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62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society i

62ND

ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING AND SYMPOSIUM OF THE AUSTRALIAN MAMMAL

SOCIETY

25-29 SEPTEMBER 2016

ABSTRACT BOOK

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society ii

SCIENTIFIC MEETING MONDAY 26TH TO WEDNESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH, ALICE SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTRE, ELLERY ROOMS A and D

Introduction and Opening Session (Chair: Chris Pavey)

8.45 AM Welcome and Welcome to Country

9.15 AM Opening Plenary: Development of Mammalogy in central Australia: what and why it happened Ken Johnson

10.00 AM The pig-footed bandicoot, extinct but not forgotten: review of its taxonomy and description of a new species Travouillon, K.J.*, Brewer, P., Portela Miguez, R., Simoes, B. and Stemmer, D.

10.13 AM Break

Session 2: Reproduction and Breeding Behaviour (Chair: Natalie Warburton)

10.45 AM Kangaroo mothers transfer environmental effects to their pouch young MacKay, Allison, Forsyth, David M., Coulson, Graeme and Festa-Bianchet, Marco*

10.58 AM Characterisation of factors influencing male reproductive success in the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) Thomas, Georgia*, Eldridge, Mark, Grueber, Catherine, Machovsky-Capuska, Gabriel, Spielman, Derek and Herbert, Catherine

11.11 AM Gestational experience alters sex allocation in the subsequent generation Edwards, A.M. *, Cameron, E.Z., Wapstra, E. and McEvoy, J.

11.24 AM Breeding behaviour of captive female southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) Swinbourne, Alyce*, Janssen, Tina, Phillips, Clive, Keeley, Tamara and Johnston, Stephen

11.37 AM Sexual dimorphism in immune function of eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) Brandimarti, M. E.*, Gray, R., Spielman, D. and Herbert, C. A.

11.50 AM The devil is in the detail: the reproductive physiology of the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) Keeley, Tamara

12.03 PM Linking testosterone levels and breeding behaviour in migrating male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) Mingramm, F.M.J*, Dunlop, R. and Keeley, T.

12.16 PM E-cadherin and desmoglein-2 changes in distribution during implantation in the domestic cat (Felis catus) Dudley, Jessica S.*, McAllan, Bronwyn, Thompson, Michael B. and Murphy, Christopher

12.29 PM Speed talk

Morphological diversity of male gamete form in Australasian old endemic rodents – why has it evolved and what does it

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society iii

mean? McLennan, Hanna J.*, Lüpold, Stefan, Smissen, Pete, Rowe, Kevin C. and Breed, William G.

12.34 PM Lunch

Session 3: Conservation and Management (Chair: Tasmin Rymer)

1.30 PM Short presentation on 12th International Mammalogical Conference 2017

1.35 PM Management and research of threatened mammals in the Northern Territory Ward, Simon

1.48 PM The Australian feral camel management project – a model for managing the impacts of large feral herbivores at the landscape scale Edwards, Glenn*, Hart, Quentin

2.01 PM The use of central Australian waterbodies by native and feral animals Brim Box, Jayne

2.14 PM Discovered today, extinct tomorrow? Ecology and management of new threatened Antechinus Baker, Andrew*, Mutton, Thomas, Gray, Emma, Mason, Eugene and Pearce, Coral

2.27 PM The Bramble Cay melomys (Melomys rubicola): a probable first mammalian extinction due to anthropogenic climate change Gynther, Ian*, Waller, Natalie, Leung, Luke, Freeman, Alastair and Lavery, Tyrone

2.40 PM Long-term monitoring of island dibbler populations shows their vulnerability to extinction Friend, J. Anthony*, and Button, Timothy, A.

2.53 PM Speed talk

Conservation ecology of Sharman’s rock-wallaby Hayes, Catherine*, Fisher, Diana, Kanowski, John, and Possingham, Hugh

2.58 PM Southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in the Gawler Ranges region of South Australia: population growth over the past three decades Swinbourne, Michael*, Taggart, David and Ostendorf, Bertram

3.11 PM Are we seeing a collapse in the Liverpool Plains koala population? Crowther, Mathew*, Mella, Valentina, Krockenberger, M., and Lunney, Dan

3.24 PM Spatial and demographic changes in a long diseased Tasmanian devil population in response to devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) Comte, Sebastien*, Hamede, Rodrigo, Carver, Scott and Jones, Menna

3.37 PM Break

Session 4: Conservation and Management continued (Chair: Catherine Herbert)

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4.00 PM Selective contraception as a tool to manage the Tasmanian devil insurance population: a focus on free-range enclosures Cope, Holly*, Hogg, Carolyn, White, Peter and Herbert, Catherine

4.13 PM Successfully creating new hollows for the critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum Lumsden, Lindy*, Powell, Chela and Cashmore, Mark

4.26 PM Spatial patterns of the brush-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus blythi) in the sand plains of central Australia Molyneux, Jenny*, Carthew, Sue, Pavey, Chris and James, Alex

4.39 PM Human-large carnivore coexistence: a global review and implications for Australian dingo management Van Eeden, Lily*, Crowther, Mathew, Dickman, Christopher, Macdonald, David, Ripple, William, Ritchie, Euan and Newsome, Thomas

4.52 PM The predator edge hypothesis Newsome, Thomas

5.05 PM END of SESSION

5.15 PM Annual General Meeting (AGM)

6.45 PM CLOSE of AGM

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27TH, ALICE SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTRE, ELLERY ROOMS A and D

Session 5: Restoration and Reintroduction (Chair: Tom Newsome)

8.30 AM Continental-scale rewilding of an invaded ecosystem: Australia Jones, Menna*, Johnson, Chris, and Letnic, Mike

8.43 AM Re-establishing koala populations following localised extinctions in Queensland FitzGibbon, Sean*, Gillett, Amber, Barth, Ben and Ellis, William

8.56 AM Addressing the challenges of monitoring broadscale ecological restoration, the Bounceback program, South Australia Mooney, Trish* and Brandle, Robert

9.09 AM Evaluating translocation success of the threatened northern quoll to two Australian islands Griffiths, Anthony D.*, Rankmore, Brooke, Brennan, Kym and Woinarski, John C.Z.

9.22 AM Out of the frying pan: reintroduction of toad-smart northern quolls to southern Kakadu National Park Jolly, Christopher*, Simms, Anthony, Webb, Jonathan, Gillespie,

Graeme and Phillips, Ben

9.35 AM Adapting to the semi-arid zone: reintroduction of Bettongia penicillata Ruykys, Laura*, Riessen, Noel and Palmer, Nicola

9.48 AM Doing the leg work for us: self-reintroductions to predator-proof reserves Tuft, Katherine*, Moseby, Katherine, Crisp, Helen and Pedler, Reece

10.01 AM Break

10.30 AM Plenary 2 Australian mammal decline on a large and small scale: the story of the bridled nailtail wallaby Diana Fisher

Session 6: Diet and Predator-prey Interaction (Chair: Brad Law)

11.15 AM Speed talk

Antechinus and their prey on mountainsides Collett, Rachael

11.20 AM Witchetty grubs: tucker for greater bilbies? Liddle, Nerida*, Schlesinger, Christine and Paltridge, Rachel

11.33 AM Suburban quenda diets: comparisons of stomach and faecal analyses Tay, Natasha*, Pellegrin, Christine, Dunstan, Bill, Bateman, P.W. and Fleming, Trish

11.46 AM Olfactory discrimination of potential invertebrate predators by a nocturnal tropical rainforest rodent Wilson, David* and Rymer, Tasmin L.

11.59 AM Dining with the devil: maintaining natural Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) behaviours through diet and food-

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based enrichment Parrott, Marissa L.*, Rosewarne, Tanya, O’Neal, Tierney, Lancaster, Melanie, Eastley, Tiffany, Stasiak, Tammika, Zabinskas, Monika and Ritchie, Euan G.

12.12 PM Seasonal changes in the diet of sympatric native and introduced herbivores in the grassy ecosystems of the Murraylands, South Australia Taggart, David*, Sparrow, Elissa and Croxford, Adam

12.25 PM Lunch

12.45-1.15 PM Book Launch: The Red Kangaroo in Central Australia (by Thomas and Alan Newsome) Introduction by Chris Dickman

Session 7: Ecology and Habitat (Chair: Laura Ruykys, TBC)

1.30 PM Speed talk

Ecosystem engineers: does it matter who digs? Dundas, Shannon*, Hopkins, Anna, Ruthrof, Katinka, Osborne, Lara, Burgess, Treena, Hardy, Giles and Fleming, Trish

1.35 PM The refuges approach to ensuring persistence of threatened small mammals in arid Australia Pavey, Chris

1.48 PM Spatial ecology of a refuge population of the plains mouse (Pseudomys australis) Young, Lauren*, Dickman, Chris, Pavey, Chris and Addison, Jane

2.01 PM Ground-truthing a habitat suitability model for koalas Law, Bradley*, Caccamo, Gabriele, Brassil, Traecey and Gonsalves, Leroy

2.14 PM Bilby habitat selection in the west Kimberley Dawson, Stuart J.*, Adams, P.J., Bateman, P.W., Waddington, K.I., Kobryn, H.T., Moseby, E. and Fleming, P.A.

2.27 PM Nyarrpara-kalu nyinami walpajiri? Where are the bilbies? Partridge, Thalie*, Michaels, Christine, Kelly, Preston

2.40 PM The fuscous woolly bilby Macrotis lagotis cambrica: historical distribution and habitat in New South Wales Fleming, Mike

2.53 PM Preliminary analyses of environmental influences on a population of the eastern grey kangaroo King, Wendy J.*, Forsyth, David M., Coulson, Graeme and Festa-Bianchet, Marco

3.06 PM Does thinning regrowth restore habitat for biodiversity?: Preliminary results Gonsalves, Leroy*, Law, Bradley, Waters, Cathy, Brassil, Traecey, Toole, Ian and Tap, Patrick

3.19 PM Speed talk

Gliding past small mammal decline: investigating the ecology of the northern savanna glider Stobo-Wilson, Alyson*, Carthew, Sue, Cremona, Teigan and Murphy, Brett

3.24 PM Break

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Session 8: Methods – Advances and Initiatives (Chair: Trish Fleming)

4.00 PM A genetic mini-barcode to identify Australian mammal predators from environmental DNA samples Modave, Elodie*, MacDonald, Anna J., Campbell, Catriona D. and Sarre, Stephen D.

4.13 PM The Oz mammals genome (OMG) initiative: a new area of mammal research Eldridge, Mark* and the Oz Mammals Genomes Consortium

4.26 PM Investigating Tasmanian devil behaviour using collar-mounted crittercamTM video cameras Hughes, Channing*, Abernathy, Kyler, Dickman, Chris, DuCroz, Jean-François, Marshall, Greg, Miller, Kim, Starr, Kathy and Parrott, Marissa

4.39 PM Monitoring koalas on the Moreton Bay rail link project de Villiers, Deidré*, Hanger, Jon, Loader, Jo and Nottidge, Ben

4.52 PM Monitoring koalas use of crossing structures on the Moreton Bay rail link project Nottidge, Ben*, Hanger, Jon, Loader, Jo and de Villiers, Deidré

5.05 PM Collars and ear-tags do not affect the behaviour of the eastern grey kangaroo Sofo, Karina and Coulson, Graeme*

5.18 PM How to tag a ‘coot Coetsee, Amy*, Harley, Dan, Lynch, Michael, Coulson, Graeme, de Milliano, Jasmine, Cooper, Michelle, Groenewegen, Rebecca, Sutherland, Duncan and Rendall, Anthony

5.31 PM END of SESSION

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society viii

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 28TH, ALICE SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTRE, ELLERY ROOMS A and D

9.00 AM Plenary 3 The function of mammalian torpor in the Australian arid zone Fritz Geiser

Session 9: Human-wildlife Interactions (Chair: Chris Dickman)

9.45 AM Testing assumptions about human impacts on wildlife: a case study on non-lethal control of peri-urban kangaroo populations Herbert, Catherine A.*, Zhao, Annie, Phibbs, Danielle, Hobbs, Rebecca and Spielman, Derek

9.58 AM Do mammals show obvious responses towards tourists? Fleming, Trish* and Bateman, Bill

10.11 AM Artificial light pollution: shifting spectral wavelengths to mitigate ecological consequences in a nocturnal mammal Dimovski, Alicia* and Robert, Kylie

10.24 AM Speed talk

Attitudes towards wildlife conservation in New South Wales, Australia Fabian, Megan C.*, Cook, Amelia and Old, Julie, M.

10.29 AM Break

Session 10: Fire (Chair: Leroy Gonsalves)

11.00 AM How does fire severity and frequency impact mammal community assemblages in montane forest systems in the northern Australian Alps? Corrigan, Anthony*, Seddon, Julian and Nipperess, David

11.13 AM Impacts from the state mine fire on mammals in Newnes State Forest, Lithgow, New South Wales Denny, Martin*, and Lothian, Andrew

11.26 AM Attraction, avoidance or indifference: How fauna respond to edges in fire prone landscapes Parkins, Kate*, Di Stefano, Julian and York, Alan

11.39 AM Brush-tailed phascogale activity in a post-fire landscape Terry, William

Session 10 continued: Genetics and Phylogeography (Chair: Leroy Gonsalves)

11.52 PM Marked population genetic structuring in a new species of Antechinus may be linked to anthropogenic pressures Mutton, Thomas*, Fuller, Susan and Baker, Andrew

12.05 PM Comparative phylogeography of arid zone dasyurids Umbrello, Linette*, Didham, Raphael, How, Ric and Huey, Joel

12.18 PM Population genetics of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), and harmonising data to inform conservation Neaves, Linda E., Dennison, Siobhan*, Frankham, Greta J., Bragg, Jason G., Potter, Sally, Moritz, Craig, Eldridge, Mark D.B. and Johnson, Rebecca N.

12.31 PM Characterising genetic structure and diversity in the south Gippsland koala population

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society ix

Wedrowicz, Faye*, Mosse, Jennifer, Wright, Wendy and Hogan, Fiona E.

12.44 PM Lunch

Session 11: Physiology, Anatomy and Behaviour (Chair: Tamara Keeley)

1.45 PM First record of additional teeth in Hector’s beaked whale: What does it mean? Kemper, Catherine*, Loch, Carolina, Jansen van Vuuren, Ludwig and Stemmer, David

1.58 PM The anterior nasal region in the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) suggests adaptation for thermoregulation and water conservation Nelson, Dale, Warburton, Natalie M.* and Prideaux, Gavin J.

2.11 PM Factors affecting body temperature of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) Adam, Dalene*, Johnston, Stephen, Beard, Lyn, Lisle, Allan, Nicolson, Vere and Ellis, William

2.24 PM How does activity influence macronutrient needs in carnivores? Stannard, Hayley*, McAllan, Bronwyn and Raubenheimer, David

2.37 PM Speed talk

Major histocompatibility complex class II in the red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura) Old, Julie M.*, Hermsen, Eden M. and Young, Lauren J.

2.42 PM

Decoupling of personality traits: Evidence from the fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat Melomys cervinipes Turner, Ayla, Congdon, Bradley and Rymer, Tasmin*

2.55 PM Investigating toad-smart behaviour in the endangered northern quoll Kelly, Ella*, Webb, Jonathon and Phillips, Ben

3.08 PM Odour cues facilitate niche separation in a predator guild Garvey, P.M., Clout, M.N., Glen, A.S. and Pech, R.P.*

3.21 PM Break

Capstone Plenary and Close of Conference (Chair: Chris Pavey)

3.45 PM Capstone Plenary The role of anthropogenic stressors such as climate change and land use intensification in altering rodent population dynamics: observations from two continents and an island Andrea Byrom

4.30 PM Concluding remarks

4.45 PM CLOSE of CONFERENCE

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POSTERS MONDAY 26TH TO WEDNESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER,

ALICE SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTRE, ELLERY ROOM B

POSTER TITLES AND AUTHORS

Understanding habitat utilisation by koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) within an agricultural landscape Barth, Ben*, Gillett, Amber, FitzGibbon, Sean, Wilson, Robbie, Moffitt, Beth, Adam, Dalene and Ellis, William

The ecology and survival of juvenile brushtail possums in the semi-arid zone: Preliminary results Bannister, Hannah*, Hodgens, Patrick and Moseby, Katherine

Were Australian native mammals “in decline” before European settlement? Regional non-volant faunas collected by early expeditions strongly suggest not Baynes, Alexander

Camera trapping in northern Australia: Lessons learnt from my PhD fieldwork Dawson, Stuart J.*, Adams, P.J., Bateman, P.W., Waddington, K.I., Kobryn, H.T., Moseby, K.E., Moore, T.L. and Fleming, P.A.

Monitoring faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in western quolls Jensen, Melissa*, Moseby, Katherine, Paton, David and Fanson, Kerry

Wombat survey and analysis tool (WomSAT) Old, Julie M.

The use of motion sensing cameras to measure bait-take by brush-tailed phascogale during a simulated fox control program Terry, William* and Kent, Beau

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CAT SYMPOSIUM THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 29TH, DOUBLETREE BY HILTON,

GRAND BALLROOM

Introduction to the Symposium

9.00 AM Welcome and housekeeping

9.10 AM Plenary Ramping up Australia’s fight against #extinction by tackling #FeralCats Gregory Andrews

10.00 AM Break

Session 2: National and State Perspectives (Chair: Glenn Edwards)

10.30 AM How many feral cats are in Australia? Legge, Sarah, Murphy, Brett P.*, McGregor, Hugh W., and Woinarski, John C.Z.

10.43 AM An update of feral cat control in Western Australia Algar, Dave*, Johnston, Michael, O’Donoghue, Michael and Quinn, Julie

10.56 PM Speed talk

Feral cats in the Northern Territory: Challenges, opportunities and progress in evaluating and mitigating impacts Gillespie, Graeme

Session 2 continued: Interactions with other Predators and with Humans (Chair: Glenn Edwards)

11.01 AM Mesopredator interactions in an urban environment: effects of decreased red fox activity on spatial use by feral cats Dormer, Jessica*, Spencer, Ricky and Dickman, Chris

11.14 AM Factors affecting habitat use by Tasmanian devils, spotted-tailed quolls and feral cats in a modified landscape Lyall, Joanna*, Johnson, Christopher, Munks, Sarah and Jones, Menna

11.27 AM Speed talk

Restoring resilience in wildlife populations: Devils, quolls and cats in the Tasmanian midlands Hamer, Rowena*, Johnson, Chris and Jones, Menna

11.32 AM Investigating correlates of Toxoplasma gondi to explain its higher prevalence on Kangaroo Island Taggart, Patrick

11.45 AM Cat burglars caught on camera at the scene of the crime! Using ultrasonic deterrents to prevent property incursions by roaming cats. Crawford, Heather M.*, Fontaine, Joe and Calver, Michael C.

