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Wildlife Matters: Winter 2016 1 Wildlife Matters
Wildlife Matters: Winter 2016 1 wildlife matters Winter 2016 Historic partnership: AWC to reintroduce lost mammals to NSW national parks 2 Wildlife Matters: Winter 2016 Saving Australia’s threatened wildlife Welcome to the Winter 2016 edition of Wildlife Matters. The AWC mission This edition marks the beginning of a historic partnership between Australian The mission of Australian Wildlife Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) and the NSW Government. AWC has been contracted Conservancy (AWC) is the effective to deliver national park management services in the iconic Pilliga forest and at conservation of all Australian animal Mallee Cliffs National Park in the state’s south-west. It is the first public-private species and the habitats in which they live. collaboration of its kind. The centrepiece of this exciting partnership will be the reintroduction of at least 10 mammal species that are currently listed as extinct in To achieve this mission our actions are NSW. focused on: This is one of the world’s most significant biodiversity reconstruction projects. The • Establishing a network of sanctuaries return of mammals such as the Bilby and the Numbat – which disappeared from which protect threatened wildlife and NSW national parks more than 100 years ago – will represent a defining moment in ecosystems: AWC now manages our quest to halt and reverse the loss of Australia’s unique wildlife. 25 sanctuaries covering over 3.25 million hectares (8 million acres). The initiative reflects strong leadership by the NSW Government. It is committing substantial funds for threatened species, including this partnership with AWC. • Implementing practical, on-ground More importantly, the NSW Government recognises the need to develop new conservation programs to protect approaches to conservation if we are to reverse the catastrophic decline of the wildlife at our sanctuaries: these Australia’s natural capital. -
Macropod Herpesviruses Dec 2013
Herpesviruses and macropods Fact sheet Introductory statement Despite the widespread distribution of herpesviruses across a large range of macropod species there is a lack of detailed knowledge about these viruses and the effects they have on their hosts. While they have been associated with significant mortality events infections are usually benign, producing no or minimal clinical effects in their adapted hosts. With increasing emphasis being placed on captive breeding, reintroduction and translocation programs there is a greater likelihood that these viruses will be introduced into naïve macropod populations. The effects and implications of this type of viral movement are unclear. Aetiology Herpesviruses are enveloped DNA viruses that range in size from 120 to 250nm. The family Herpesviridae is divided into three subfamilies. Alphaherpesviruses have a moderately wide host range, rapid growth, lyse infected cells and have the capacity to establish latent infections primarily, but not exclusively, in nerve ganglia. Betaherpesviruses have a more restricted host range, a long replicative cycle, the capacity to cause infected cells to enlarge and the ability to form latent infections in secretory glands, lymphoreticular tissue, kidneys and other tissues. Gammaherpesviruses have a narrow host range, replicate in lymphoid cells, may induce neoplasia in infected cells and form latent infections in lymphoid tissue (Lachlan and Dubovi 2011, Roizman and Pellet 2001). There have been five herpesvirus species isolated from macropods, three alphaherpesviruses termed Macropodid Herpesvirus 1 (MaHV1), Macropodid Herpesvirus 2 (MaHV2), and Macropodid Herpesvirus 4 (MaHV4) and two gammaherpesviruses including Macropodid Herpesvirus 3 (MaHV3), and a currently unclassified novel gammaherpesvirus detected in swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor) (Callinan and Kefford 1981, Finnie et al. -
Platypus Collins, L.R
AUSTRALIAN MAMMALS BIOLOGY AND CAPTIVE MANAGEMENT Stephen Jackson © CSIRO 2003 All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described in the Australian Copyright Act 1968 and subsequent amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, duplicating or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Contact CSIRO PUBLISHING for all permission requests. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Jackson, Stephen M. Australian mammals: Biology and captive management Bibliography. ISBN 0 643 06635 7. 1. Mammals – Australia. 2. Captive mammals. I. Title. 599.0994 Available from CSIRO PUBLISHING 150 Oxford Street (PO Box 1139) Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia Telephone: +61 3 9662 7666 Local call: 1300 788 000 (Australia only) Fax: +61 3 9662 7555 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.publish.csiro.au Cover photos courtesy Stephen Jackson, Esther Beaton and Nick Alexander Set in Minion and Optima Cover and text design by James Kelly Typeset by Desktop Concepts Pty Ltd Printed in Australia by Ligare REFERENCES reserved. Chapter 1 – Platypus Collins, L.R. (1973) Monotremes and Marsupials: A Reference for Zoological Institutions. Smithsonian Institution Press, rights Austin, M.A. (1997) A Practical Guide to the Successful Washington. All Handrearing of Tasmanian Marsupials. Regal Publications, Collins, G.H., Whittington, R.J. & Canfield, P.J. (1986) Melbourne. Theileria ornithorhynchi Mackerras, 1959 in the platypus, 2003. Beaven, M. (1997) Hand rearing of a juvenile platypus. Ornithorhynchus anatinus (Shaw). Journal of Wildlife Proceedings of the ASZK/ARAZPA Conference. 16–20 March. -
