Is the Dingo Top Dog? The influence of dingo management on the behaviour of introduced carnivores in arid Australia, with implications for native fauna conservation by Renee Louise Brawata Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Australian National University August 2012 /■/■ Candidate's Declaration This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. To the best of the author’s knowledge, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text. Specific contributions by others are referred to in the acknowledgements and status of papers sections. Renee Louise Brawata August 2012 /// Status of Papers The following is a list of chapters from this thesis that have been published, submitted or in the processes of submission in modified forms. Co-authors and their respective contribution to the work are identified below. Paper Title Techniques for Monitoring Carnivore Behaviour using Automatic Thermal Video. Authors Renee L. Brawata, Timothy H. Raupach and Teresa Neeman Paper Status In press - Wildlife Society Bulletin. Source Chapter Chapter 3 Co-author Contribution: 1) Timothy Raupach was responsible for software relating to the remote recording of thermal images, including designing the thermal imaging software to meet the authors needs as stated and modifying the software as requested. He assisted in early field trials and provided feedback on the version of the paper submitted for publication. 2) Dr.Teresa Neeman was the statistical supervisor on the student panel for this thesis and it was the author’s judgement that she warranted co-authorship based on her input and advice on statistical analysis for any papers published from chapters 3-7. Paper Title Does management of a top carnivore influence the response of mesopredators and prey to rainfall in arid ecosystems? Evidence for a Baseline Density theory. Authors Renee L. Brawata and Teresa Neeman Paper Status In prep. Source Chapter Chapter 4 Co-author Contribution See note for T. Neeman above iv Paper Title Is Water the Key? Dingo management, intraguild interactions and predator distribution around water points in arid Australia. Authors Renee L. Brawata and Teresa Neeman Paper Status Published Wildlife Research Vol.28, No. 5 pages 426-436. 12th October 2011. Source Chapter Chapter 6 Co-author Contribution See note for T. Neeman above Paper Title Top-down or bottom-up? Using Bayesian analysis to understand the role of an apex predator in trophic regulation of arid ecosystems. Authors Renee L. Brawata and Carmel A. Pollino Paper Status In review. Source Chapter Chapter 8 Co-author Contribution Dr Carmel Pollino was an advisor on the student panel for the Bayesian analysis. Her co­ authorship was based on assistance provided to the student when using Bayesian software, advice on statistical analysis and feedback given to the student during the formation of the Bayesian model as well as constructive comments on the written paper. During completion of the thesis, a further two papers have been published under the authors maiden name (Visser, R.L.) as proceedings from a workshop on trophic regulation by the dingo. While these papers present a review on the general thesis topic, they do not contain information directly obtained from chapters in the thesis, and therefore have been included only in the appendix (Appendix 1). Renee Louise Brawata Dedicated to my two sons - Finnis Aedon, the Sun, the light of my life and Rhys Ashley, the Moon, my angel among the stars. vi Acknowledgements A PhD scholar could never succeed without the assistance of many, many dedicated people who generously give time and advice to students in need. Here I thank these people, and the many more I have no room to list, that aided me in my long and fulfilling journey. This research was funded by The Australian Research Council and The Wilderness Society as part of an ARC linkage grant LP 0455163, and I thank the funding bodies without which the research would not have been possible. I, firstly and foremost, would like to thank my two primary PhD supervisors who are not only wonderful people themselves, but have provided me with invaluable guidance and advice, while remaining steadfast through every step of my journey. I am greatly honoured to have been supervised by Prof Brendan Mackay, who, with his insight, faith and persistence, I give most credit to my successfully conducting research in an area about which I am truly passionate. To Dr Teresa Neeman I am eternally grateful, for her understanding, patience and uncanny skill in data analysis I owe her great thanks - without either I believe I would have not successfully completed such a thesis. Here I also deeply thank Dr Cannel Pollino for her friendship, time and effort, which inspired me into the realm of Bayesian analysis. 1 would also like to thank my US supervisor Em. Prof Michael Soule, for his passion and encouragement in the early stages of my journey, and my two advisors, Dr Peter Fleming and Dr David Jenkins, who assisted greatly with the initial formation of my research question, study sites and methods. In Chapter 3, I thank all those at NICTA who made the field use of a highly sort after thermal imaging camera possible. First I thank my co-author Timothy Raupach, for his extensive technical support and generous time in the field. I would also like to thank Terry Caelli and Antonio Robles-Kelly for their assistance. I owe a great debt to the landholders and managers who allowed me to work at each of my study sites. I’d like to thank Ingrid Witte and personnel at NPWS Sturt National Park for their support and assistance, Gina and Grant Reick at Bollards Lagoon, Peter, Geniene and ‘Uncle Stuart’ Litchfield at Mundowdna-Wilpoorina Station, Paul Jonas and family at Quinyambie Station and the Aboriginal community at Finniss Springs. I would also like to take the time to say a really big thank you to all of my field work volunteers, who generously gave their time and energy so that I was able to collect enough data during summer in some of the hottest places imaginable. Thank you so much, I seriously could have not done it without you. There are also many people working tirelessly ‘behind the scenes’ in one’s PhD journey. Here I would like to thank those people - Steve Leahy for his never ending ‘fellow parent’ and vii IT support, Karl Nissan, Peirs Bairstow and Mauro Davanzo for technical support, Sue Holzknecht for her constructive comments on all the chapters and wonderful, wonderful Clive Hilliker, who never said no to my insistent requests of reformatting every single graph possible, by Monday. You truly are my champions. I’d also like to thank all the very special people who made up my lab group for the 7 years during my PhD. The time I spent at ANU and the friendships and fun had I will never forget because of them: Heather, Sandy, Lynette, Linda, Peter, Tiffany, Lou, Lauren and Sonia. You brought fun and laughter to my journey; I will always be blessed for our time together and I sincerely hope our paths will cross again in the future. Finally, I owe perhaps the greatest debt to my family. I give my deepest thanks to my husband Andrew, who I believe to be the most supportive and patient husband that one could ever have. He gave me strength and more determination than I could ever muster to see this epic journey to its end. From purchasing a new car so I could go into the field within budget, to joining me in some of the most remote places in Australia, we truly are a team; I thank him so much for his belief in me and his never-ending support of me following my passion of ecology. Fd also like to thank my mother, Robyn, who has continued to support and inspire me since I was very young. 1 cannot begin to guess the amount of hours babysitting that she contributed just so that I could actually go back to university and finish my PhD. We could not have managed as a family without her, and the support of our friends. I’m just grateful I will never have to hear the words ‘and how’s the PhD going?’ in telephone conversations again. Finally I thank and acknowledge the two greatest blessings of my life, my sons, Finniss and Rhys, who were both bom during my PhD journey. You bring reason to my being, love to my heart and depth to my soul. I dedicate this work to you both, in the hope that it benefits future generations through even a small contribution toward the conservation of our precious natural heritage. Renee Louise Brawata, August 2012 viii Abstract An improved understanding of how ecosystems function is important for effective natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. Recent research suggests that top-order predators have important ecological roles in many ecosystems through controlling populations of smaller predators. This thesis examined how the management of Australia’s apex predator, the dingo (Canis lupus dingo), influenced the activity and behaviour of two introduced mesopredators, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus) and select prey species. The aim was to increase our understanding of the role dingoes may play in the conservation of endangered fauna through the trophic regulation of exotic mesopredators. The study monitored the activity and behaviour of dingoes, foxes, feral cats and select prey species at five sites in arid Australia.