11.58 AM Monitoring and raising awareness about domestic cat movement and management in the Alice Springs urban ecosystem Kreusser, J.*, Dowling, T., Young, L, Heenan, C. and Low, B.

12.11 PM Fighting like cats and dogs? Spatial and temporal activity of sympatric feral cats and dingoes in central Queensland Fancourt, Bronwyn*, Speed, James and Gentle, Matt

12.24 PM Lunch

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Session 3: Impacts on Biodiversity (Chair: Katherine Tuft)

1.30 PM Reversing the decline of mammals in northern Australia: Response of native mammals to cat control on the Pellew Islands Paltridge, Rachel*, Johnston, Anthony, Fitzpatrick, Sean and Goodman, Clem

1.43 PM Managing feral cats on Melville Island: Saving the brush-tailed rabbit-rat from extinction Davies, Hugh*, Murphy, Brett, McCarthy, Michael, Andersen, Alan and Gillespie, Graeme

1.56 PM

Not so clear but present danger: Managing the threat of feral cats for the critically endangered central rock-rat McDonald, Peter, J.* and Stewart, Alistair

2.09 PM Experimental evidence that cat predation suppresses reptile diversity in Australia’s tropical savannas Stokeld, Danielle*, Fisher, Alaric, Gentles, Tim, Hill, Brydie M., Woinarski, John, Young, Stuart and Gillespie, Graeme R.

Session 3 continued: Taking Action (Chair: Katherine Tuft)

2.22 PM Feral cat hunting at Kiwirrkurra Crossing, Kate*, Paltridge, Rachel, Ward, Nolia Yukultji and West, John

2.35 PM Feral cat control in the NSW Alps and south-east forests: Protecting populations of mountain pygmy-possum (Burramys parvus) and koonoom (smoky mouse Pseudomys fumeus) Broome, Linda*, and Schroder, Mel

2.48 PM

Kangaroo Island feral cat control trials 2016-2018: Guiding an island eradication Hodgens, Pat

3.01 PM Break

Session 4: Taking Action continued (Chair: Peter McDonald)

3.30 PM Individual insights – agent-based models of invasive predator responses to fire management and fox baiting Hradsky, Bronwyn*, Di Stefano, Julian, Kelly, Luke, Ritchie, Euan, and Wintle, Brendan

3.43 PM How different simulations of fire and grazing management can magnify or reduce the predatory impacts of feral cats McGregor, Hugh*, Prowse, Thomas, Legge, Sarah, Roshier, David, Jones, Menna and Johnson, Chris

3.56 PM Improving the abilities of native mammals to coexist with feral cats West, R., Moseby, K., Steindler, L., Blumstein, D. and Letnic, M.*

4.09 PM Awards ceremony and thank you

4.30 PM CLOSE of SYMPOSIUM

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PLENARIES

Opening Plenary: Ken Johnson

Development of Mammalogy in central Australia: what and why it happened

Brief Biography

Ken studied the management and ecology of Thylogale thetis for his PhD at

the University of New England before spending three years in Tasmania developing

methods for assessing abundance of species subject to harvest for the fur and meat

industries. He joined the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory in

1978 as a research scientist and initiated programs for the conservation

management of desert flora and fauna. Much of this work was in partnership with

traditional Aboriginal owners of desert and northern dry tropical regions of the

Territory. Ken became Regional Director of Parks and Wildlife in 1991 responsible for

the southern half of the NT and also led the team that planned and developed the

Alice Springs Desert Park. Ken is now retired and among other things endeavouring

to write a biography of HH Finlayson.

Abstract

Formal mammalogy began in central Australia with the work of Baldwin

Spencer during the Horn Expedition of 1894. Informal mammalogy had been going

on for thousands of years before this giving rise to extraordinary knowledge and skills

among Aboriginal people that was then tapped into to varying degrees by Western

scientists.

Spencer described what was new and HH Finlayson (1932-35 and 1950-56)

documented a collapse over just 20 years. From 1958 Alan Newsome became

known for research into Red Kangaroos and Dingoes, but he made other significant

contributions to mammal conservation.

I arrived in Alice Springs in 1978 – the only resident mammalogist for a radius

of 1,500km. Mammal conservation was just beginning and there was much remote

unstudied country where people, including Aboriginal people, believed rare species

persisted.

I was schooled in the science of temperate Australia and had much to learn

about the function of desert Australia, including how western science could meet

Aboriginal traditional knowledge, skills and culture. Biological survey, threatened

species conservation, feral animal management, ethnobiology, the fire-fauna-flora

connection, and administration became major elements of study.

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Plenary 2: Diana Fisher Australian mammal decline on a large and small scale: the story of the bridled

nailtail wallaby

Brief Biography

Diana Fisher is an ecologist who works on conservation, population ecology,

macroecology and evolutionary ecology of mammals. Topics in her research group

include conservation ecology of endemic, threatened and declining marsupials-

northern quolls, Sharman’s rock wallabies, bridled nailtail wallabies, kalutas,

Antechinus species, as well as Melanesian bats and rodents, Melanesian forest

ecology, ecological refuges, and life history evolution and sexual selection in

dasyurids. After an honours project on dasyurids at the University of Sydney (with

Chris Dickman), she worked at state environment agencies before joining Tim

Flannery’s Pacific expeditions at the Australian Museum, studying an endangered

monkey-faced bat in the Solomon Islands. Her PhD was on population dynamics and

behaviour of bridled nailtail wallabies at the University of Queensland (with Craig

Moritz and Anne Goldizen). Her postdoctoral work included comparative analysis of

marsupial life histories and macroecology (with Ian Owens at UQ), field experiments

on water vole dispersal (with Xavier Lambin at the University of Aberdeen), and a

field and lab-based APD project on the evolution of polyandry in antechinus, in

Andrew Cockburn’s research group at ANU. Diana moved to the University of

Queensland in 2007 to do an ARF project on causes and detectability of extinction in

mammals. She has recently finished a Future Fellowship and begun a UQ Fellowship

in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland. She is a project

leader in the National Environment Programme Threatened Species Hub, a member

of the IUCN Marsupial and Monotreme Specialist Group, and on the editorial board

of Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B and Methods in Ecology and

Evolution.

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Plenary 3: Fritz Geiser

The function of mammalian torpor in the Australian arid zone Brief Biography

Fritz Geiser is interested in the physiological ecology of animals. He received

a Biology degree from the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, a PhD from Flinders

University, Adelaide, and held post-doctoral positions at the Universities of

Washington, Seattle, and Adelaide. He has worked at the University of New England,

Armidale, since 1988, but during this time has conducted projects in Argentina,

Austria, Canada, China, Germany, South Africa and the USA. He was Alexander von

Humboldt Fellow, President of the Australian Mammal Society and ARC Discovery

Outstanding Researcher Award (DORA) Fellow. Currently, he is Professor of

Zoology and Director of the Centre of Excellence for Behavioural and Physiological

Ecology.

Abstract

Deserts are characterised by low primary productivity, limited supply of food

and water and pronounced daily and yearly fluctuations of ambient temperature.

Despite these adverse conditions, small mammals, which generally have high energy

and water requirements, are diverse in the vast Australian arid zone, although their

abundance is generally low. The most successful groups of small arid zone

mammals are dasyurid marsupials, native rodents, and insectivorous bats. A

probable reason for the success of the insectivorous dasyurids and bats, which must

cope with strong fluctuations in food and water availability, is their extensive use of

torpor. Mammalian torpor is characterised by substantial reductions of body

temperature, metabolic rate and water loss. Torpor appears to be used to permit

survival of droughts, cold spells and heat waves, but also fires and perhaps floods.

Torpor appears to permit reproduction and also development and growth on limited

resources and overall seems to be responsible for enhancement of long-term

survival and minimising rates of extinction. Thus torpor use, although primarily seen

as a physiological adaptation, has implications for the ecology and conservation of

mammals.

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xvi

Capstone Plenary: Andrea Byrom

The role of anthropogenic stressors such as climate change and land use intensification in altering rodent population dynamics: observations from

two continents and an island. Brief Biography

Andrea Byrom is a New Zealand ecologist who studied the population

dynamics of arctic ground squirrels in northern Canada for her PhD, before returning

to New Zealand to work on the population dynamics of invasive mammals (e.g.

brushtail possums, rodents, hedgehogs and mustelids) and their impacts on New

Zealand's native flora and fauna. She has worked as an ecologist at Landcare

Research (a Crown Research Institute) for 20-odd years. In recent years Andrea's

interests have expanded to understanding how outbreaks of both native and non-

native (invasive) rodents are affected by multiple drivers of environmental change,

such as land use intensification and climate change. Andrea is currently the Director

of a multi-instutional collaborative scientific entity in New Zealand: the New Zealand's

Biological Heritage National Science Challenge, which is aimed at using science to

address the most pressing threats facing New Zealand's terrestrial and freshwater

environments.

Plenary Outline

Worldwide, rodents are known for their adaptability and versatility, and their

population dynamics have fascinated ecologists for decades. On the one hand, many

species of rodents are threatened or critically endangered, and anthropogenic

stressors such as climate and land use change further threaten their populations. On

the other hand, many species of rodents - both invasives and overabundant natives -

are known for irruptions (sometimes termed 'outbreaks') that cause damage to crops,

threaten human livelihoods, or (in the case of invasives) impact on native flora and

fauna. In this talk I compare and contrast the impacts of climate change and land

use intensification on rodent population dynamics from Africa, Australia and New

Zealand, and suggest options for future management.

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Cat Symposium Plenary: Gregory Andrews

Ramping up Australia’s fight against #extinction by tackling #FeralCats Brief Biography

Gregory Andrews is Australia’s first Threatened Species Commissioner.

He raises support and awareness for Australia’s fight against extinction, leads

implementation of Australia’s first Threatened Species Strategy and advises

Australia’s Minister for the Environment and Energy on threatened species

policy.

Before his appointment as Threatened Species Commissioner in 2014,

Gregory was deputy head of the Australia’s delegation to the United Nations

Climate Change negotiations. Gregory has spent much of his career as a

diplomat and has also worked on social and Indigenous policy reform. He has

twice taken leave from the Australian Government to work on Indigenous

community development where he has worked closely with Indigenous peoples

in Kakadu, Arnhem Land and Central Australia.

Gregory began his career with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs

and Trade in 1992 and has been on postings to China and Japan. When in

China, Gregory worked on environmental issues including negotiating a bilateral

agreement to protect habitat for migratory bird species.

Gregory speaks Mandarin Chinese, has a first class honours degree in

Economics (majoring in Econometrics) and a Masters Degree in Foreign Affairs

and Trade. He is an Australian of shared European, Aboriginal and Persian

ancestry.

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xviii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM ii

PLENARIES xiii

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

FACTORS AFFECTING BODY TEMPERATURE OF THE KOALA (PHASCOLARCTOS CINEREUS) 1

Adam, Dalene, Johnston, Stephen, Beard, Lyn, Lisle, Allan, Nicolson, Vere and Ellis, William

AN UPDATE OF FERAL CAT CONTROL IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA 2 Algar, Dave, Johnston, Michael, O’Donoghue, Michael and Quinn, Julie

DISCOVERED TODAY, EXTINCT TOMORROW? ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF NEW THREATENED ANTECHINUS 4

Baker, Andrew, Mutton, Thomas, Gray, Emma, Mason, Eugene and Pearce, Coral

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN IMMUNE FUNCTION OF EASTERN GREY KANGAROO (MACROPUS GIGANTEUS) 5

Brandimarti, M.E., Gray, R., Spielman, D. and Herbert, C.A.

HOW RELIABLE ARE EXTERNAL REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTERS IN PREDICTING THE REPRODUCTIVE STATE OF SMALL ARID ZONE RODENTS? 6

Breed, Bill

THE USE OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN WATERBODIES BY NATIVE AND FERAL MAMMALS 7

Brim Box, Jayne

FERAL CAT CONTROL IN NSW ALPS AND S E FORESTS: PROTECTING POPULATIONS OF MOUNTAIN PYGMY-POSSUM BURRAMYS PARVUS AND KOONOOM (SMOKY MOUSE) PSEUDOMYS FUMEUS 8

Broome, Linda and Schroder, Mel

HOW TO TAG A ‘COOT 9

Coetsee, Amy, Harley, Dan, Lynch, Michael, Coulson, Graeme, de Milliano, Jasmine, Cooper, Michelle, Groenewegen, Rebecca, Sutherland, Duncan and Rendall, Anthony

ANTECHINUS AND THEIR PREY ON MOUNTAINSIDES 10

Collett, Rachael

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xix

SPATIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN A LONG DISEASED TASMANIAN DEVIL POPULATION IN RESPONSE TO DEVIL FACIAL TUMOUR DISEASE (DFTD) 11

Comte, Sebastien, Hamede, Rodrigo, Carver, Scott and Jones, Menna

SELECTIVE CONTRACEPTION AS A TOOL TO MANAGE THE TASMANIAN DEVIL INSURANCE POPULATION: A FOCUS ON FREE-RANGE ENCLOSURES 12

Cope, Holly, Hogg, Carolyn, White, Peter and Herbert, Catherine

HOW DOES FIRE SEVERITY AND FREQUENCY IMPACT MAMMAL COMMUNITY ASSEMBLAGES IN MONTANE FOREST SYSTEMS IN THE NORTHERN AUSTRALIAN ALPS? 13

Corrigan, Anthony, Seddon, Julian and Nipperess, David

COLLARS AND EAR-TAGS DO NOT AFFECT THE BEHAVIOUR OF EASTERN GREY KANGAROOS 14

Sofo, Katrina and Coulson, Graeme

CAT BURGLARS CAUGHT ON CAMERA AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME! USING ULTRASONIC DETERRENTS TO PREVENT PROPERTY INCURSIONS BY ROAMING CATS 15

Crawford, Heather M., Fontaine, Joe and Calver, Michael C.

FERAL CAT HUNTING AT KIWIRRKURRA 16

Crossing, Kate, Paltridge, Rachel, Ward, Nolia Yukultji and West, John

ARE WE SEEING A COLLAPSE IN THE LIVERPOOL PLAINS KOALA POPULATION? 17

Crowther, Mathew, Mella, Valentina, Krockenberger, M., and Lunney, Dan

MANAGING FERAL CATS ON MELVILLE ISLAND: SAVING THE BRUSH-TAILED RABBIT-RAT FROM EXTINCTION 18

Davies, Hugh, Murphy, Brett, McCarthy, Michael, Andersen, Alan and Gillespie, Graeme

BILBY HABITAT SELECTION IN THE WEST KIMBERLEY 19

Dawson, Stuart J., Adams, P.J., Bateman, P.W., Waddington, K.I., Kobryn, H.T., Moseby, E. and Fleming, P.A.

MONITORING KOALAS ON THE MORETON BAY RAIL LINK PROJECT 20

de Villiers, Deidré, Hanger, Jon, Loader, Jo and Nottidge, Ben

POPULATION GENETICS OF THE KOALA (PHASCOLARCTOS CINEREUS), AND HARMONISING DATA TO INFORM CONSERVATION 21

Neaves, Linda E., Dennison, Siobhan, Frankham, Greta J., Bragg, Jason G., Potter, Sally, Moritz, Craig, Eldridge, Mark D.B. and Johnson, Rebecca N.

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xx

IMPACTS FROM THE STATE MINE FIRE ON MAMMALS IN NEWNES STATE FOREST, LITHGOW NSW 22

Denny, Martin and Lothian, Andrew

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT POLLUTION: SHIFTING SPECTRAL WAVELENGTHS TO MITIGATE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES IN A NOCTURNAL MAMMAL 23

Dimovski, Alicia and Robert, Kylie

MESOPREDATOR INTERACTIONS IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT: EFFECT OF DECREASED RED FOX ACTIVITY ON SPATIAL USE BY FERAL CATS 24

Dormer, Jessica, Spencer, Ricky and Dickman, Chris

E-CADHERIN AND DESMOGLEIN-2 CHANGES IN DISTRIBUTION DURING IMPLANTATION IN THE DOMESTIC CAT (FELIS CATUS) 25

Dudley, Jessica S., McAllan, Bronwyn, Thompson, Michael B. and Murphy, Christopher

ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS: DOES IT MATTER WHO DIGS? 26

Dundas, Shannon, Hopkins, Anna, Ruthrof, Katinka, Osborne, Lara, Burgess, Treena, Hardy, Giles and Fleming, Trish

FLEXIBILITY IN THE DIET OF THE NORTHERN QUOLL ACROSS THE PILBARA REGION 27

Dunlop, Judy, Rayner, Kelly and Doherty, Tim

GESTATIONAL EXPERIENCE ALTERS SEX ALLOCATION IN THE SUBSEQUENT GENERATION 28

Edwards, A.M., Cameron, E.Z., Wapstra, E. and McEvoy, J.

THE OZ MAMMALS GENOME (OMG) INITIATIVE: A NEW AREA OF MAMMAL RESEARCH 29

Eldridge, Mark and the Oz Mammals Genomes Consortium

ATTITUDES TOWARDS WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN NSW, AUSTRALIA 30

Fabian, Megan C., Cook, Amelia and Old, Julie M.

FIGHTING LIKE CATS AND DOGS? SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL ACTIVITY OF SYMPATRIC FERAL CATS AND DINGOES IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 31

Fancourt, Bronwyn, Speed, James and Gentle, Matt

KANGAROO MOTHERS TRANSFER ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS TO THEIR POUCH YOUNG 32

MacKay, Allison, Forsyth, David M., Coulson, Graeme and Festa-Bianchet, Marco

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xxi

RE-ESTABLISHING KOALA POPULATIONS FOLLOWING LOCALISED EXTINCTIONS IN QUEENSLAND 33

FitzGibbon, Sean, Gillett, Amber, Barth, Ben and Ellis, William

THE FUSCOUS WOOLLY BILBY MACROTIS LAGOTIS CAMBRICA : HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT IN NEW SOUTH WALES 34

Fleming, Mike

DO MAMMALS SHOW OBVIOUS RESPONSES TOWARDS TOURISTS? 35

Fleming, Trish * and Bateman,Bill

LONG-TERM MONITORING OF ISLAND DIBBLER POPULATIONS SHOWS THEIR VULNERABILITY TO EXTINCTION 36

Friend, J. Anthony and Button, Timothy A.