Calaby References
Abbott, I.J. (1974). Natural history of Curtis Island, Bass Strait. 5. Birds, with some notes on mammal trapping. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 107: 171–74. General; Rodents; Abbott, I. (1978). Seabird islands No. 56 Michaelmas Island, King George Sound, Western Australia. Corella 2: 26–27. (Records rabbit and Rattus fuscipes). General; Rodents; Lagomorphs; Abbott, I. (1981). Seabird Islands No. 106 Mondrain Island, Archipelago of the Recherche, Western Australia. Corella 5: 60–61. (Records bush-rat and rock-wallaby). General; Rodents; Abbott, I. and Watson, J.R. (1978). The soils, flora, vegetation and vertebrate fauna of Chatham Island, Western Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 60: 65–70. (Only mammal is Rattus fuscipes). General; Rodents; Adams, D.B. (1980). Motivational systems of agonistic behaviour in muroid rodents: a comparative review and neural model. Aggressive Behavior 6: 295–346. Rodents; Ahern, L.D., Brown, P.R., Robertson, P. and Seebeck, J.H. (1985). Application of a taxon priority system to some Victorian vertebrate fauna. Fisheries and Wildlife Service, Victoria, Arthur Rylah Institute of Environmental Research Technical Report No. 32: 1–48. General; Marsupials; Bats; Rodents; Whales; Land Carnivores; Aitken, P. (1968). Observations on Notomys fuscus (Wood Jones) (Muridae-Pseudomyinae) with notes on a new synonym. South Australian Naturalist 43: 37–45. Rodents; Aitken, P.F. (1969). The mammals of the Flinders Ranges. Pp. 255–356 in Corbett, D.W.P. (ed.) The natural history of the Flinders Ranges. Libraries Board of South Australia : Adelaide. (Gives descriptions and notes on the echidna, marsupials, murids, and bats recorded for the Flinders Ranges; also deals with the introduced mammals, including the dingo). -
Feral Cats: Killing 75 Million Native Animals Every Night Saving Australia’S Threatened Wildlife
wildlife matters Summer 2012/13 Feral cats: killing 75 million native animals every night Saving Australia’s threatened wildlife Welcome to the Summer 2012/13 edition of Wildlife Matters. The AWC mission As you will read in the following pages, our focus remains firmly on battling the The mission of Australian Wildlife “ecological axis of evil” – feral animals, wildfires and weeds. For decades, these Conservancy (AWC) is the effective forces have been steadily eroding Australia’s natural capital, causing the extinction conservation of all Australian animal of wildlife and the destruction of habitats and ecological processes. The role of feral species and the habitats in which they live. cats – which kill 75 million native animals every day – is particularly significant. To achieve this mission, our actions are focused on: Our response to this tripartite attack on Australia’s natural capital is straightforward • Establishing a network of sanctuaries – we deliver practical land management informed by world-class science. Central which protect threatened wildlife and to our strategy is the fact that around 80% of our staff are based in the field. AWC’s ecosystems: AWC now manages dedicated team of field operatives – land managers and ecologists – represent the 23 sanctuaries covering over 3 million front-line in our battle against fire, ferals and weeds. Within the conservation sector, hectares (7.4 million acres). we are unique in deploying such a high proportion of our staff in the field. • Implementing practical, on-ground To date, this strategy has delivered significant, measurable and very positive conservation programs to protect ecological returns. This success is particularly apparent when considering the the wildlife at our sanctuaries: these surviving populations of Australia’s most endangered mammals. -
On Christmas Island. the Presence of Trypanosoma in Cats and Rats (From All Three Locations) and Leishmania
Invasive animals and the Island Syndrome: parasites of feral cats and black rats from Western Australia and its offshore islands Narelle Dybing BSc Conservation Biology, BSc Biomedical Science (Hons) A thesis submitted to Murdoch University to fulfil the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the discipline of Biomedical Science 2017 Author’s Declaration I declare that this thesis is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work that has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution. Narelle Dybing i Statement of Contribution The five experimental chapters in this thesis have been submitted and/or published as peer reviewed publications with multiple co-authors. Narelle Dybing was the first and corresponding author of these publications, and substantially involved in conceiving ideas and project design, sample collection and laboratory work, data analysis, and preparation and submission of manuscripts. All publication co-authors have consented to their work being included in this thesis and have accepted this statement of contribution. ii Abstract Introduced animals impact ecosystems due to predation, competition and disease transmission. The effect of introduced infectious disease on wildlife populations is particularly pronounced on islands where parasite populations are characterised by increased intensity, infra-community richness and prevalence (the “Island Syndrome”). This thesis studied parasite and bacterial pathogens of conservation and zoonotic importance in feral cats from two islands (Christmas Island, Dirk Hartog Island) and one mainland location (southwest Western Australia), and in black rats from Christmas Island. The general hypothesis tested was that Island Syndrome increases the risk of transmission of parasitic and bacterial diseases introduced/harboured by cats and rats to wildlife and human communities. -
