by foxes and cats, although we note that for some of these species, extinction likely pre-dated the arrival of foxes. These two predators continue to have compounding and complementary impacts on Australian mammals. Targeted and integrated management of foxes and cats is required to help maintain and recover the Australian mammal fauna.
AB - Two introduced carnivores, the European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus, have had, and continue to have, major impacts on wildlife, particularly mammals, across Australia. Based mainly on the contents of almost 50,000 fox dietary samples, we provide the first comprehensive inventory of Australian mammal species known to be consumed by foxes, and compare this with a similar assessment for cats. We recorded consumption by foxes of 114 species of Australian land mammal (40% of extant species), fewer than consumed by cats (173 species). Foxes are known to consume 42 threatened mammal species (50% of Australia's threatened land mammals and 66% of those within the fox's Australian range). Reflecting the importance of mammals in their diet, foxes are known to consume a far higher proportion of Australian mammal species (40%) than of Australian birds (24%) and reptiles (16%). Both foxes and cats were most likely to consume medium-sized mammals, with the likelihood of predation by foxes peaking for mammals of ca. 280 g and by cats at ca. 130 g. For non-flying mammals, threatened species had a higher relative likelihood of predation by foxes than non-threatened species. Using trait-based modelling, we estimate that many now-extinct Australian mammal species had very high likelihoods of predation by foxes and cats, although we note that for some of these species, extinction likely pre-dated the arrival of foxes. These two predators continue to have compounding and complementary impacts on Australian mammals. Targeted and integrated management of foxes and cats is required to help maintain and recover the Australian mammal fauna.
KW - Bat
KW - Diet
KW - Extinction
KW - Invasive species
KW - Marsupial
KW - Rodent
KW - Threatened species
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85113224962&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109284
DO - 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109284
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85113224962
SN - 0006-3207
VL - 261
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Biological Conservation
JF - Biological Conservation
M1 - 109284
ER -