FERAL CATS IN THE NT: CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND PROGRESS IN EVALUATING AND MITIGATING IMPACTS 37

Gillespie, Graeme

DOES THINNING REGROWTH RESTORE HABITAT FOR BIODIVERSITY?: PRELIMINARY RESULTS 38

Gonsalves, Leroy, Law, Bradley, Waters, Cathy, Brassil, Traecey, Toole, Ian and Tap, Patrick

EVALUATING TRANSLOCATION SUCCESS OF THE THREATENED NORTHERN QUOLL TO TWO AUSTRALIAN ISLANDS 39

Griffiths, Anthony D., Rankmore, Brooke, Brennan, Kym and Woinarski, John C.Z.

THE BRAMBLE CAY MELOMYS (MELOMYS RUBICOLA): A PROBABLE FIRST MAMMALIAN EXTINCTION DUE TO ANTHROPOGENIC CLIMATE CHANGE 40

Gynther, Ian, Waller, Natalie, Leung, Luke, Freeman, Alastair and Lavery, Tyrone

RESTORING RESILIENCE IN WILDLIFE POPULATIONS: DEVILS, QUOLLS AND CATS IN THE TASMANIAN MIDLANDS 41

Hamer, Rowena, Johnson, Chris and Jones, Menna

CONSERVATION ECOLOGY OF SHARMAN’S ROCK-WALLABY 42

Hayes, Catherine, Fisher, Diana, Kanowski, John, and Possingham, Hugh

TESTING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HUMAN IMPACTS ON WILDLIFE: A CASE STUDY ON NON-LETHAL CONTROL OF PERI-URBAN KANGAROO POPULATIONS 43

Herbert, Catherine A., Zhao, Annie, Phibbs, Danielle, Hobbs, Rebecca and Spielman, Derek

KANGAROO ISLAND FERAL CAT CONTROL TRIALS 2016-2018:

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xxii

GUIDING AN ISLAND ERADICATION 44

Hodgens, Pat and Kinloch, Martine

INDIVIDUAL INSIGHTS — AGENT-BASED MODELS OF INVASIVE PREDATOR RESPONSES TO FIRE MANAGEMENT AND FOX BAITING 45

Hradsky, Bronwyn, Di Stefano, Julian, Kelly, Luke, Ritchie, Euan and Wintle, Brendan

THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF BUSHFIRE ON TASMANIAN DEVIL POPULATIONS 46

DuCroz, Jean-François, Dickman, Chris and Hughes, Channing

INVESTIGATING TASMANIAN DEVIL BEHAVIOUR USING COLLAR-MOUNTED CRITTERCAM™ VIDEO CAMERAS 47

Hughes, Channing, Abernathy, Kyler, Dickman, Chris, DuCroz, Jean-François, Marshall, Greg, Miller, Kim, Starr, Kathy and Parrott, Marissa

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN: REINTRODUCTION OF TOAD-SMART NORTHERN QUOLLS TO SOUTHERN KAKADU NATIONAL PARK 48

Jolly, Christopher, Simms, Anthony, Webb, Jonathan, Gillespie, Graeme and Phillips, Ben

CONTINENTAL-SCALE REWILDING OF AN INVADED ECOSYSTEM: AUSTRALIA 49

Jones, Menna, Johnson, Chris and Letnic, Mike

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL: THE REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE TASMANIAN DEVIL (SARCOPHILUS HARRISII) 50

Keeley, Tamara

INVESTIGATING TOAD-SMART BEHAVIOUR IN THE ENDANGERED NORTHERN QUOLL 51

Kelly, Ella, Webb, Johnathon and Phillips, Ben

FIRST RECORD OF ADDITIONAL TEETH IN HECTOR’S BEAKED WHALE: 52 WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Kemper, Catherine, Loch, Carolina,Jansen van Vuuren, Ludwig and Stemmer, David

PRELIMINARY ANALYSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON A POPULATION OF EASTERN GREY KANGAROOS 53

King, Wendy J., Forsyth, David M., Coulson, Graeme and Festa-Bianchet, Marco

MONITORING AND RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT DOMESTIC CAT MOVEMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN THE ALICE SPRINGS URBAN ECOSYSTEM 54

Kreusser, J., Dowling, T., Young, L, Heenan, C. and Low, B.

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xxiii

GROUND-TRUTHING A HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR KOALAS 55

Law, Bradley, Caccamo, Gabriele, Brassil, Traecey and Gonsalves, Leroy

IMPROVING THE ABILITIES OF NATIVE MAMMALS TO COEXIST WITH FERAL CATS 56

West, R., Moseby, K., Steindler, L., Blumstein, D. and Letnic, M.

WITCHETTY GRUBS: TUCKER FOR GREATER BILBIES? 57

Liddle, Nerida, Schlesinger, Christine and Paltridge, Rachel

SUCCESSFULLY CREATING NEW HOLLOWS FOR THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED LEADBEATER’S POSSUM 58

Lumsden, Lindy, Powell, Chela and Cashmore, Mark

FACTORS AFFECTING HABITAT USE BY TASMANIAN DEVILS, SPOTTED TAILED QUOLLS AND FERAL CATS IN A MODIFIED LANDSCAPE 59

Lyall, Joanna, Johnson, Christopher, Munks, Sarah and Jones, Menna

NOT SO CLEAR BUT PRESENT DANGER: MANAGING THE THREAT OF FERAL CATS FOR THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED CENTRAL ROCK-RAT 60

McDonald, Peter J. and Stewart, Alistair

HOW DIFFERENT SIMULATIONS OF FIRE AND GRAZING MANAGEMENT CAN MAGNIFY OR REDUCE THE PREDATORY IMPACTS OF FERAL CATS 61

McGregor, Hugh, Prowse, Thomas, Legge, Sarah, Roshier, David Jones, Menna and Johnson, Chris

MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF MALE GAMETE FORM IN AUSTRALASIAN OLD ENDEMIC RODENTS – WHY HAS IT EVOLVED AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? 62

McLennan, Hanna J., Lüpold, Stefan, Smissen, Pete, Rowe, Kevin C. and Breed, William G.

LINKING TESTOSTERONE LEVELS AND BREEDING BEHAVIOUR IN MIGRATING MALE HUMPBACK WHALES (Megaptera novaeangliae) 63

Mingramm, F.M.J, Dunlop, R. and Keeley, T.

A GENETIC MINI-BARCODE TO IDENTIFY AUSTRALIAN MAMMAL PREDATORS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL DNA SAMPLES 64

Modave, Elodie, MacDonald, Anna J., Campbell, Catriona D. and Sarre, Stephen D.

SPATIAL PATTERNS OF THE BRUSH-TAILED MULGARA (DASYCERCUS BLYTHI) IN THE SAND PLAINS OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA 65

Molyneux, Jenny, Carthew, Sue, Pavey, Chris and James, Alex

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xxiv

ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF MONITORING BROADSCALE ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, BOUNCEBACK PROGRAM, SOUTH AUSTRALIA 66

Mooney, Trish and Brandle, Rob

ASSESSING THE RISK TO NORTHERN QUOLLS (DASYURUS HALLUCATUS) FROM FERAL CATS AND FERAL CAT BAITING IN THE PILBARA, WA. 67

Morris, Keith, Cowan, Mark and Palmer, Russell

HOW MANY FERAL CATS ARE IN AUSTRALIA? 68

Legge, Sarah, Murphy, Brett P., McGregor, Hugh W. and Woinarski, John, C.Z.

MARKED POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURING IN A NEW SPECIES OF ANTECHINUS MAY BE LINKED TO ANTHROPOGENIC PRESSURES 69

Mutton, Thomas, Fuller, Susan and Baker, Andrew

THE PREDATOR EDGE HYPOTHESIS 70

Newsome, Thomas

MONITORING KOALAS USE OF CROSSING STRUCTURES ON THE MORETON BAY RAIL LINK PROJECT 71

Nottidge, Ben, Hanger, Jon, Loader, Jo and de Villiers, Deidré

MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX CLASS II IN THE RED-TAILED PHASCOGALE (PHASCOGALE CALURA) 72

Old, Julie M., Hermsen, Eden M. and Young, Lauren J.

REVERSING THE DECLINE OF MAMMALS IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA: RESPONSE OF NATIVE MAMMALS TO CAT CONTROL ON THE PELLEW ISLANDS 73

Paltridge, Rachel, Johnston, Anthony, Fitzpatrick, Sean and Goodman, Clem

ATTRACTION, AVOIDANCE OR INDIFFERENCE: HOW FAUNA RESPOND TO EDGES IN FIRE PRONE LANDSCAPES 74

Parkins, Kate, Di Stefano, Julian and York, Alan

DINING WITH THE DEVIL: MAINTAINING NATURAL TASMANIAN DEVIL (SARCOPHILUS HARRISII) BEHAVIOURS THROUGH DIET AND FOOD-BASED ENRICHMENT 75

Parrott, Marissa L., Rosewarne, Tanya, O’Neal, Tierney, Lancaster, Melanie, Eastley, Tiffany, Stasiak, Tammika, Zabinskas, Monika and Ritchie, Euan G.

NYARRPARA-KALU NYINAMI WALPAJIRI? WHERE ARE THE BILBIES? 76

Partridge, Thalie, Michaels, Christine and Kelly, Preston

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xxv

THE REFUGES-APPROACH TO ENSURING PERSISTENCE OF THREATENED SMALL MAMMALS IN ARID AUSTRALIA 77

Pavey, Chris R.

ODOUR CUES FACILITATE NICHE SEPARATION IN A PREDATOR GUILD 78

Garvey, P.M., Clout, M.N., Glen, A.S. and Pech, R.P.

ADAPTING TO THE SEMI-ARID ZONE: REINTRODUCTION OF BETTONGIA PENICILLATA 79

Ruykys, Laura, Riessen, Noel and Palmer, Nicola

DECOUPLING OF PERSONALITY TRAITS: EVIDENCE FROM THE FAWN-FOOTED MOSAIC-TAILED RAT Melomys cervinipes 80

Turner, Ayla, Congdon, Bradley and Rymer, Tasmin

HOW DOES ACTIVITY INFLUENCE MACRONUTRIENT NEEDS IN

CARNIVORES? 81

Stannard, Hayley, McAllan, Bronwyn and Raubenheimer, David

GLIDING PAST SMALL MAMMAL DECLINE: INVESTIGATING THE ECOLOGY OF THE NORTHERN SAVANNA GLIDER 82

Stobo-Wilson, Alyson, Carthew, Sue, Cremona, Teigan and Murphy, Brett

EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE THAT CAT PREDATION SUPPRESSES REPTILE DIVERSITY IN AUSTRALIA’S TROPICAL SAVANNAS 83

Stokeld, Danielle, Fisher, Alaric, Gentles, Tim, Hill, Brydie M., Woinarski, John, Young, Stuart and Gillespie, Graeme R.

SOUTHERN HAIRY-NOSED WOMBATS (LASIORHINUS LATIFRONS) IN THE GAWLER RANGES REGION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: POPULATION GROWTH OVER THE PAST THREE DECADES 84

Swinbourne, Michael, Taggart, David and Ostendorf, Bertram

BREEDING BEHAVIOUR OF CAPTIVE FEMALE SOUTHERN HAIRY-NOSED WOMBATS (LASIORHINUS LATIFRONS) 85

Swinbourne, Alyce, Janssen, Tina, Phillips, Clive, Keeley, Tamara and Johnston, Stephen

SEASONAL CHANGES IN THE DIET OF SYMPATRIC NATIVE AND INTRODUCED HERBIVORES IN THE GRASSY ECOSYSTEMS OF THE MURRAYLANDS, S.A. 86

Taggart, David, Sparrow, Elisa and Croxford, Adam

INVESTIGATING CORRELATES OF TOXOPLASMA GONDI TO EXPLAIN ITS HIGHER PREVALENCE ON KANGAROO ISLAND 87

Taggart, Patrick

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xxvi

SUBURBAN QUENDA DIETS: COMPARISONS OF STOMACH AND FAECAL ANALYSES 88

Tay, Natasha, Pellegrin, Christine, Dunstan, Bill, Bateman,P.W. and Fleming, Trish

BRUSH-TAILED PHASCOGALE ACTIVITY IN A POST-FIRE LANDSCAPE 89

Terry, William

CHARACTERISATION OF FACTORS INFLUENCING MALE REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IN THE EASTERN GREY KANGAROO (MACROPUS GIGANTEUS) 90

Thomas, Georgia, Eldridge, Mark, Grueber, Catherine, Machovsky-Capuska, Gabriel, Spielman, Derek and Herbert, Catherine

THE PIG-FOOTED BANDICOOT, EXTINCT BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: REVIEW OF ITS TAXONOMY AND DESCRIPTION OF A NEW EXTINCT SPECIES 91

Travouillon, K.J., Brewer, P., Portela Miguez, R., Simoes, B. and Stemmer, D.

DOING THE LEG WORK FOR US: SELF-REINTRODUCTIONS TO PREDATOR-PROOF RESERVES 92

Tuft, Katherine, Moseby, Katherine, Crisp, Helen and Pedler, Reece

COMPARATIVE PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF ARID ZONE DASYURIDS 93

Umbrello, Linette, Didham, Raphael, How, Ric and Huey, Joel

HUMAN-LARGE CARNIVORE COEXISTENCE: A GLOBAL REVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AUSTRALIAN DINGO MANAGEMENT 94

Van Eeden, Lily, Crowther, Mathew, Dickman, Christopher, Macdonald, David, Ripple, William, Ritchie, Euan and Newsome, Thomas

THE ANTERIOR NASAL REGION IN THE RED KANGAROO (MACROPUS RUFUS) SUGGESTS ADAPTATION FOR THERMOREGULATION AND WATER CONSERVATION 95

Nelson, Dale, Warburton, Natalie M. and Prideaux, Gavin J.

MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH OF THREATENED MAMMALS IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY 96

Ward, Simon

CHARACTERISING GENETIC STRUCTURE AND DIVERSITY IN THE SOUTH GIPPSLAND KOALA POPULATION 97

Wedrowicz, Faye, Mosse, Jennifer, Wright, Wendy and Hogan, Fiona E.

OLFACTORY DISCRIMINATION OF POTENTIAL INVERTEBRATE PREDATORS BY A NOCTURNAL TROPICAL RAINFOREST RODENT 98

Wilson, David and Rymer, Tasmin L.

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society xxvii

SPATIAL ECOLOGY OF A REFUGE POPULATION OF THE PLAINS MOUSE (PSEUDOMYS AUSTRALIS) 99

Young, Lauren, Dickman, Chris, Pavey, Chris and Addison, Jane

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

UNDERSTANDING HABITAT UTILISATION BY KOALAS (PHASCOLARCTOS CINEREUS) WITHIN AN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE 100

Barth, Ben, Gillett, Amber, FitzGibbon, Sean, Wilson, Robbie, Moffitt, Beth, Adam, Dalene and Ellis, William

THE ECOLOGY AND SURVIVAL OF JUVENILE BRUSHTAIL POSSUMS IN THE SEMI-ARID ZONE: PRELIMINARY RESULTS 101

Bannister, Hannah, Hodgens, Patrick and Moseby, Katherine

WERE AUSTRALIAN NATIVE MAMMALS “IN DECLINE” BEFORE EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT? REGIONAL NON-VOLANT FAUNAS COLLECTED BY EARLY EXPEDITIONS STRONGLY SUGGEST NOT 102

Baynes, Alexander

CAMERA TRAPPING IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA; LESSONS LEARNT FROM MY PHD FIELDWORK 103

Dawson, Stuart J., Adams, P.J., Bateman, P.W., Waddington, K.I., Kobryn, H.T., Moseby, K.E., Moore, T.L. and Fleming, P.A.

MONITORING FAECAL GLUCOCORTICOID METABOLITES IN WESTERN QUOLLS 104

Jensen, Melissa, Moseby, Katherine, Paton, David and Fanson, Kerry

WOMBAT SURVEY AND ANALYSIS TOOL (WomSAT) 105

Old, Julie M.

THE USE OF MOTION SENSING CAMERAS TO MEASURE BAIT-TAKE BY BRUSH-TAILED PHASCOGALE DURING A SIMULATED FOX CONTROL PROGRAM 106

Terry, William and Kent, Beau

INDEX OF AUTHORS 107

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society 1

FACTORS AFFECTING BODY TEMPERATURE OF THE KOALA

(PHASCOLARCTOS CINEREUS)

Adam1, Dalene, Johnston1, Stephen, Beard1, Lyn, Lisle1, Allan, Nicolson2, Vere and

Ellis1, William

1Wildlife Science Unit, School of Agricultural and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland,

Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia; [email protected] 2Dreamworld, Coomera, Queensland 4209, Australia.

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is the largest arboreal folivore and is

widely distributed across eastern Australia. Koalas appear to be adversely affected

by extremely hot and dry environmental conditions and are predicted to experience a

distribution contraction under current climate change scenarios. My research aims to

develop a foundation towards understanding the thermal biology of koalas; this study

aimed to investigate what factors influence the body temperature of koalas. We have

implanted koalas, in short term captivity (Moggill Koala Hospital) and in the field (Mt

Byron), with temperature sensitive radio transmitters and thermal data loggers in

order to investigate their thermoregulatory strategies. When koalas, in captivity, were

fed at 18:00 hours they had a lower daily mean maximum body temperature by 0.3 –

0.5 ºC (max. Tb: 36.7 – 37.3 ºC), when compared to being fed at 08:00 hours (max

Tb: 37.2 – 37.9). Mean daily body temperatures of koalas, in captivity and in the

field, showed seasonal differences in the diurnal rhythm; the range in mean daily

body temperature is larger during summer months (1.4 – 2.0 ºC), than winter months

(0.6 – 1.2 ºC).

mailto:[email protected]


AN UPDATE OF FERAL CAT CONTROL IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Algar1, Dave, Johnston1, Michael, O’Donoghue2, Michael and Quinn3, Julie

1Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Western Australia 6026,

Australia. [email protected] 2Scientec Research Pty Ltd., Warrandyte, Victoria 3113, Australia.

3Environmental Biosecurity Section, Department of the Environment, Canberra 2601, Australia.

The impact of introduced predators is a major factor limiting survivorship and

recruitment of many native species in Western Australia. In particular, the feral cat

has been implicated in range reductions and population declines of many

conservation dependent species, including small to medium-sized mammals, and

ground-nesting birds. In this presentation we provide an update on feral cat control

efforts in Western Australia. To date, poison baiting using Eradicat® has been the

principal approach. While it has been valuable as a primary tool, Eradicat® is only

one of three feral cat bait types (Eradicat®, Curiosity® and Hisstory®) that are at

various stages of development and are discussed in this update. In addition, recent

refinements and advances in cat management strategies and control technologies

will be outlined. These innovations include successes with lethal implants, and

progress in development of lethal collars, female sentinel cats and several feline

attractants. Progress towards eradication of feral cats from Western Australian

islands is also presented.