A Species-Level Phylogenetic Supertree of Marsupials
J. Zool., Lond. (2004) 264, 11–31 C 2004 The Zoological Society of London Printed in the United Kingdom DOI:10.1017/S0952836904005539 A species-level phylogenetic supertree of marsupials Marcel Cardillo1,2*, Olaf R. P. Bininda-Emonds3, Elizabeth Boakes1,2 and Andy Purvis1 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot SL5 7PY, U.K. 2 Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, U.K. 3 Lehrstuhl fur¨ Tierzucht, Technical University of Munich, Alte Akademie 12, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany (Accepted 26 January 2004) Abstract Comparative studies require information on phylogenetic relationships, but complete species-level phylogenetic trees of large clades are difficult to produce. One solution is to combine algorithmically many small trees into a single, larger supertree. Here we present a virtually complete, species-level phylogeny of the marsupials (Mammalia: Metatheria), built by combining 158 phylogenetic estimates published since 1980, using matrix representation with parsimony. The supertree is well resolved overall (73.7%), although resolution varies across the tree, indicating variation both in the amount of phylogenetic information available for different taxa, and the degree of conflict among phylogenetic estimates. In particular, the supertree shows poor resolution within the American marsupial taxa, reflecting a relative lack of systematic effort compared to the Australasian taxa. There are also important differences in supertrees based on source phylogenies published before 1995 and those published more recently. The supertree can be viewed as a meta-analysis of marsupial phylogenetic studies, and should be useful as a framework for phylogenetically explicit comparative studies of marsupial evolution and ecology. -
Management of the Terrestrial Small Mammal and Lizard Communities in the Dune System Of
Management of the terrestrial small mammal and lizard communities in the dune system of Sturt National Park, Australia: Historic and contemporary effects of pastoralism and fox predation Ulrike Sabine Klöcker (Dipl. – Biol., Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, Germany) Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 2009 Abstract This thesis addressed three issues related to the management and conservation of small terrestrial vertebrates in the arid zone. The study site was an amalgamation of pastoral properties forming the now protected area of Sturt National Park in far-western New South Wales, Australia. Thus firstly, it assessed recovery from disturbance accrued through more than a century of Sheep grazing. Vegetation parameters, Fox, Cat and Rabbit abundance, and the small vertebrate communities were compared, with distance to watering points used as a surrogate for grazing intensity. Secondly, the impacts of small-scale but intensive combined Fox and Rabbit control on small vertebrates were investigated. Thirdly, the ecology of the rare Dusky Hopping Mouse (Notomys fuscus) was used as an exemplar to illustrate and discuss some of the complexities related to the conservation of small terrestrial vertebrates, with a particular focus on desert rodents. Thirty-five years after the removal of livestock and the closure of watering points, areas that were historically heavily disturbed are now nearly indistinguishable from nearby relatively undisturbed areas, despite uncontrolled native herbivore (kangaroo) abundance. Rainfall patterns, rather than grazing history, were responsible for the observed variation between individual sites and may overlay potential residual grazing effects. -
Natural History of the Eutheria
FAUNA of AUSTRALIA 35. NATURAL HISTORY OF THE EUTHERIA P. J. JARMAN, A. K. LEE & L. S. HALL (with thanks for help to J.H. Calaby, G.M. McKay & M.M. Bryden) 1 35. NATURAL HISTORY OF THE EUTHERIA 2 35. NATURAL HISTORY OF THE EUTHERIA INTRODUCTION Unlike the Australian metatherian species which are all indigenous, terrestrial and non-flying, the eutherians now found in the continent are a mixture of indigenous and exotic species. Among the latter are some intentionally and some accidentally introduced species, and marine as well as terrestrial and flying as well as non-flying species are abundantly represented. All the habitats occupied by metatherians also are occupied by eutherians. Eutherians more than cover the metatherian weight range of 5 g–100 kg, but the largest terrestrial eutherians (which are introduced species) are an order of magnitude heavier than the largest extant metatherians. Before the arrival of dingoes 4000 years ago, however, none of the indigenous fully terrestrial eutherians weighed more than a kilogram, while most of the exotic species weigh more than that. The eutherians now represented in Australia are very diverse. They fall into major suites of species: Muridae; Chiroptera; marine mammals (whales, seals and dugong); introduced carnivores (Canidae and Felidae); introduced Leporidae (hares and rabbits); and introduced ungulates (Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla). In this chapter an attempt is made to compare and contrast the main features of the natural histories of these suites of species and, where appropriate, to comment on their resemblance to or difference from the metatherians. NATURAL HISTORY Ecology Diet. The native rodents are predominantly omnivorous. -