DISCOVERED TODAY, EXTINCT TOMORROW? ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

OF NEW THREATENED ANTECHINUS

Baker, Andrew, Mutton, Thomas, Gray, Emma, Mason, Eugene and Pearce, Coral

School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology,

Brisbane, Queensland, 4001, Australia.; [email protected]

In the last three years, five new species of antechinus have been named

during a genetic and morphological re-appraisal of this carnivorous marsupial genus.

This taxonomic work has prompted a suite of ongoing core ecology (mark-capture-

release) studies which aimed to resolve baseline information on three of the new

species occurring in Queensland, including: breeding timing, growth, diet, distribution

and conservation status. All new species appear to follow the breeding strategy well

documented in congeners, where all males die annually at the conclusion of a short

and frenetic mating period. Dietary patterns also followed the generic standard, with

each species consuming a broad range of mostly invertebrate prey, supplemented

by occasional predation on small vertebrates. Unfortunately, a number of the new

antechinus species appear to be at risk of extinction. Until recently, no antechinus

was listed in a threatened category. However, our results suggest that of the 15

antechinus species known in Australia, perhaps one half needs a federal threatened

listing, with at least two species destined for endangered status. This talk presents a

synthesis of recent work on the group with an eye to future research directions and a

view towards conservation and sustainable management of antechinus.


SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN IMMUNE FUNCTION OF EASTERN GREY

KANGAROO (MACROPUS GIGANTEUS)

Brandimarti, M.E., Gray, R., Spielman, D. and Herbert, C.A.

Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia;

[email protected]

Context: Gender specific behaviour resulting in enhanced reproductive

success can come at an immunological cost, with males in many species exhibiting

lower immune responses than female conspecifics.

Aims: This study investigated the immunological difference between free

ranging male and female eastern grey kangaroos (n = 59), using reference values to

assess immunological and general parameters of health.

Methods: Parameters included total and differential leukocyte counts, serum

proteins including gamma globulins, health parameters such as total red blood cells,

haemoglobin, packed cell volume, total serum protein and albumin concentrations, in

addition to ectoparasite and endoparasite burdens. All parameters were correlated

with testosterone.

Results: Male kangaroos showed significantly higher (p = 0.01) total leukocyte

counts, as well as higher absolute lymphocyte counts (p = 0.004). Female kangaroos

had significantly greater (p = 0.006) ectoparasitic burdens.

Conclusions: Immunological differences are the outcome of a complex

interaction of factors including the immunosuppressive effects of pregnancy and

lactation, testosterone in males, and different contact rates to pathogens.

Significance: Knowledge of immunological sexual dimorphism and

haematological reference values has applications for husbandry practices in captive

macropod species, as well as contribute to a relatively unknown field of knowledge

for free-ranging eastern grey kangaroo populations.


HOW RELIABLE ARE EXTERNAL REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTERS IN

PREDICTING THE REPRODUCTIVE STATE OF SMALL ARID ZONE RODENTS?

Breed, Bill

Discipline of Anatomy & Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA.

Small arid zone rodents like the Spinifex Hopping Mouse, Notomys alexis,

typically go through “boom” and “bust” population cycles. How much population

“booms” after a significant pulse of rainfall are due to enhanced reproduction or to

immigration is debated. To investigate the former, reproductive activity may be

assessed by external examination. In females sexual maturity has been determined

by vaginal perforation or lack thereof, pregnancy by palpation for fetuses, and, in

males, sexual maturity by testis position. Here I present data, largely from laboratory

investigations, which suggest caution in extrapolation of reproductive state from

indirect evidence. For instance adult female hopping mice may have (1) imperforate

vaginae due to particular environmental conditions, (2) extended teats long after

suckling has ceased, whereas (3) palpable uterine swellings due to intrauterine

fetuses only occur for the latter two thirds of pregnancy. Furthermore in sexually

mature males handling can result in the tiny testes retracting into the lower

abdominal region, presumably due to stress, thus appearing to be intra-abdominal,

not scrotal, in position, whereas scrotal pigmentation appears to vary regardless of

testicular activity. These observations are offered as a cautionary note when

interpreting sexual maturity and activity in wild caught individuals from indirect

evidence.


THE USE OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN WATERBODIES BY NATIVE AND FERAL

MAMMALS

Brim Box, Jayne

Department of Land Resource Management, Northern Territory Government, Alice Springs, Northern

Territory 0870, Australia. [email protected]

For the past ten years we have documented how remote water places in

central Australia are used by native and feral mammals. Not surprisingly, large feral

herbivores can have profound negative impacts on aquatic biodiversity. Less

understood was the extent that feral mammals impacted on native wildlife. We used

camera traps at multiple sites across central Australia to document native wildlife

visitation, and to examine if feral animals “interfered” with this usage. We used

circular statistics to evaluate activity budgets, species co-occurrence and niche

overlap. In dry times camels dominated individual water sites and readily excluded

all other species, including birds and dingoes. When camels were present at night,

dingoes used waterholes during the day and displaced birds. Thus, camels

impacted on native species directly through exploitation and interference, and

indirectly through an “interference cascade”. Interestingly, we found no evidence

that dingoes interfered with waterhole usage by cats and foxes, and all three species

regularly used the same waterholes. These data suggest that although many

animals have adapted to the dry conditions of arid Australia, those native species

that do rely on a regular source of water are easily denied access by camels.


FERAL CAT CONTROL IN NSW ALPS AND S E FORESTS: PROTECTING

POPULATIONS OF MOUNTAIN PYGMY-POSSUM BURRAMYS PARVUS AND

KOONOOM (SMOKY MOUSE PSEUDOMYS FUMEUS)

Broome1, Linda and Schroder2, Mel

1Office of Environment and Heritage, 11 Farrer Pl. Queanbeyan, NSW 2620

[email protected] 2Office of Environment and Heritage, Jindabyne, NSW 2627

Feral cat control and monitoring in alpine and heavily forested environments is

challenging due to thick vegetation cover, steep terrain and difficult access. We have

focused cat control and monitoring efforts around key populations of the Endangered

Mountain Pygmy-possum and Critically Endangered Smoky Mouse in these

environments. In alpine areas cat control is conducted around ski resorts in winter

using cage traps, while soft jaw trapping is conducted over a wider area during

snow-free months. In forest habitats occupied by the Smoky Mouse soft jaw trapping

is conducted from autumn to spring. Infra-red digital cameras have been trialled for

cat monitoring in the alpine areas since 2009, while sand pads are used in the

forests. From 2002-2010 118 cats were removed from ski resorts using cage traps

during winter, with a further 69 cats and 74 foxes trapped in soft-jaw traps from

2010-2016. Seventy four cats and 9 foxes were trapped in the Smoky Mouse study

area (6 x 10 km) from 2012-2016. Responses of Mountain Pygmy-possum

populations are encouraging, with a recovery at one depleted site and an increase at

another. The smoky mouse population is still critically low. In 2015 a cat detector dog

“Dottie” was trained and is now assisting a cat control contractor by locating fresh cat

sign and enabling more strategic location of traps.


HOW TO TAG A ‘COOT

Coetsee1,2, Amy, Harley1, Dan, Lynch1, Michael, Coulson2, Graeme, de Milliano1,

Jasmine, Cooper1, Michelle, Groenewegen2, Rebecca, Sutherland3, Duncan and

Rendall3, Anthony

1Zoos Victoria, PO Box 74, Parkville, Vic 3052, Australia; [email protected]

2School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Vic 3010, Australia. 3Phillip Island Nature Parks, PO Box 97, Cowes, Victoria 3922 Australia.

Radio-tracking is a key technique for monitoring threatened species during

ecological research and reintroduction programs. Long term radio-transmitter

attachment is possible in many species, but this has not been the case for the

eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) due to their body shape and behaviour.

Eight transmitter attachment methods, ranging from adhesive mounts, collars and

implants are compared. Intraperitoneal transmitters had superior attachment times,

but were considered inferior overall as they had a very short detection range (<50 m)

and could not be fitted in the field. Retention times for external transmitters differed

greatly between methods. One tail-mount attachment technique caused minimal

adverse effects, but another caused tail amputation in one animal, and both had

short retention times (3–33 days). Neither of the glue-on transmitter methods

resulted in substantial periods of attachment (2–30 days) and flank-mounted

transmitters also caused skin trauma. Radio-collars were generally retained for

longer periods (42–102 days) but resulted in limb entanglement when they were

fitted too loosely or subconjunctival haemorrhages when they were too tight. To date,

cable tie collars are the most promising for long term attachment, but require

additional work to minimise potential animal welfare issues.


ANTECHINUS AND THEIR PREY ON MOUNTAINSIDES

Collett, Rachael

School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.

[email protected]

Antechinus species in Queensland are often separated by elevational zones

on the same mountain, with threatened species restricted to mountaintops. My

research aims to look at the mechanisms causing species to occur in this way and to

find out why certain Antechinus species are rare. This includes studying patterns of

prey availability and quality for Antechinus over elevational gradients using a new

technique of long-term arthropod sampling with short focal distance cameras. I am

trapping Antechinus species over elevational gradients to collect data on life history,

density and distribution.

Initial results show differences in prey abundance and seasonality over

elevation. This is linked to differences in Antechinus life history, including body size,

size of young and timing of breeding between species, potentially facilitating

adjacent occurrence.

My results so far suggest that in recent years Antechinus godmani has

retreated to higher elevation rainforest sites in far north Queensland. Climate

modelling will help to determine whether this is the result of changes to climatic

conditions and arthropod sampling is allowing us to assess the relationship between

prey availability, climate, elevation, life history and rare Antechinus distribution.


SPATIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN A LONG DISEASED TASMANIAN

DEVIL POPULATION IN RESPONSE TO DEVIL FACIAL TUMOUR DISEASE

(DFTD)

Comte, Sebastien, Hamede, Rodrigo, Carver, Scott and Jones, Menna

School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart TAS 7001, Australia

Following the emergence of DFTD, devil populations in the long diseased

area of Freycinet peninsula have declined by in excess of 90%. Although previous

models forecasted local extinctions, 10 years after disease arrival this population

appears to persist at low density. Our aim is to understand the demographic

processes and the changes in spatial organisation underlying this apparent

resilience.

Trapping surveys have been conducted every year since 1999, two years

before the emergence of DFTD. In addition, between August and October 2014,

eleven GPS collars were deployed on five males (two with DFTD) and six females

(two with DFTD).

Preliminary results show an increase in individuals trapped during the last 2-3

years. As expected, males show higher home range size compared to females.

Interestingly, adult devils seem to spatially avoid individuals from the same sex,

especially breeding females. Maternal dens for example are set in steep and rugged

areas of the home range, often in its periphery. Further genetic analyses will help to

assess whether this spatial avoidance had an effect on the disease transmission.

To our knowledge, this is the first time GPS collars are set in a diseased

population providing crucial knowledge on how devil populations changed in

response to DFTD.


SELECTIVE CONTRACEPTION AS A TOOL TO MANAGE THE TASMANIAN

DEVIL INSURANCE POPULATION: A FOCUS ON FREE-RANGE ENCLOSURES

Cope, Holly, Hogg, Carolyn, White, Peter and Herbert, Catherine

Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.

[email protected]

The Tasmanian devil insurance population, established in 2006, is managed

in such a way as to equalize founder representation. This becomes difficult when

devils are housed in large groups in free-range enclosures (FREs). This study

examined the potential use of Suprelorin® contraceptive implants in

captive/intensively managed devils for reproductive control. Females in FREs were

monitored to assess post-treatment birth rates, feeding behavior and weight

changes. Suprelorin® successfully prevented reproduction in all treated females (P

<0.001) for one breeding season. Contraception had an effect on time spent feeding

depending on the reproductive stage (P = 0.024), but there was no effect on order of

arrival at food (P = 0.721), suggesting no alterations to social structure. Devils with

pouch young spent more time feeding than those without (P<0.001). During the

breeding season, contracepted females weighed more than controls, while lactating

females weighed more after parturition, but there was no excessive weight gain (P

<0.001). Suprelorin® implants are effective for at least one breeding season, with no

apparent effects on feeding behavior or social dynamic. Selective contraception has

the potential to become an important tool for conservation managers, to meet

multiple reproductive, genetic and behavioural goals for this species.


HOW DOES FIRE SEVERITY AND FREQUENCY IMPACT MAMMAL COMMUNITY

ASSEMBLAGES IN MONTANE FOREST SYSTEMS IN THE NORTHERN

AUSTRALIAN ALPS?

Corrigan1,2, Anthony, Seddon2, Julian and Nipperess1, David

1Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Macquarie University NSW 2109

2Conservation Research, Environment and Planning Directorate, ACT Government GPO box 158

Canberra ACT 2601

The impact of fire on the faunal assemblages in ecological communities has

been the subject of a large body of work over the past several decades. The

integration of this knowledge of faunal responses to fire into land management

planning process has been advocated by a number of authors. Namadgi National

Park (NNP) and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve (TNR) are the northern most national

parks of the Australian Alps National Parks system. In 2003, wildfire impacted both

these parks significantly. Since this time, the ACT Parks and Conservation Service

has adopted a Patch Mosaic Burning (PMB) approach to fire management primarily

as a strategy for managing large areas of single age class fuels.

To determine if fire frequency and prior fire intensity had an influence on

mammal assemblages, wet sclerophyll forests across gradients of these

pyrodiversity variables, were surveyed for mammals using camera traps. Species

data were collected and analysed to determine the relative phylogenetic diversity

and functional diversity of mammals across the pyrodiversity gradients.

While the impact of increased fire severity appeared to reduce the occurrence

of some taxa, functional diversity was significantly reduced by higher fire frequency.

The findings of this study indicate that fire history attributes must be

considered when planning fuel reduction activities in wet forest communities.


COLLARS AND EAR-TAGS DO NOT AFFECT THE BEHAVIOUR OF EASTERN

GREY KANGAROOS

Sofo1, Katrina and Coulson2, Graeme

1Biosis Pty. Ltd. 38 Bertie St, Port Melbourne, Vic 3207, Australia.

2School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Vic 3010, Australia. [email protected]

Researchers often rely on markers to identify individuals, and it is crucial that

marking does not negatively affect welfare or influence the parameters being

measured. Macropods have been routinely marked with collars and/or ear-tags for

behavioural research since the 1950s, yet the impacts of markers on behaviour have

never been explicitly examined. We tested the effects of collars and ear-tags on

eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) at a golf course in Anglesea, south-

eastern Australia.

We selected focal pairs of kangaroos, comprising a marked and unmarked

individual of the same sex, age class and reproductive status ≤ 30 m apart. We

recorded behaviour in a 3-minute focal sample of one member of the pair, then the

other, during the twilight active period (n = 38 pairs) and the daytime inactive period

(n = 39) pairs. Marked and unmarked kangaroos did not differ in the proportion of

time spent foraging during their active period, or resting during their inactive period.

Marked and unmarked kangaroos spent the same proportion of time grooming, and

shook their heads at the same rate. We conclude that collars and ear-tags have no

adverse impacts on behaviour, so researchers can confidently employ these markers

for identification of kangaroos.


CAT BURGLARS CAUGHT ON CAMERA AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME!

USING ULTRASONIC DETERRENTS TO PREVENT PROPERTY INCURSIONS BY

ROAMING CATS

Crawford, Heather M., Fontaine, J. and Calver, Michael C.

School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Western Australia 6150 ;

[email protected] / Twitter @perthcatsecolog

In Australia, most research into cat control focuses on feral animals. However,

one in four Australian households owns at least one cat, and urban residents are

often unhappy about roaming cats fouling or damaging property, fighting with pets or

preying on wildlife. Urban cat management is contentious, so non-lethal methods of

preventing cat activity are needed.

Two ultrasonic deterrent devices were trialled in 16 private backyards where

residents had complained of cat incursions. Cameras and devices were set-up in

areas of cat activity (e.g. fish pond), and these ‘hotspots’ were monitored for two

weeks to establish baseline activity (trap events and time). Deterrents were activated

for two weeks, with a final two week period of monitoring. Log10-transformed data

were analysed using repeated measures ANOVA.

Seventy-six cats were detected during trials, with most exhibiting stress

behaviours when devices were encountered. Ultrasonic devices produced a

significant reduction in cat activity across trial sites. Both sexes had similar

reductions in activity, but sexually intact males were more ready to return. Trials

revealed complex social interactions with many cats increasing activity when

‘resident’ cats became less active. Results indicate that ultrasonic devices may be

an effective measure for preventing cat incursions into urban backyards.


FERAL CAT HUNTING AT KIWIRRKURRA

Crossing1, Kate, Paltridge2, Rachel, Ward3, Nolia Yukultji and West3, John

1 Central Desert Native Title Services, Alice Springs NT, [email protected]

2 Desert Wildlife Services, Alice Springs NT.

3 Kiwirrkurra Community, Gibson Desert WA.

The Kiwirrkurra Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) focuses on looking after

culture and country. One aspect of this work is protecting two key threatened species

that occur within the IPA: the bilby and great desert skink. Feral cats are recognised

as a threat to both these species.

Kiwirrkurra people have a long tradition of hunting feral cats for food. This

tradition used to be widespread across the desert but is rapidly disappearing.

The aim of the feral cat control project at Kiwirrkurra is to encourage the

continuation of this unique skill whilst investigating its effectiveness in reducing

predation pressure in targeted areas.

Two key strategies are being trialled: supported ranger trips to hunt cats at

priority sites for threatened species; and incentive payments for feral cats caught

anywhere within the IPA during private hunting trips.

A total of 50 cats have been killed in the first two years of the project.

Although the incentive payments for private hunting provides best value for money,

the dedicated ranger trips have significantly increased the number of cats being

captured.

This project provides a unique opportunity to use traditional skills to reduce

predation pressure on threatened species in open landscapes.



ARE WE SEEING A COLLAPSE IN THE LIVERPOOL PLAINS KOALA

POPULATION?

Crowther1, Mathew, Mella1, Valentina, Krockenberger1,2, M., and Lunney1,3, Dan

1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia

2Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia

3Office of Environment and Heritage, Hurstville, New South Wales 2220, Australia

We have been studying the koala population of the Liverpool Plains,

northwestern NSW since 2008. This region was one of the few regions to show a

recent increase in koala abundance in NSW during a statewide survey in 2006, and

was attributed to a tree planting campaign by Landcare groups. Examination of

changes in koala occupancy, as indicated by the number of trees with koala scats,

shows a 16 to 30% reduction from 2011 to 2015. Chlamydia prevalence in the tested

populations has increased from 8% in 2008 to 67% in 2015. Demographic

parameters, including mortality and reproduction, also indicate a population in

decline. Whether this decline is due to climate change related events, including

increased duration and intensity of heat waves, or a response to the local koala

population being artificially high in the recent past, will be discussed.


MANAGING FERAL CATS ON MELVILLE ISLAND: SAVING THE BRUSH-TAILED

RABBIT-RAT FROM EXTINCTION

Davies1,3, Hugh, Murphy2, Brett, McCarthy1, Michael, Andersen3, Alan and

Gillespie4, Graeme

1 Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria

3010, Australia; [email protected] 2 Threatened Species Recovery Hub, National Environmental Science Programme, Research Institute

for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Darwin, Northern

Territory, 0810, Australia 3 CSIRO Land & Water Flagship, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, Winnellie, Northern

Territory, 0822, Australia. 4 Flora and Fauna Division, Department of Land Resource Management, Berrimah, Northern

Territory, 0820, Australia.

Feral cats have been implicated as a major driver in the decline of many small

mammal species across northern Australia, including the threatened brush-tailed

rabbit-rat (Conilurus penicillatus). Recent evidence suggests that the predation

pressure imposed by feral cats in northern Australia is amplified by landscape-scale

processes that reduce vegetation complexity. We used occupancy modelling to

determine if feral cats are a significant driver of the distribution of Australia’s largest

remnant population of C. penicillatus on Melville Island, and also investigated the

correlates of site extirpation probability of C. penicillatus over a 15-year period

(2000-2015). Our results show that C. penicillatus is now restricted to parts of the

island with high shrub density and low feral cat activity, though in the past occurred

more widely. Local extinctions have occurred in areas with high feral cat activity and

low shrub density. Our results suggest that feral cats are driving C. penicillatus

towards extinction on Melville Island, and hence are likely to cause their extinction in

Australia generally. The management of landscape processes to maintain shrub

density, through fire management and the removal of large exotic herbivores,

coupled with the ongoing development and implementation of methods to effectively

reduce feral cat densities will contribute substantially to conserving this threatened

species.


BILBY HABITAT SELECTION IN THE WEST KIMBERLEY

Dawson, Stuart J., Adams, P.J., Bateman, P.W., Waddington, K.I., Kobryn, H.T.,

Moseby, E. and Fleming, P.A.

School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, 6150 WA;

[email protected]; @BilbyEcology

Characterising the habitat requirements of threatened species is important for

recovery planning, and to inform land managers. However many arid zone

marsupials are generalists, meaning isolating key habitat is troublesome, and the

associated uncertainty can make effective management and conservation difficult to

achieve. The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is one such generalist, once occupying

a range of habitat types across 70% of the Australian mainland, but now restricted to

the northwest portion of that range (currently listed as vulnerable). We used data

gained from 2 ha plot surveys in the West Kimberley to investigate the habitat

preference of bilbies. Over four years, 183 plots were surveyed for the presence of

bilbies and a range of habitat variables recorded. Subsequent predictive mapping

showed that bilbies were restricted to the sandy soils of dunes, and preferred areas

with an open understory and more closed canopy, as well as long unburnt areas.

However, notable exceptions to these trends indicate the generalist nature and

adaptability of this species. Our results indicate that predictive mapping for bilby

habitat requires substantial further research in order to achieve the best outcomes

for the management of this species.



MONITORING KOALAS ON THE MORETON BAY RAIL LINK PROJECT

de Villiers1, Deidré, Hanger1, Jon, Loader1, Jo and Nottidge2, Ben

1Endeavour Veterinary Ecology, 1695 Pumicestone Rd, Toorbul Qld 4510.

2Green Leaf Ecology 79 Birdsong Dr, Mooloolah Valley Qld 4553.; [email protected]

The monitoring of wild animals for research purposes usually requires the

fitting of monitoring devices to identify individuals. The choice and design of the

monitoring devices is often influenced by the aims and budget of the research

project, as well as animal welfare considerations. The Moreton Bay Rail Link (MBRL)

project was a three year high profile rail construction project being developed in

some of the last intact urban and peri-urban bushland in the region. The

management and welfare of koalas living in this habitat was highly scrutinised by

stakeholders, and as such, a key aim of the project was to ensure that no koala was

harmed during vegetation clearing operations.

Here we highlight the LX system, a wildlife telemetry system specifically

designed to intensively monitor large numbers of koalas. The GPS tag is attached

via collar to provide near-real time activity and location/movement (health status)

data remotely twice daily through a web-interface. The koala specific, low profile

design has resulted in very few neck injuries, making this tag an extremely safe

option for koala monitoring projects. The design and additional programming

features show the LX tag’s potential for ecological research, conservation and

management of a wide variety of animals.



POPULATION GENETICS OF THE KOALA (PHASCOLARCTOS CINEREUS), AND

HARMONISING DATA TO INFORM CONSERVATION

Neaves1,2, Linda E., Dennison1, Siobhan, Frankham1, Greta J., Bragg3, Jason G.,

Potter3, Sally, Moritz3, Craig, Eldridge1, Mark D.B. and Johnson1, Rebecca N.

1 Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William St Sydney

NSW 2010; [email protected] @Sib_D @AustmusResearch 2

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, United Kingdom 3 Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road Acton

ACT 2601

Koalas have a complex management history: in the north of their distribution

they are in decline while southern populations are overabundant, requiring

management to control numbers. This disparity in population trends complicates

broad scale management, leading to a focus at local scales (e.g. local government

areas) with little reference to the broader context. Limited synthesis of multiple local

population genetic studies into a national framework further complicates

management. For example, inconsistent nomenclature of mitochondrial DNA

(mtDNA) haplotypes can lead to inaccurate estimations of diversity, while data from

different genetic markers are often not comparable across studies. We present

recent phylogeographic work on koalas across their distribution using mtDNA Control

Region (CR), consolidating new and existing CR haplotype data and establishing

standard nomenclature for future genetic studies. Development of a SNP assay is

underway for use at a range of scales, from individualisation within local and captive

populations to broad scale population genetics. These genetic markers can be

utilised in future studies by other researchers and management bodies to facilitate

more consistent and comparable data collection for conservation management. An

holistic approach is critical to effective management and ensuring small-scale local

population studies can be integrated into a wider species context.



IMPACTS FROM THE STATE MINE FIRE ON MAMMALS IN NEWNES STATE

FOREST, LITHGOW NSW

Denny, Martin and Lothian, Andrew

Biodiversity Monitoring Services, 167 McKanes Falls Road South Bowenfels 2790

In 2013 a large bushfire destroyed 118,000 ha of bushland in the Blue

Mountains area. Part of the bushland was in Newnes State Forest near Lithgow.

We had been monitoring terrestrial fauna annually in this area since 2004 and were

able to follow changes in mammal populations pre- and post-fire with 15 sites in

unburnt and 17 sites in burnt forest. Overall there was a dramatic falloff in mammal

numbers from 2013 onwards, although many small mammals survived the actual

fire. Mammal population numbers and small mammal trapping rates within the burnt

area fell to at least 10% of their previous levels. Species diversities remained

relatively stable, but numbers declined after the fire. Dead animals were observed

immediately after the fire and numbers continue to fall, possibly due to lack of food

and shelter. Interestingly, numbers of some mammal species within the unburnt

area also fell post-fire. Data from the post-burn surveys needs to be assessed in

the context of the more general variability in fauna populations over time.

Measurements of habitat complexity have shown a sharp fall since the 2013 fires.

Mammal numbers and habitat complexity have shown some slight improvement from

2014 onwards.


ARTIFICIAL LIGHT POLLUTION: SHIFTING SPECTRAL WAVELENGTHS TO

MITIGATE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES IN A NOCTURNAL MAMMAL

Dimovski, Alicia and Robert, Kylie

Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Melbourne, 3086, Australia;

[email protected]

A recent push towards energy efficiency has resulted in the rapid expansion

of broad-spectrum, white light emitting diodes (LEDs), generated with a high content

of short wavelength ‘blue’ light. While light of any kind can suppress melatonin and

the physiological processes it regulates, these short wavelengths are potent

suppressors of melatonin.

We manipulated the spectral composition of LED lights as a means to mitigate

the ecological and health consequences associated with their use. We

experimentally investigated the impact of white LEDs (peak wavelength 448nm),

long wavelength shifted amber LEDs (peak wavelength 605nm) and no lighting, on

melatonin production, oxidative stress and circulating antioxidant capacity in the

tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii). Night-time melatonin and oxidative status were

determined at baseline (day 0) and again after a 2- and 10-week exposure to light

treatments.

White LED exposed wallabies had suppressed nocturnal melatonin and

elevated oxidative stress compared to no light and amber LED exposed wallabies,

while there was no difference in antioxidant capacity. These results show for the first

time, a negative effect on oxidative health and provide further evidence that short

wavelength light at night suppresses nocturnal melatonin. However, we also illustrate

that shifting the spectral output to longer wavelengths could mitigate these negative

effects.


MESOPREDATOR INTERACTIONS IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT: EFFECT OF

DECREASED RED FOX ACTIVITY ON SPATIAL USE BY FERAL CATS

Dormer1, Jessica, Spencer1, Ricky and Dickman2, Chris

1School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, New South Wales, 2750

2School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006; [email protected]

In Australia, introduced feral cats (Felis catus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

are responsible for the extinction and decline of numerous species of small

mammals. These mid-sized predators, or mesopredators, are found across much of

mainland Australia and are also common urban inhabitants. Here, we investigate if

foxes suppress cat populations in fragmented urban habitats. We test the potential

for competitive interactions between cats and foxes by monitoring space use and

overlap of the two species over two survey seasons when fox activity was high and

when fox activity was reduced by poison baiting on a university campus with mixed

urban, natural and highly modified habitats. Remote camera traps and radio

telemetry showed that cats and foxes exhibited little spatial and habitat overlap when

fox activity was high. Cats utilised urban areas and foxes non-urban areas. Foxes

used urban fringe habitats less when fox activity decreased. Decreased fox activity

had no effect on the size of cat home ranges, overall trap rate or activity, but led to a

significant increase by cats in their use of urban fringe habitats. Foxes appear to limit

use of urban fringe habitats by cats, indicating the potential for interference

competition between these mesopredator species in fragmented, urban

environments.


E-CADHERIN AND DESMOGLEIN-2 CHANGES IN DISTRIBUTION DURING

IMPLANTATION IN THE DOMESTIC CAT (FELIS CATUS)

Dudley1, Jessica S., McAllan2, Bronwyn, Thompson3, Michael B. and

Murphy1, Christopher

1Department of Anatomy and Histology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW

2006, Australia; [email protected] 2 Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006,

Australia 3School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

The uterine luminal epithelium is the first site of contact between foetal and

maternal tissues during pregnancy and must undergo specialised changes for

implantation to be successful. These changes, collectively termed the plasma

membrane transformation (PMT), allow the blastocyst to attach to the uterus

preceding the formation of a placenta. Changes during pregnancy to the cellular

cytoskeleton, adhesion molecules and junctions such as desmosomes and epithelial

cadherin are similar in eutherian mammals. We characterised the uterine epithelial

changes that occur during pregnancy in the domestic cat (Felis catus).

Immunofluorescence microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy

were used to observe uterine remodeling during pregnancy. The desmosomes

shifted to the top third of the lateral plasma membrane of the cell and the epithelial

cadherin disassociated from the lateral plasma membrane allowing for invasion by

the blastocyst. We found similar changes to the cellular ultrastructure and molecular

mechanisms allowing for implantation to occur in the domestic cat which has a

partially invasive placenta (endotheliochorial). We conclude that desmosome and

adherens junction changes in uterine epithelium are essential for implantation in the

domestic cat. This suggests that molecular mechanisms allowing for successful

pregnancy are conserved among mammals during the early stages of pregnancy.



ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS: DOES IT MATTER WHO DIGS?

Dundas1, Shannon, Hopkins2, Anna, Ruthrof, Katinka1, Osborne, Lara1, Burgess,

Treena1, Hardy, Giles1 and Fleming, Trish1

1Centre of Excellence for Climate Change, Woodland and Forest Health, Murdoch University, South

St Murdoch, WA 6150; : [email protected]; @FaunaResearchWA 3School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027

Digging mammals contribute to vital ecological functions within ecosystems.

In the northern jarrah forest of Western Australia, quenda (Isoodon obesulus) and

short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) contribute to soil movement and

mixing. Within the jarrah forest, introduced feral pigs (Sus scrofa) also turn over a

considerable amount of soil while foraging. The aim of our study was to evaluate the

diversity of mycorrhizal fungi communities from diggings created by two native

species and one introduced species, and use it as a comparative measure of

ecological benefit. We collected intact soil cores (half from the spoil heap of fresh

echidna, quenda and feral pig digs and half from paired, closely located undug soil)

in the field during summer and winter. Soil cores were seeded with jarrah

(Eucalyptus marginata) and the roots of seedlings were collected, ground and

subjected to 454 pyrosequencing. Seedling growth and soil respiration were also

measured. No significant differences were observed between mycorrhizal

communities in the dug and undug samples collected in summer and seedlings grew

at similar rates in both dug and undug soil. Seasonality of digging was reflective of

diet with echidna digging more in summer and quenda and feral pigs digging more in

winter


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FLEXIBILITY IN THE DIET OF THE NORTHERN QUOLL ACROSS THE PILBARA

REGION

Dunlop1, Judy, Rayner1, Kelly and Doherty2, Tim

1Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Western Australia

6152, Australia; [email protected]; @fudgeh0g 2School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood Campus, Geelong, Victoria

3125, Australia

The Endangered northern quoll Dasyurus hallucatus is a predatory marsupial

with a wide and disjointed distribution across northern Australia. The isolated Pilbara

population occurs in a uniquely arid area, and faces different threatening processes

to D. hallucatus elsewhere. To better understand the ecology of this species, we

undertook a dietary analysis of 498 scats collected across ~100,000 km2. We

calculated dietary composition and niche breadth and modeled these against

biogeophysical factors. Pairwise comparison of diet groups was also completed to

increase understanding of dietary preferences. Quolls were found to be highly

omnivorous, consuming arthropods, mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, molluscs, fruit

and carrion. Diet varied widely across the region, with up to three-fold differences in

dietary niche breadth between study landscapes. We found few clear environmental

drivers of D. hallucatus diet. The most frequently consumed food item was insects,

but their consumption decreased as that of rodents and vegetation increased,

indicating potential dietary preferences. The broad and variable diet of D. hallucatus

indicates opportunism similar to that of other small carnivores. Given this broad

dietary niche, conservation managers will need a priori knowledge of local prey

abundance if they are to accurately predict the composition of D. hallucatus diets.


GESTATIONAL EXPERIENCE ALTERS SEX ALLOCATION IN THE SUBSEQUENT

GENERATION

Edwards1,2, A.M., Cameron1,3, E.Z., Wapstra1, E. and McEvoy1, J.

1 School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania; [email protected];

@Amy_Edwards89 2 School of Life Sciences, Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University

3 School of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Canterbury;

Maternal effects may be adaptive, pre-programming the offspring for certain

environmental conditions, however, when a mismatch occurs between the pre- and

post-natal environments these effects may be detrimental. Sex allocation theories

suggest that parents should differentially allocate to the sexes in relation to future

fitness benefits. However, if an individual experiences a mismatch as a result of

incorrect maternal programming, then the individual’s ability to allocate to the sexes

may be compromised. We created an environmental mismatch by artificially lowering

stress in pregnant mother mice. Once her female offspring reach maturity and breed,

their sex ratios were significantly lower than expected. However, when we artificially

lower stress in pregnant mice, and repeat the treatment when the female offspring

breed, the sex ratio returned to parity. Without prior knowledge of gestational

experience we would have incorrectly concluded that no adjustment occurred, this

may explain the inconsistent results of previous empirical studies.



THE OZ MAMMALS GENOME (OMG) INITIATIVE: A NEW AREA OF MAMMAL

RESEARCH

Eldridge1, Mark and the Oz Mammals Genomes Consortium

1 Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William St Sydney NSW 2010. ;

[email protected]

Australia’s unique mammal diversity is of international scientific interest and

increasingly threatened. Continuing advances in DNA sequencing technology and

computing power is making genomic scale analysis and the utilisation of specimens

from museum collections increasingly feasible and affordable. A coalition of

Australia’s natural history museums, university researchers and wildlife management

agencies has recently established the Oz Mammals Genomes (OMG) Consortium to

co-ordinate and facilitate genomics research into Australian mammals. Bioplatforms

Australia (BPA) has recently agreed to invest $1M in this project, with some co-

investment from universities, CSIRO and museums nationwide. The overall aims are

to:

i) build a foundation of genomic data to advance our understanding and

conservation of Australia’s unique mammals;

ii) establish genomics as a key capacity across Australian museums and

government agencies, build the community to sustain this;

iii) increase awareness of the diversity of Australian mammals and how

genomics can aid in their protection.

This presentation aims to introduce the OMG project to the Australian mammal

research and management community, outline our specific research objectives and

solicit feedback and broad engagement with the project.



ATTITUDES TOWARDS WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN NSW, AUSTRALIA

Fabian, Megan C., Cook, Amelia and Old, Julie M.

School of Science and Health, Hawkesbury, Western Sydney University, NSW 2751, Australia;

[email protected]

Human activity such as land clearing and habitat fragmentation is an ongoing

threat to Australian wildlife ecosystems. Ecosystems provide important ecological

functions, provisioning services and cultural and aesthetic fulfilment and therefore it

is essential to conserve ecosystems and the wildlife species living within them. A key

strategy for effective wildlife conservation is to incorporate different worldviews and

values into conservation planning. To do this we need to more readily understand

how peoples’ attitudes and behavioural actions are interconnected with the

conservation of Australian wildlife.

The aims of this study are to capture the different attitudes held by NSW

residents, and investigate how individuals’ past experiences influence their attitudes,

towards wildlife conservation. The association between an individual’s attitude and

their behaviour and reactions towards wildlife conservation issues will also be

examined. Convenience sampling will be used to recruit NSW residents to

participate in an online questionnaire for a cross-sectional study.

Data captured from the study will provide an in-depth understanding of how

NSW residents relate to the conservation of native Australian wildlife. These new

insights will contribute towards current knowledge in the field and can be used to

inform future policy and management directions.