Factsheet: a Threatened Mammal Index for Australia
Science for Saving Species Research findings factsheet Project 3.1 Factsheet: A Threatened Mammal Index for Australia Research in brief How can the index be used? This project is developing a For the first time in Australia, an for threatened plants are currently Threatened Species Index (TSX) for index has been developed that being assembled. Australia which can assist policy- can provide reliable and rigorous These indices will allow Australian makers, conservation managers measures of trends across Australia’s governments, non-government and the public to understand how threatened species, or at least organisations, stakeholders and the some of the population trends a subset of them. In addition to community to better understand across Australia’s threatened communicating overall trends, the and report on which groups of species are changing over time. It indices can be interrogated and the threatened species are in decline by will inform policy and investment data downloaded via a web-app to bringing together monitoring data. decisions, and enable coherent allow trends for different taxonomic It will potentially enable us to better and transparent reporting on groups or regions to be explored relative changes in threatened understand the performance of and compared. So far, the index has species numbers at national, state high-level strategies and the return been populated with data for some and regional levels. Australia’s on investment in threatened species TSX is based on the Living Planet threatened and near-threatened birds recovery, and inform our priorities Index (www.livingplanetindex.org), and mammals, and monitoring data for investment. a method developed by World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological A Threatened Species Index for mammals in Australia Society of London. -
Ba3444 MAMMAL BOOKLET FINAL.Indd
Intot Obliv i The disappearing native mammals of northern Australia Compiled by James Fitzsimons Sarah Legge Barry Traill John Woinarski Into Oblivion? The disappearing native mammals of northern Australia 1 SUMMARY Since European settlement, the deepest loss of Australian biodiversity has been the spate of extinctions of endemic mammals. Historically, these losses occurred mostly in inland and in temperate parts of the country, and largely between 1890 and 1950. A new wave of extinctions is now threatening Australian mammals, this time in northern Australia. Many mammal species are in sharp decline across the north, even in extensive natural areas managed primarily for conservation. The main evidence of this decline comes consistently from two contrasting sources: robust scientifi c monitoring programs and more broad-scale Indigenous knowledge. The main drivers of the mammal decline in northern Australia include inappropriate fi re regimes (too much fi re) and predation by feral cats. Cane Toads are also implicated, particularly to the recent catastrophic decline of the Northern Quoll. Furthermore, some impacts are due to vegetation changes associated with the pastoral industry. Disease could also be a factor, but to date there is little evidence for or against it. Based on current trends, many native mammals will become extinct in northern Australia in the next 10-20 years, and even the largest and most iconic national parks in northern Australia will lose native mammal species. This problem needs to be solved. The fi rst step towards a solution is to recognise the problem, and this publication seeks to alert the Australian community and decision makers to this urgent issue. -
Conservation Advice Zyzomys Palatalis Carpentarian Rock-Rat
THREATENED SPECIES SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Established under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The Minister’s delegate approved this Conservation Advice on 16/12/2016 . Conservation Advice Zyzomys palatalis Carpentarian rock-rat Conservation Status Zyzomys palatalis (Carpentarian rock-rat) is listed as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act) effective from the 16 July 2000. The species was eligible for listing under the EPBC Act as on 16 July 2000 it was listed as Endangered under Schedule 1 of the preceding Act, the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth). Species can also be listed as threatened under state and territory legislation. For information on the current listing status of this species under relevant state or territory legislation, see http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl . The main factors that are the cause of the species being eligible for listing in the Endangered category are a restricted geographic range, fragmented distribution, small population size and decline in habitat quality. The Committee notes that the Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012 (Woinarski et al., 2014) reviewed the conservation status of all Australian mammals and the review of the Carpentarian rock-rat considered it to be Critically Endangered. This differs from the status determined when the species was grandfathered in from the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth). The Threatened Species Scientific Committee is using the findings of Woinarski et al., (2014) to prioritise future reassessment of the conservation status of each of threatened mammals listed under the EPBC Act. Description The Carpentarian rock-rat is one of five species of rock-rat in the Australian endemic genus Zyzomys .