FIGHTING LIKE CATS AND DOGS? SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL ACTIVITY OF

SYMPATRIC FERAL CATS AND DINGOES IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Fancourt, Bronwyn, Speed, James and Gentle, Matt

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Robert Wicks Pest Animal Research Centre, Biosecurity

Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, 4350, Australia; [email protected];

@BronFancourt

Feral cats are notoriously difficult to control effectively using traditional

management approaches. Dingo reintroductions have been proposed as a novel

approach to the broadscale control of invasive mesopredators such as feral cats and

foxes. However, the ability of dingoes to suppress feral cats and protect species

threatened by cat predation remains unresolved.

We used camera traps to investigate the spatial and temporal activity of

sympatric dingoes and feral cats in Taunton National Park, home to the only

significant remnant wild population of the endangered bridled nailtail wallaby.

Feral cats and dingoes exhibited marked overlap in spatial and temporal

activity across the park, indicating coexistence between these predators at this site.

Time and distance between individual predator detections were negatively related,

suggesting within-night avoidance of dingoes by cats. However, cats remained

active, abundant and widespread across the park, with evidence of cats hunting and

breeding successfully in areas occupied by dingoes.

These findings suggest that feral cats can coexist with dingoes, without

significant suppression of cat abundance or fitness. Proposals to reintroduce dingoes

should be evaluated on a site-by-site basis, as the ability of dingoes to suppress feral

cats and protect species of conservation significance will likely be context

dependent.



KANGAROO MOTHERS TRANSFER ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS TO THEIR

POUCH YOUNG

MacKay1, Allison, Forsyth2, David M., Coulson2, Graeme and

Festa-Bianchet1,2, Marco

1Université de Sherbrooke, Département de biologie; [email protected] @festa_bianchet

2University of Melbourne, School of BioSciences

In mammals, juvenile growth affects survival and fitness. Monitoring fetal

growth in wild mammals is challenging, and little is known about environmental

influences on pre-natal growth. In kangaroos, pouch young growth can be measured

during stages of development equivalent to those occurring in utero for eutherians.

We recaptured 47 eastern grey kangaroo mother-young pairs with birthdates of

young spanning 5 months. We evaluated how maternal condition, temperature, and

grass production affect growth until first pouch exit. Path analysis revealed that

birthdate affected the growth of pouch young indirectly through seasonal changes in

maternal mass and vegetation productivity. Mothers that gave birth later gained

mass during lactation, and their young grew faster, because they had access to

spring green-up earlier in lactation. With poor forage production and cold weather

during lactation, mothers prioritized maintenance of their own mass over offspring

growth. Resource availability during lactation directly affected pouch young growth,

suggesting that kangaroos are more income than capital breeders. We conclude that

female kangaroos transfer impacts of difficult environmental conditions onto their

growing young, likely to maximize their lifetime reproductive success. Most births,

however, are not timed to maximize in-pouch growth, suggesting that growth after

pouch emergence may be more important.


RE-ESTABLISHING KOALA POPULATIONS FOLLOWING LOCALISED

EXTINCTIONS IN QUEENSLAND

FitzGibbon1, Sean, Gillett2, Amber, Barth1, Ben and Ellis1, William

1Koala Ecology Group, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072; [email protected]

2Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Beerwah QLD 4518

Within Queensland, koalas have become locally extinct from many areas of

suitable habitat due to historical threatening processes (incl. the fur trade). Natural

recolonisation of these areas is often unlikely due to lack of habitat connectivity.

These areas provide an opportunity to increase the current range of the species

through assisted population re-establishment, but this conservation approach has

not been previously adopted in the state. We are trialling this conservation strategy

on a 4500ha property where koalas have not been seen for numerous decades.

Since early 2014, thirteen koalas (7F,6M) have been translocated and monitored

through routine radio-tracking and six-monthly vet examinations. Two males died

soon after release and one dispersed from the release area, leaving a current

founder population of ten individuals. Three of the females have reproduced and one

young (M) is now independent; proximity-logging collar data suggest these young

have been sired by two males. We discuss the challenges to this conservation

strategy (incl. behaviour, disease and genetic management) and highlight the

enormous potential to further utilise this approach in saving Queensland’s threatened

koalas.



THE FUSCOUS WOOLLY BILBY MACROTIS LAGOTIS CAMBRICA : HISTORICAL

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT IN NEW SOUTH WALES

Fleming, Mike

Conservation Science, Office of Environment and Heritage, Hurstville, NSW 2220;

[email protected]

The current distribution of the Bilby through arid zone Australia may blind us

to populations of bilbies that once occurred in more mesic environments and on soil

types quite different from sandplains. The NSW sub-species, the Fuscous Woolly

Bilby Macrotis lagotis cambrica, was described by Ellis Troughton 30 years after the

last pair were “slaughtered in the rocky hills on the Wagga Experimental Farm ... by

shooters from the town" in 1912. The locations given for the NSW bilby specimens

held in the Australian Museum were investigated in historical detail to establish a

more accurate geographical location that would allow the interpolation of their

habitat. The backgrounds of the collectors and donors were also investigated and

additional locations taken from the National Library Newspaper collection “Trove”. So

far this study has established that the Fuscous Woolly Bilby occupied forests and

woodlands of the western slopes of NSW from Wagga Wagga to Moree and its

distribution was continuous with the bilby populations of arid NSW. One population

was located east of the Great Dividing Range near Goulburn. These findings have

implications for re-introduction programs for the bilby and the most appropriate

source for genetic stocks.



DO MAMMALS SHOW OBVIOUS RESPONSES TOWARDS TOURISTS?

Fleming1, Trish * and Bateman2, Bill

1 School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, WA 6150, Australia;

[email protected]; @western_web 2 Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, WA 6845, Australia

Ecotourism is a huge industry, providing tangible economic and education

benefits to conservation, although there is generally an assumption that animal

species that are the target of tourist activities suffer some negative impacts from

interaction with humans. We carried out a meta-analysis of empirical studies of

wildlife responses to ecotourism and other non-consumptive tourist activities in

natural areas to test this assumption. A review of 300 papers yielded effect size data

for 51 studies of 59 species, including 21 mammal species. Three main assessment

methods have been used: antipredator flight responses, time budgets, and

physiological responses. Despite most authors interpreting their data as indicating

negative effects of ecotourist activities on wildlife, we found little consistency in

results between species and subjectivity in interpreting the valence of responses.

Furthermore, the timescale over which measures are collected is important, and

long-term habituation to tourists could lead to compromised responses towards other

threats, increasing risk.



LONG-TERM MONITORING OF ISLAND DIBBLER POPULATIONS SHOWS

THEIR VULNERABILITY TO EXTINCTION

Friend, J. Anthony and Button, Timothy A.

Animal Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Albany Research, 120 Albany Hwy,

Albany WA 6331, Australia. [email protected]

The phenomenon of facultative male die-off was described in the population

of the dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) on Boullanger Island off Jurien Bay, WA,

where males suffer higher mortality than females after the annual mating period in

some years but otherwise show similar mortality rates. Dibbler body size and

longevity are greater on nearby Whitlock Island, probably due to high input of

nutrients by wedge-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus pacificus) that breed on there.

Since May 2005, a standardised monitoring program has been carried out on

both islands in May and October each year. Numbers known to be alive (KTBA)

varied from 7 to 114 on Boullanger and from 4 to 43 on Whitlock. While complete

male die-off occurred once on Boullanger during the 10 years of monitoring, in two

other years only two males were known to be alive after the mating season.

Numbers are more stable on Whitlock Island, although a dramatic decline in

population occurred between 2010 and 2011. KTBA dropped from 27 to 4, and the

population persisted only through the survival two females and their young.

It is likely that island populations regularly approach extinction, but these

events will only be recorded and put into context through long-term studies.



FERAL CATS IN THE NT: CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND PROGRESS IN

EVALUATING AND MITIGATING IMPACTS

Gillespie, Graeme

Flora and Fauna Division, Department of Land Resource Management, PO Box 496, Palmerston,

0831; [email protected]

Feral cats have emerged as one of, if not the primary, threat to wildlife in the

Northern Territory (NT). Over the past five years we have considerably advanced our

knowledge of this threat. Methods for systematically surveying and monitoring feral

cats have been developed for tropical savanna and arid regions. Large data sets

have been accumulated to examine factors influencing occurrence of feral cats

across the Top End and their relationships with patterns of species decline.

Experimental evaluation of feral cat predation on small mammals and reptiles has

been undertaken. More precise estimates of cat population densities have been

acquired in high conservation value areas. Building on findings from the NT and

elsewhere, the NT government is undertaking several management trials to explore

and refine ways to mitigate the impacts of feral cats: (i) targeted baiting and

experimental fire management to reduce predatory impacts of feral cats on Central

Rock-rats in the West MacDonnell Ranges; (ii) baiting trials on Groote Eylandt to

evaluate non-target impacts of broader-scale feral cat baiting programs; and (iii)

integrated enhanced fire management and feral herbivore suppression trials in

Kakadu National Park to evaluate how this may ameliorate the predatory impacts of

feral cats on threatened species.


DOES THINNING REGROWTH RESTORE HABITAT FOR BIODIVERSITY?:

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Gonsalves1, Leroy, Law1, Bradley, Waters2, Cathy, Brassil1, Traecey, Toole2, Ian

and Tap3, Patrick

1Forest Science, NSW Department of Industry – Lands, Locked Bag 5123, Parramatta NSW 2124

2Climate Mitigation, NSW Department of Primary Industries, PMB, Trangie NSW 2823

3Western Region, Forestry Corporation of NSW, PO Box 865 Dubbo NSW 2830

Cypress pine regrowth in western NSW often occurs as dense 'wheatfields'

which ’lock-up’ and remain unchanged for decades. While thinning to restore habitat

values has been suggested for cypress forests, the science is lacking in identifying

benefits for biodiversity. To assess the impacts of thinning of cypress regrowth on

biodiversity, we undertook a chronosequence study in the Pilliga forests of NSW. We

measured responses of biodiversity, including bats and ground mammals, and

habitat values (coarse woody debris and stem density) to thinning by sampling 30

sites representing five forest management treatments (unthinned regrowth; recent

thinning, <8 years; intermediate thinning, 8-20 years; old thinning, >20-30 years; long

undisturbed reference). Although the density of coarse woody debris varied

substantially among treatments (1666-7000 logs ha-1), native ground mammal

richness (2-4 spp.) and activity (1.2-4.3 events) was similarly low in all treatments.

Feral herbivores were more widespread in thinned (~53 %) than reference sites

(<16.7 %) and were not recorded in unthinned sites. Feral predators were recorded

at ~10 % of all sites. Stem density was significantly higher in unthinned sites, which

was reflected by lower bat activity at these sites. These preliminary results indicate

differential impacts/values of thinning for two contrasting mammal groups.


EVALUATING TRANSLOCATION SUCCESS OF THE THREATENED NORTHERN

QUOLL TO TWO AUSTRALIAN ISLANDS

Griffiths1,2, Anthony D., Rankmore1,3, Brooke, Brennan1, Kym and

Woinarski1,2,4, John C.Z.

1Department of Land Resource Management, PO Box 496 Palmerston, NT 0831 Australia;

[email protected] 2Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT 0909,

Australia 3Greening Australia, PO Box 1, Berrimah, NT 0828, Australia

4Threatened Species Recovery Hub, National Environmental Science Programme, The University of

Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia

Translocation is widely used to help avoid extinction of species from

threatening processes. However, there are no universal criteria to measure success

of these conservation programs. Here we assessed a translocation case study

based on a range of demographic (and related) parameters at two release sites. The

subject species is the northern quoll Dasyurus hallucatus, which has suffered very

rapid and severe decline on the Australian mainland due to the introduced cane toad

Rhinella marina. We translocated 64 northern quolls to two islands (Astell and

Pobassoo) in 2003, with translocation sites selected based on a comprehensive site

selection process and consultation with Aboriginal landowners. Capture-mark-

recapture methods were used to monitor the populations at regular intervals until

2009 followed by a one-off survey in 2014. Relative abundance (trap success)

increased exponentially in the first four years, declined and then stabilised in

subsequent years. Apparent survival and body condition decreased significantly

following the population peak, possibly related to density-dependence. We assessed

the success of the program using both qualitative and quantitative criteria and found

support for the use of carrying capacity to define targets of population viability. We

discuss the applicability of this study to translocations in other systems.



THE BRAMBLE CAY MELOMYS (MELOMYS RUBICOLA): A PROBABLE FIRST

MAMMALIAN EXTINCTION DUE TO ANTHROPOGENIC CLIMATE CHANGE

Gynther1, Ian, Waller2, Natalie, Leung2, Luke, Freeman3, Alastair and

Lavery4, Tyrone

1Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, PO Box 64,

Bellbowrie Queensland 4070, Australia. Email: [email protected]. 2School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton Queensland 4343,

Australia. 3Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, PO Box 975,

Atherton Queensland 4883, Australia. 4School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Queensland 4072, Australia.

The endangered Bramble Cay melomys is known only from the tiny, low-lying

Bramble Cay in the north-east Torres Strait, Queensland. Because two previous,

limited surveys failed to locate this rodent, a comprehensive survey employing 900

box trap-nights, 60 camera trap-nights and 2 daytime search-hours was conducted

during spring 2014 to ascertain the species’ status and retrieve individuals for

captive breeding. No Bramble Cay melomys were recorded, confirming the species

is extinct on Bramble Cay. Anecdotal information suggests the last known sighting

occurred in late 2009. Various evidence, including the cay’s recent dramatic loss of

vegetation, indicates the Bramble Cay melomys was almost certainly extirpated due

to repeated ocean inundation of the island caused by the combined anthropogenic

climate change-induced impacts of sea-level rise and an increased frequency and

intensity of weather events producing extreme high water levels and storm surges in

the Torres Strait region after 2004. The demise of this population probably

represents another mammalian extinction in Australia and the first documented

anywhere as a result of human-induced climate change. However, we caution

against declaring the species globally extinct until New Guinea’s Fly River region is

eliminated as the possible origin of the former melomys inhabitants of Bramble Cay.


RESTORING RESILIENCE IN WILDLIFE POPULATIONS: DEVILS, QUOLLS AND

CATS IN THE TASMANIAN MIDLANDS

Hamer, Rowena, Johnson, Chris and Jones, Menna

School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Churchill Avenue Sandy Bay 7005;

[email protected]

The Tasmanian Midlands, a highly modified agricultural region, is the focus of

intensive vegetation restoration programs by our partner organisations Greening

Australia, Bush Heritage Australia, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and the

Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE).

My PhD research focuses on the feral cat and native marsupial carnivores

(the Tasmanian devil, spotted-tailed quoll and eastern quoll). These predatory

species are particularly relevant to habitat restoration, as the high densities of feral

cats in the Midlands are likely to obstruct successful colonisation of restoration

plantings by small native fauna. Conversely, restoring healthy predator populations

can regulate biodiversity at lower trophic levels and confer increased resilience to

environmental change.

We have two main aims, which target knowledge gaps identified by our

partners:

1. Providing detailed information on the movements and habitat

requirements of native carnivores.

2. Investigating the habitat use and predatory impact of the feral cat, and

its interactions with native carnivores.

We will present and discuss preliminary results from landscape scale camera

surveys and GPS tracking undertaken over the past year.



CONSERVATION ECOLOGY OF SHARMAN’S ROCK-WALLABY

Hayes, Catherine, Fisher, Diana, Kanowski, John, and Possingham, Hugh

Goddard Building, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072;

[email protected]

Small to medium-sized mammal species are undergoing a dramatic decline in

range and abundance in Australia’s tropical north. It is suspected that feral cat

predation, landscape degradation and altered fire regimes are driving this decline. It

is thought that rock-specialist mammals, such as rock-wallabies, are likely to be

protected from the threats facing ground-dwelling small mammals that inhabit the

grassy plains. However, little is known about how rock-specialist species respond to

fire, and whether feral cats and grazing also pose significant threats to these

species. Sharman’s rock-wallaby, Petrogale sharmani, is a small macropod (~ 4kg)

that inhabits an extremely restricted geographic range in north Queensland. It is

estimated that there are only 800 animals in the entire global population. Little is

known about its biology, population demography and distribution. My study will

address these deficiencies, to clarify its conservation status and recommend

targeted management strategies.


TESTING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HUMAN IMPACTS ON WILDLIFE: A CASE

STUDY ON NON-LETHAL CONTROL OF PERI-URBAN KANGAROO

POPULATIONS

Herbert1, Catherine A., Zhao1, Annie, Phibbs1, Danielle, Hobbs2, Rebecca and

Spielman1, Derek

1Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia;

[email protected] 2Wildlife Reproduction Centre, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Obley Road, Dubbo, NSW,

2830, Australia

When evaluating potential wildlife management options we often make value

judgments about the extent to which management will impact individuals, yet we

rarely test these assumptions. This is particularly relevant when non-lethal control

methods are advocated based on concerns for animal welfare. This study quantified

the stress-response of kangaroos to three methods of contraceptive implant

administration: Hand-injection of implants after capture using either 1) pole syringe-

delivered-, or 2) dart-delivered- immobilization and 3) remote delivery of implants

using a prototype dart system.

It was hypothesized that capture and hand-delivery of implants (1 and 2)

would be more stressful than (3) because of the duration of exposure to the

“stressor” and the behaviour changes observed during immobilization and recovery.

However, there was no detectable increase in faecal glucocorticoid metabolite

concentrations 24–48hrs post-capture (n=19) for group (1), despite behavioural

indications of varying degrees of distress in individual animals. Animals receiving

remotely administered implants (3), and animals immobilized by dart-delivered Zoletil

(2), showed significant increases in glucocorticoids 24hrs post treatment, returning to

pre-treatment levels by 48hrs (n = 15 and n = 14). These results suggest the

physical impact of the immobilization or contraceptive darts induce a transient stress

response, and highlight the importance of challenging assumptions about our

impacts on animals. Despite these increases in glucocorticoid concentrations, they

were not significantly higher than the intra-specific variation observed in non-treated

conspecifics.


KANGAROO ISLAND FERAL CAT CONTROL TRIALS 2016-2018: GUIDING AN

ISLAND ERADICATION

Hodgens1, Pat and Kinloch2, Martine

1 Terrain Ecology, 29 Esplanade Kingscote, South Australia 5223.

2 Natural Resources Kangaroo Island, 35 Dauncey St, Kingscote, South Australia, 5223

Kangaroo Island has been identified as one of five Australian Islands

earmarked for feral cat eradication by the Federal Environment Department.

Building on years of local cat research and with a supportive island

community, stringent council by-laws and a highly successful feral animal control

history, the island has embarked on the first of three stages of this ambitious project.

A comprehensive evaluation of all currently available cat control techniques is

currently underway. Cat trapping trials, non-toxic bait trials, lure trials, detection dog

trials and intensive grooming trap trials will be assessed to determine the most

appropriate combination of control mechanisms to deliver the next project stage of

the project; to eradicate cats from the Dudley Peninsula.

The control trials are focussed on the narrow Dudley Peninsula Isthmus

where the island will be divided into two by a cat proof fence and cat grid on the main

road that intersects it. Efficacy of the cat proof fence, its grid and all the control

techniques will occur in conjunction with the radio collaring of up to ten cats on either

side of the fence. The impacts of cat removal on native fauna and introduced rodents

will be assessed by gathering baseline data before, during and after eradication.


INDIVIDUAL INSIGHTS — AGENT-BASED MODELS OF INVASIVE PREDATOR

RESPONSES TO FIRE MANAGEMENT AND FOX BAITING

Hradsky1,2, Bronwyn, Di Stefano2, Julian, Kelly1, Luke, Ritchie3, Euan, and

Wintle1, Brendan

1 Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne VIC 3010

Australia; [email protected]; bron_hradsky 2 Fire Ecology and Biodiversity Group, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of

Melbourne, Creswick, VIC 3363 Australia 3 Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University,

Burwood VIC 3125 Australia

Invasive predators such as red foxes Vulpes vulpes and feral cats Felis catus

pose a major threat to biodiversity. In Australia, poison baits are widely used to

control foxes with the aim of protecting native fauna. However, considerable

uncertainty remains regarding the influence of landscape context and disturbance

regimes on predator populations, the effectiveness of alternative bait deployment

strategies, and the implications of fox control for trophic interactions across

ecosystems. Agent-based models (ABMs) can be used to investigate how system

dynamics emerge from individual behaviours and local interactions. Using ABMs and

a pattern-oriented modelling approach, we examine how invasive predator

populations and predator impacts on native fauna are affected by fire, baiting and

prey availability in forest ecosystems. The models are spatially explicit, and

incorporate intra- and interspecific competition by representing the territorial and

demographic dynamics of individual predators, and prey consumption. ABMs provide

a powerful tool for synthesising knowledge from field experiments and so

understanding how invasive predator responses to management could affect the

persistence of native fauna. ABMs can be used to predict and evaluate the relative

effectiveness of predator and fire management options. We discuss the potential for

integrating predator ABMs into population models of critical-weight-range mammals.



THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF BUSHFIRE ON TASMANIAN DEVIL

POPULATIONS

DuCroz, Jean-François, Dickman, Chris and Hughes, Channing

School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia,

and The Carnivore Conservancy, 23 King Edward Street, Ulverstone, TAS 7315, Australia

Tasmania experienced unusually intense bushfires in early 2016 and may

undergo an increase in fire frequency and intensity in the future as a result of climate

change. More frequent and intense bushfires may negatively impact a range of

wildlife species.

The impact of fire on the endangered Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

has not previously been studied. We report the preliminary results of a before-after-

control-impact (BACI) study examining the short-term impact of bushfire on devils at

sites for which we had four years of pre-fire population data. Two burnt sites were

compared with two unburnt sites. Preliminary post-fire surveys found that the number

of devils captured at the burnt sites increased while the number at the unburnt sites

remained steady. However, the number of animals recaptured from previous trips

declined at the burnt sites, suggesting that some individual animals may have

succumbed to the fire. Further surveys will be conducted at the sites in late 2016 and

throughout 2017, which should give a clearer picture of the short- and medium-term

impact of bushfire on devil populations.


INVESTIGATING TASMANIAN DEVIL BEHAVIOUR USING COLLAR-MOUNTED

CRITTERCAM™ VIDEO CAMERAS

Hughes1,2, Channing, Abernathy3, Kyler, Dickman1,2, Chris, DuCroz1,2, Jean-

François, Marshall3, Greg, Miller4, Kim, Starr4, Kathy and Parrott5, Marissa

1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

2The Carnivore Conservancy, 23 King Edward Street, Ulverstone, TAS 7315, Australia.

3 Remote Imaging, National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA.

4Healesville Sanctuary, Zoos Victoria, Badger Creek Road, Healesville, VIC 3777, Australia.

5Wildlife Conservation and Science, Zoos Victoria, Elliot Avenue, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.

Reintroduction of captive-bred animals to the wild is an important component

of threatened species conservation. For the threatened Tasmanian devil

(Sarcophilus harrisii), reintroductions from the captive "insurance" population may be

crucial to the species' survival. The success of such reintroductions may depend on

zoos' ability to maintain wild behaviours in captive devils across multiple generations

in captivity. But zookeepers cannot maintain behaviours of which they are not aware.

It is thus crucial to document as much wild devil behaviour as possible while we still

can. The animal-borne Crittercam™ video camera technology developed by National

Geographic can provide a valuable tool in studying devil behaviour.

We deployed Crittercams on Tasmanian devils in two pilot studies: one with

six captive adults at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, and one with seven wild adults

in north-western Tasmania. Animals were fitted with collar-mounted, motion-

activated Crittercams with automatic drop-off capability. The technology was highly

effective, capturing clear, easy-to-interpret footage, and the collars and cameras

were well tolerated by both captive and wild devils. The pilot studies identified some

potential refinements of the deployment protocol that should increase the amount of

footage recorded. The video footage revealed several unexpected behaviours,

including some never before observed in the species.


OUT OF THE FRYING PAN: REINTRODUCTION OF TOAD-SMART NORTHERN

QUOLLS TO SOUTHERN KAKADU NATIONAL PARK

Jolly1, Christopher, Simms2, Anthony, Webb3, Jonathan, Gillespie1,4, Graeme and

Phillips1, Ben

1School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne; [email protected]

2Threatened Species Management, Kakadu National Park, Parks Australia

3School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney

4Flora and Fauna Division, Department of Land Resource Management, NT Government

Invasive species are a leading cause of native biodiversity loss. In Australia,

the toxic, invasive cane toad Rhinella marina has caused massive and widespread

declines of northern quolls Dasyurus hallucatus. Quolls are fatally poisoned if they

mistakenly prey on adult toads. To prevent the extinction of this native dasyurid from

the Top End 68 quolls were collected ahead of the invasion front and released on

toad-free islands in Arnhem Land with the hope that one day they would repopulate

the mainland. In 2015, quolls were collected from Astell Island for reintroduction. We

rendered toad averse 22 toad-naive quolls using conditioned taste aversion training.

Seven “toad-naive” quolls received no taste aversion training. Since these islands

were also predator-free, all quolls received predator-aversion training. We

reintroduced 29 northern quolls to the Mary River district in the south of Kakadu

National Park, and the difference in survival between trained and control quolls was

immediately clear. ‘Toad-smart” quolls not only survived in a toad-infested landscape

but also were seen to breed. Our predator training, however, was far less effective.

Dingo predation accounted for the majority (60%) of “toad-smart” quoll mortality. This

suggests predator aversion is lost from predator-free populations much more rapidly

than anticipated and raises the question whether “Island Arks” are an effective long-

term conservation measure.



CONTINENTAL-SCALE REWILDING OF AN INVADED ECOSYSTEM: AUSTRALIA

Jones1, Menna, Johnson1, Chris and Letnic2, Mike

1School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart Tasmania, Australia;

[email protected] 2School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales,

Rewilding, restoring ecosystem function by reintroducing highly interactive

species, is of high interest worldwide. Australia has the world’s highest loss of

mammal fauna and is the largest island/continent on which there has been a general

shift towards domination by invasive species. We will explore what has been lost

through time in Australia’s vertebrate fauna, from pre-aboriginal to aboriginal and

recent European influences, and the extent to which it is possible to restore

ecological function. Australia has some unique features that distinguish rewilding

programs from those in Europe and North America. The Australian biota evolved in

isolation for longer evolutionary time than faunas on other continents, with the

consequence that extinctions have resulted in the loss of entire taxons, such as

diprotodons, genyornis and thylacoleonids. In contrast to northern continents, there

are no close ecological analogues for some extinct species and functional groups in

Australia. Another challenge is that population declines of once-abundant species

have often preceded understanding of their ecological role in ecosystems and so

important drivers of environmental change remain undiagnosed. Reintroducing

strongly interactive species may help to curb the interactions of invasive species.

Some invasive species may, or may not, serve as functional analogues for extinct

species.



THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL: THE REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGY OF

THE TASMANIAN DEVIL (SARCOPHILUS HARRISII)

Tamara Keeley1

1School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld, Australia,

4300

Email: [email protected]

A Tasmanian devil captive breeding and insurance population was

established due to significant declines in the wild. The aim of this research was to

examine oestrous cycle dynamics, puberty, and seasonality and their associations

with captive breeding success. Faecal samples (~6000) and corresponding data

(birth date, signs of oestrus, dates of pairings and matings, and pouch young

number) were collected from female Tasmanian devils (n = 64; 1 to 4 years old)

housed across 9 institutions. Samples were analysed by enzyme-immunoassays for

progesterone (P) and prostaglandin F2α (PGFM) metabolite concentrations. The

similarities in the patterns of P and PGFM secretion regardless of reproductive state

(pregnant or non-mated) provide evidence of an autonomous ovary suggesting

options to detect pregnancy may be limited. Oestrous cycles occurred in 50% (8/16)

of 1 year old female devils examined but only 50% (4/8) displayed behavioural

oestrus. Successful breeding primarily occurs during the first oestrous cycle in

Autumn (February - March). The initiation of the first oestrous cycle is approximately

2 weeks earlier and occurs over a period 2 weeks longer (6 weeks) for female devils

housed on the mainland compared to those in the wild. It appears that providing

female devils with breeding opportunities during their first oestrous cycle at the age

of 2, may increase the reproductive potential of the individual and their overall

contribution to the captive breeding program.


INVESTIGATING TOAD-SMART BEHAVIOUR IN THE ENDANGERED

NORTHERN QUOLL

Kelly, Ella1, Webb, Johnathon2 and Phillips, Ben1

1School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia;

[email protected]; @elkelly1210 2School of Life Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Countless species are currently under threat due to changes to the

environment around them, and although many are facing extinction, some are

adapting to survive. The cane toad invasion across northern Australia has led to

declines in native predators, including the northern quoll, which unknowingly attacks

and eats poisonous toads. Yet amongst the widespread loss, a small number of quoll

populations have persisted and now coexist with toads, indicating the possible

presence of rapid adaptation. I have investigated this “toad-smart” behaviour by

comparing behavioural traits of quolls from toad-infested and toad-free environments

in captivity. I measured their response to a dead cane toad or control dead mouse

(placed in a cage so the quolls could see and smell the prey but not access it) and

compared the responses between populations. Quolls from toad-infested

environments spent significantly less time sniffing or attacking the cage housing the

toad compared to quolls from a toad-free environment. Preliminary results suggest a

similar trend in the F1s born in captivity, despite these individuals being completely

naïve to toads. These results represent the first step in understanding how toad-

smarts naturally arise and persist within a population, which is vital knowledge if we

hope to conserve this endangered species.



FIRST RECORD OF ADDITIONAL TEETH IN HECTOR’S BEAKED WHALE: WHAT

DOES IT MEAN?

Kemper1, Catherine, Loch2, Carolina, Jansen van Vuuren2, Ludwig and

Stemmer1, David

1South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 5000;

[email protected] 2Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

9054

Beaked whales belong to a poorly-known family of toothed whales. Almost all

extant species have much reduced dentition: one or two pairs of mandibular teeth

that do not erupt through the gum in females and juvenile males. Additional,

rudimentary teeth have been recorded in 4 genera, including Mesoplodon, and 6

species. Number, size and position of non-functional teeth have been used to infer

phylogeny in beaked whales.

Hector’s Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon hectori) is rarely recorded. In January

2016, a juvenile female was collected in South Australia. It had a pair of small, oddly-

shaped teeth immediately behind the typical, un-erupted teeth. All had open pulp

cavities, indicating ongoing growth. Additional teeth have not previously been

reported in this species.

Ultrastructural and chemical data for whale teeth may shed light on their

functionality and evolutionary significance. One additional tooth from the Hector’s

Beaked Whale was analysed. A thin layer of prismless enamel covered the crown

(thickness = 60–80 µm buccally, 100–120 µm lingually). A well-defined enamel-

dentine junction was present and dentine tubules were observed. Chemical maps

showed higher concentrations of Ca and P in enamel compared to dentine. Thin,

prismless enamel suggests simplification and reduced function. Studies of teeth from

other specimens are needed before commenting on whether these teeth are

atavisms or vestigial structures.


PRELIMINARY ANALYSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON A

POPULATION OF EASTERN GREY KANGAROOS

King1,2, Wendy J., Forsyth2, David M., Coulson2, Graeme and

Festa-Bianchet1,2, Marco

1 Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, J1K 2R, Canada

2 School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; [email protected]

Environmental effects have long been recognized in mammalian population

growth and the flexible marsupial reproductive strategy is believed to be an

adaptation to highly variable environmental conditions. We have monitored a

population of eastern grey kangaroos at Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia

since 2008. Densities fluctuated from 7 to 2 individuals/ha over the 8 years.

Weather patterns were seasonal, so that pasture growth varied throughout the year

and was lowest in the cool winter months. Rainfall generally had a positive effect on

vegetation availability. Body condition and reproductive success of female

kangaroos varied between years and appeared to be affected by rainfall. Few pouch

young were produced following dry winters and survival of adult females was low

following dry autumns and winters. Population density was high in years of good

vegetation productivity. Future work will evaluate the effect of both weather and

density on population growth.


MONITORING AND RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT DOMESTIC CAT MOVEMENT

AND MANAGEMENT IN THE ALICE SPRINGS URBAN ECOSYSTEM

Kreusser, J., Dowling, T., Young, L, Heenan, C. and Low, B.

Land for Wildlife and Garden for Wildlife Central Australia, Lot 1858 Isotoma Road, Connellan NT

0870; [email protected]

Land for Wildlife / Garden for Wildlife instigated a domestic cat monitoring

program in Alice Springs based on interest from members regarding responsible cat

ownership. The project focused on two main goals: 1) collecting spatial data from

domestic cats in Alice Springs and 2) raising awareness and engaging with pet cat

owners and the wider community about responsible cat ownership with reference to

spatial data maps.

Harnesses with Catlog devices were placed on 17 domestic cats, on 30

occasions for up to seven days at a time. GPS data was used to create maps of the

range and direction travelled by individual cats. Thirty domestic cat owners were

involved directly through pre- and post-monitoring surveys in an effort to gauge

attitude and behaviour about responsible management of their pets. Strategic

engagement activities at community events, combined with a range of media

communications, were integrated throughout the project to encourage community

conversation around domestic cats and responsible cat ownership in Alice Springs.

The project generated significant interest and is set to continue (2016-2017);

extending to include analysis of domestic cat scats and capture of visual footage with

cat-mounted cameras.


GROUND-TRUTHING A HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR KOALAS

Law1, Bradley, Caccamo, Gabriele, Brassil, Traecey and Gonsalves1, Leroy

1 Forest Science, NSW Department of Industry – Lands, Locked Bag 5123, Parramatta NSW 2124

Habitat suitability models have great potential to efficiently direct management

actions for rare or cryptic species. We developed a model at a 250 m resolution for

the Koala Phascolarctos cinereus in north-eastern New South Wales using MaxEnt.

We reduced substantial spatial clustering of records in coastal urban areas using a 2

km spatial filter, while a bias file accounted for variable survey effort. Frequency of

wildfire, Australian Soil Classification, floristic mapping and elevation had the highest

relative contribution to the model.

The MaxEnt model was ground-truthed at 65 sites using SongMeters to

record the presence of Koalas in the mating season and via quantitative sampling of

browse tree availability. Records of Koala bellows (n=276 bellows) were analysed in

an occupancy modelling framework, while a site habitat quality index was

constructed based on browse tree basal area and diversity. Field validation

demonstrated a linear increase in estimated Koala occupancy with higher model

values. Similarly, the site habitat quality index was correlated positively with the

model values. However, the MaxEnt model provided a better fit to predicted Koala

occupancy than the habitat quality index, probably because many variables were

considered simultaneously by the model rather than just browse species.


IMPROVING THE ABILITIES OF NATIVE MAMMALS TO COEXIST WITH FERAL

CATS

West1,2, R., Moseby1,2, K., Steindler1, L., Blumstein3, D. and Letnic1, M.

1Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia

[email protected] 2Arid Recovery Ltd., P.O. Box 147, Roxby Downs, South Australia, 5725, Australia

3Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South,

Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA

Predation by introduced predators - feral cats and foxes - is the major factor

responsible for the extinction of Australian mammals and the reason for numerous

failed attempts to reintroduce native mammals back into ecosystems. Many

reintroduction programs have failed because of the inability of native mammals to

mount effective anti-predator responses due to the absence of prior experience and

co-evolution with these novel predators. To circumvent these problems, predation

pressure can be reduced by erecting fences to exclude predators and create

predator-free sanctuaries. However, there is little prospect of establishing

populations of native mammals outside of sanctuaries because animals reared in

predator-free environments have ineffective anti-predator responses. We have been

trialling an approach to improve the anti-predator traits of native mammals by kick-

starting co-evolution through in situ predator exposure whereby native mammals are

exposed to introduced predators under closely monitored conditions. Results show

that endangered mammals (burrowing bettongs and greater bilbies) can persist,

reproduce and are more wary in the presence of feral cats. However, it remains to be

tested whether in situ predator exposure can improve reintroduction success outside

of predator-free sanctuaries.


WITCHETTY GRUBS: TUCKER FOR GREATER BILBIES?

Liddle1, Nerida, Schlesinger1, Christine and Paltridge2, Rachel

1School of the Environment, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT, 0870;

[email protected] 2Desert Wildlife Services, PO Box 4002, Alice Springs, NT, 0871

The greater bilby, Macrotis lagotis, is an Australian endemic that has declined

to 20% of its former range and is now classified as vulnerable to extinction. Bilbies

are omnivorous and vary their diet according to availability of food resources. Based

on the abundance of bilby diggings under host bushes, witchetty grubs are assumed

to be an important food source for bilbies. However, insect larvae make up only a

small component of prey items in previous dietary studies based on scat analyses.

Either witchetty grubs are less commonly consumed than is thought or remains of

soft bodied grubs are difficult to detect in scats. This project sought to determine the

detectability of witchetty grubs in bilby scats through feeding trials using captive

bilbies at the Alice Springs Desert Park, to inform future scat analysis. This was part

of a larger project investigating the availability and consumption of witchetty grubs by

bilbies. Witchetty grub remains were consistently found in bilby scats. However, loss

of witchetty grub body parts between ingestion and excretion by the bilbies varied

from 10 to 90%. The loss and delicacy of grub remains in bilby scats demands great

care for detection during scat analysis.


SUCCESSFULLY CREATING NEW HOLLOWS FOR THE CRITICALLY

ENDANGERED LEADBEATER’S POSSUM

Lumsden¹, Lindy, Powell², Chela and Cashmore³, Mark

¹ Arthur Rylah Institute, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, 123 Brown St.,

Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia, [email protected]

² VicForests, GPO Box 191, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia

³ Treetec, 3 Black Hill Rd, Menzies Creek, Victoria 3159, Australia

The Critically Endangered Leadbeater’s Possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri)

occurs in the montane ash forests of Victoria’s Central Highlands, nesting in hollows

of large, old trees, which take up to 220 years to develop. Due to landscape-wide

bushfires, historical timber harvesting and natural attrition, there is expected to be a

bottleneck in the availability of suitable nesting trees over the next 50 years, putting

the species at greater risk of extinction. Developing options for active conservation

management to increase nesting habitat during this critical period is therefore

urgently needed. We are currently investigating the feasibility of mechanically

creating hollows in younger trees, that are specifically designed to mimic the

dimensions of natural Leadbeater’s Possum nesting hollows. We constructed 72

hollows at 18 sites known to be occupied by Leadbeater’s Possums, and have

monitored these for 12 months. Leadbeater’s Possums have built characteristic

nests in 37 (52%) of the hollows (at 78% of sites), with some hollows occupied within

a month of installation. Remote cameras set at half of the hollows are providing

novel information about nesting behaviour. The early success of these artificial

hollows is promising and applicable to other hollow-dependent species to increase

hollow availability and as an alternative to nest boxes.


FACTORS AFFECTING HABITAT USE BY TASMANIAN DEVILS, SPOTTED

TAILED QUOLLS AND FERAL CATS IN A MODIFIED LANDSCAPE

Lyall1, Joanna, Johnson1, Christopher, Munks1,2, Sarah and Jones1, Menna

1University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania; [email protected]

2Forest Practices Authority, North Hobart Tasmania

This project aims to determine how the Tasmanian devil, spotted-tailed quoll

and feral cats interact in their use of a highly modified landscape in Northwest

Tasmania. We are collecting occupancy and abundance data on each species

across native forest, plantation forests, agricultural land and native

grasslands/moorlands, and testing the effects of habitat variables on each species.

Reconyx infra-red cameras were set for a minimum period of 21 days at 150 sites

during autumn/winter 2014 and again during spring/summer 2014/15. Site features

and landscape factors were recorded within buffers of 1 and 3km around each

camera station. Initial analysis indicates substantial differences in the way the three

target species use this landscape. Cats have a preference for agricultural sites,

being present at 80% of these during winter. Devils and spotted tailed quolls were

both found at over 50% of native forest sites in winter and at fewer agricultural sites.

Occupancy modelling indicates strong relationships between species, with

occurrence of other species and site factors influencing detection and presence.

Identification of factors influencing occupancy has the potential to guide modification

of land management, particularly in plantations, to maximise opportunities for spotted

tailed quoll and Tasmanian devil populations to persist.


NOT SO CLEAR BUT PRESENT DANGER: MANAGING THE THREAT OF FERAL

CATS FOR THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED CENTRAL ROCK-RAT

McDonald1,2, Peter J. and Stewart1, Alistair

1Flora and Fauna Division, DLRM, Arid Zone Research Institute, Alice Springs NT 0870

2Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney,

New South Wales 2006, Australia

The critically endangered central rock-rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus) is one of

Australia’s rarest mammals and predation by feral cats is believed to be the key

threatening process. However, disentangling the influence of top-down and bottom-

up processes presents a significant challenge for evaluating the response of desert

rodent populations to experimental management. We present data which suggest

that habitat mediates predation impact from feral cats and propose a means of

measuring rock-rat response to feral cat management; strength of relationship

between rock-rat occupancy and habitat structure. We also provide an outline of our

ongoing experimental approaches to managing the threat of feral cats and increasing

central rock-rat occupancy.


HOW DIFFERENT SIMULATIONS OF FIRE AND GRAZING MANAGEMENT CAN

MAGNIFY OR REDUCE THE PREDATORY IMPACTS OF FERAL CATS

McGregor, Hugh1,2, Prowse, Thomas3, Legge, Sarah12, Roshier, David1,

Jones, Menna2 and Johnson, Chris2

1 Australian Wildlife Conservancy, PO Box 8070 Subiaco East, WA 6008, Australia.

2 School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.

3 Environment Institute and School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Adelaide,

Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia 4 Current address: NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Centre for Biodiversity and

Conservation Research, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.

Feral cats are one of the greatest threats to native Australian wildlife, and one

possible avenue for reducing their impacts in northern Australia is by managing fire

and grazing regimes. Intense fires are especially detrimental, with cats finding them

especially favourable hunting grounds and small mammals experiencing heightened

predation. Although it is clear that intense fires are detrimental for wildlife, all our

evidence comes from research of a small number of disturbance events, not regimes

spanning many years. It is therefore unknown what long-term fire management

strategies are most effective at reducing cat impacts. With this project, we aim to

amalgamate all research on feral cat movements and hunting collected at

Mornington into a meta-model of landscape factors, cat impacts, and small mammal

populations. This will allow a direct test of whether changes to fire and grazing

regimes across northern Australia could have caused the small mammal declines

there, even if cat density remained stable. It will also add weight to existing evidence

that improved fire and grazing management at Mornington is the cause for increases

in small mammal populations there.


MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF MALE GAMETE FORM IN AUSTRALASIAN

OLD ENDEMIC RODENTS – WHY HAS IT EVOLVED AND WHAT DOES IT

MEAN?

McLennan1,2, Hanna J., Lüpold3, Stefan, Smissen4, Pete, Rowe5, Kevin C. and

Breed1,2, William G.

1School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia;

[email protected] 2Robinson Research Institute, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University

of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia. 3Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich,

Switzerland. 4School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus, Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.

5Natural Sciences Department, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Vic. 3001, Australia.

There are considerable interspecies differences in sperm form across the Old

Endemic Australasian rodents. Most have a highly complex morphology with three

head extensions of variable length and orientation, potentially for egg coat

attachment at fertilisation, and long tails. This study tested the hypothesis that the

length and angle of the head processes, as well as tail length, are sexually selected

traits and thus are more complex in species with greater relative testes mass, which

was used as a proxy for potential interspecies differences in levels of intermale

sperm competition.

10 sperm from the cauda epididymides of 45 species of hydromyine rodents

were measured and data plotted onto a molecular phylogeny. The sperm head form

varied markedly and ranged from no or very short hooks, as in sperm of Notomys

alexis, to highly decurved and long hooks as in Melomys cervinipes. The angle of

the head processes, together with tail length, was highly significantly correlated with

increased relative testes mass.

These findings suggest that, across the hydromyines, both sperm head shape

and tail length are sexually selected traits with the intensity of intermale sperm

competition, which is indicative of differences in breeding system, increasing both

overall sperm size and complexity.


LINKING TESTOSTERONE LEVELS AND BREEDING BEHAVIOUR IN

MIGRATING MALE HUMPBACK WHALES (MEGAPTERA NOVAEANGLIAE)

Mingramm1, F.M.J, Dunlop1, R. and Keeley2, T.

1School of Veterinary Science, the University of Queensland, Gatton campus, Queensland,

Australia 4343; [email protected] 2School of Agriculture and Food Science, the University of Queensland, Gatton campus,

Queensland, Australia 4343

With regards to behaviour, humpback whales (HWs) are perhaps the most

well-studied large free-ranging cetacean, yet information on associated physiology is

limited. As such, few studies have established links between physiological measures

and specific behavioural traits, such as those associated with breeding (e.g. singing,

direct competition). This study aims to utilize blubber hormone monitoring techniques

to investigate how testosterone (T) concentrations vary in relation to season,

behaviour and age class in male HWs. Blubber samples (n = 137) were collected

between 2013-2016, from both east and west Australian HW populations, using a

PAXARMS biopsy system. T concentrations were determined by enzyme-

immunoassays (currently: n = 69). Blubber T levels (mean SE ng/g) were

significantly higher in adults (2.021 0.16) compared with sub-adults (0.93 0.16),

regardless of season (F(1,65) = 14.23, p <0.001). Adults displayed higher levels of T

en route to tropical breeding grounds (north migration: 3.05 0.30; south migration:

1.36 0.084) (F(1, 65) = 50.80, p <0.001). Currently, no significant relationships

exist between T levels and individual behavioural categories (e.g. singer, female-

calf-escort); analysis of remaining samples will help in determining whether there are

detectable differences, in blubber T levels, between animals displaying different

behavioural states.



A GENETIC MINI-BARCODE TO IDENTIFY AUSTRALIAN MAMMAL PREDATORS

FROM ENVIRONMENTAL DNA SAMPLES

Modave, Elodie, MacDonald, Anna J., Campbell, Catriona D. and Sarre, Stephen D.

Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Canberra, Australia;

[email protected]

Identifying species from non-invasive samples (e.g. faeces, scats) is a way to

survey introduced and native populations for management and conservation

purposes, without the need to capture animals. The application of DNA detection to

Australian mammal predators has been limited by the lack of a genetic marker that

can reliably detect DNA from all relevant species (cat, dog, fox, devil and quolls).

To address this problem, we have developed a new mini-barcode that can

distinguish among all species, and tested its reliability to identify predator scats of

known-origin. We can now discriminate amongst all of the large mammalian

predators in Australia. We have determined the predator of origin for over 400 scats

collected from across eastern Tasmania, and will model predator distributions

relative to landscape features. For the first time we can reliably discriminate among

eastern and spotted-tail quoll scats using DNA alone. Our approach provides a

broadly applicable, cost effective and time-effective non-invasive tool for

identification of mammalian predators from environmental samples across Australia.



SPATIAL PATTERNS OF THE BRUSH-TAILED MULGARA (DASYCERCUS

BLYTHI) IN THE SAND PLAINS OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

Molyneux, Jenny1, Carthew, Sue1, Pavey, Chris2 and James, Alex3

1Faculty of Engineering, Health, Science and Environment, Charles Darwin University, Darwin 0815,

Australia 2CSIRO, Alice Springs 0870, Australia

3Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Mornington 6221, Australia.

Brush-tailed mulgara are one of the largest remaining native carnivores within

central Australia. Our study examined how this species utilises its surroundings to

improve access to food whilst reducing exposure to predators during a post boom

period. Data on habitat use was collected through spool and line tracking. We

compared the use of different vegetation and substrate types to their relative

availability to assess areas of preferred use as well as the degree of exposure along

movement pathways. We further examined how habitat use differed by individuals in

different reproductive conditions to assess the effect of varying physiological

demands. Movement pathways were mapped to determine areas of repeated use by

individual mulgara to identify areas of high use and importance. We found mulgara

predominantly utilise the area between vegetation with a high degree of exposure to

potential predators. We found consistent use of resource rich patches (such as

termite mounds) by individuals with greater physiological demands and the repeated

use of great desert skink burrows. This work helps to identify the important

components and threats that mulgara experience in a post boom period.


ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF MONITORING BROADSCALE

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, BOUNCEBACK PROGRAM, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Mooney, Trish and Brandle, Rob

Natural Resources SA Arid Lands, PO Box 78, Port Augusta SA 5700, Australia. Email:

[email protected]

The Bounceback Program has undertaken more than 20 years of broadscale

feral fox and goat control, currently covering around 700,000 ha across the semi-arid

ranges of northern South Australia. Monitoring the effectiveness of invasive mammal

control and the response of native mammals and their habitats is a challenge for

broad-scale programs. Monitoring had focussed on predator spotlight counts, goat

counts during annual aerial culling and yellow-footed rock-wallaby counts along

helicopter transects, the latter also providing a count of goats along the hills. While

these surveys provided long term trend data, they can be resource intensive, prone

to high levels of uncontrolled variation and limited in the area covered. We have

commenced a more systematic approach to monitoring the impact of goats and the

detectability of foxes across the Bounceback footprint.

We present summary results from:

Systematic remote cameras surveys carried out in one management zone,

2015-16

Herbivore browse assessments of damage caused by feral goats and other

herbivores, and how these can inform yellow-footed rock-wallaby population

trends. 2015-16 results cover the Flinders, Gawler and Olary Ranges.

These methods will provide the Bounceback Program and property managers

with reliable targeted data to guide adaptive management of feral pests, particularly

significant in the context of recent fauna reintroductions.


ASSESSING THE RISK TO NORTHERN QUOLLS (DASYURUS HALLUCATUS)

FROM FERAL CATS AND FERAL CAT BAITING IN THE PILBARA, WA.

Morris, Keith, Cowan, Mark and Palmer, Russell

Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington WA 6151.

Predation by feral cats is a significant threat to the persistence of the northern

quoll Dasyurus hallucatus across its range. The Eradicat® feral cat bait has been

approved for operational use in WA in areas outside the range of northern quolls,

because of concerns about non-target impacts. The aim of this study was to examine

the survivorship of northern quolls before and after an aerial Eradicat® baiting

program in the west Pilbara region of WA. Twenty-one quolls were fitted with

radiocollars in the area to be baited (Yarraloola pastoral lease), and another 20 were

fitted with radiocollars at an adjacent unbaited site (Red Hill pastoral lease). Aerial

baiting using toxic Eradicat® baits (with biomarker), over 20,000 ha under an APVMA

experimental permit occurred in July 2015.

Predation by feral cats was the greatest source of mortality for northern quolls

at both sites. Ten of the 41 radio-collared quolls died between June and October;

60% of these were due to cat predation and 20% due to canid predation. A

Population Viability Analysis indicated that this mortality would result in a small but

steady decline in the population over time. Improving adult or juvenile survivorship

above current levels improved population numbers, and reduced the risk of a local

extinction event. Despite being exposed to Eradicat® baits, none of the radio-collared

quolls died from toxic bait consumption, suggesting that Eradicat® baits do not pose a

risk to free-ranging northern quolls. Reproductive output was also unaffected. This

indicates that landscape scale baiting to reduce feral cat abundance would most

likely enhance quoll populations in the Pilbara. Plans are now underway to expand

the baiting regime at Yarraloola and monitor the response of both feral cats and

northern quolls.


HOW MANY FERAL CATS ARE IN AUSTRALIA?

Legge1, Sarah, Murphy2, Brett P., McGregor3, Hugh W. and Woinarski2, John, C.Z.

1NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Research,

University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia; [email protected] 2NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods,

Charles Darwin University, Darwin NT 0909, Australia 3Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Mornington Sanctuary, PMB 925, Derby, WA 6728, and NESP

Threatened Species Recovery Hub, School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private

Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia

Feral cats (Felis catus) are implicated in numerous Australian mammal

extinctions and ongoing declines. Cat control is now a high-profile priority for

Australian policy, research and management. To develop the evidence-base to

support this priority, we collate 70 site-based estimates of feral cat density across

Australia, examine environmental and geographic correlates of density, and use

these to estimate the feral cat population size. We review information on cat

occupancy of islands, finding that cats occur across >99.9% of Australia’s total land

area. Cat densities are highest on small islands and, on the mainland, in arid and

semi-arid areas after wet periods. We estimate that the feral cat population in natural

environments fluctuates between 1.3 million after continent-wide droughts, and 5.1

million after prolonged wet periods. We estimate an additional 0.7 million feral cats

occur in highly modified environments (urban areas, rubbish tips, intensive farms).

Our population estimate for Australia’s feral cats across natural and highly modified

environments (2.0-5.8 million) is lower than recently-quoted figures, and Australian

densities are lower than those on other continents. Nevertheless, cats inflict severe

impacts on Australia's native fauna, reinforcing the need for policy, research and

management to reduce their impacts.



MARKED POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURING IN A NEW SPECIES OF

ANTECHINUS MAY BE LINKED TO ANTHROPOGENIC PRESSURES

Mutton, Thomas, Fuller, Susan and Baker, Andrew

School of Earth, Environment and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology,

Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia.

Important facets of the life history, habitat use and extinction risk of the

recently discovered buff-footed antechinus, A. mysticus, are not well understood.

Based on limited capture records, the species was hypothesised to use a broad

range of inter-connected forested habitats in south-east Queensland (SE Qld). This

study tested that hypothesis using a population genetics approach.

Nine microsatellite loci were genotyped for six populations of A. mysticus and

compared with four populations of a partially sympatric congener, A. subtropicus.

Antechinus subtropicus is found in fragmented altitudinal vine and rainforest

communities and consequently was expected to show a greater degree of population

differentiation than A. mysticus. Yet genetic structuring among SE Qld populations of

A. mysticus was moderate to high and similar to that between A. subtropicus

populations. Suggesting A. mysticus is restricted to a more fragmented and limited

range of habitats than previous thought. All A. mysticus populations showed signs of

a recent population bottleneck, possibly driven by habitat clearance. The

northernmost SE Qld A. mysticus population appears to be at very low density and

may be at high extinction risk. Together the evidence of population declines and a

likely limited range suggest A. mysticus may warrant listing as threatened.


THE PREDATOR EDGE HYPOTHESIS

Newsome1,2, Thomas

1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3125, Australia;

[email protected]; @NewsomeTM 2School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

In this presentation I will suggest a new theoretical framework for considering

how top predators affect mesopredators. In doing so, I will outline the Predator Edge

Hypothesis (PEH). The PEH predicts that top predators need to occur at sufficiently

high densities, and over large enough areas, to effectively suppress mesopredators.

Thus, suppression of mesopredators by top predators is expected to be strongest in

the core of the top predator's range and weakest on the edge. Furthermore, if

fragmentation and range contraction lead to reduced abundance or sporadic

distribution of a top predator, weakened top down forcing is likely to promote

mesopredator release. The PEH is broadly testable because the distributional

ranges of most top predators are well known. If widely supported, studies assessing

the strength of top down mesopredator control should consider whether they are

located on the periphery or core of the top predator’s range or whether the top

predators have reduced abundance or sporadic distribution due to some external

factor.



MONITORING KOALAS USE OF CROSSING STRUCTURES ON THE MORETON

BAY RAIL LINK PROJECT

Nottidge1, Ben, Hanger2, Jon, Loader2, Jo and de Villiers2, Deidré

1Green Leaf Ecology 79 Birdsong Dr, Mooloolah Valley Qld 4553; [email protected]

2Endeavour Veterinary Ecology, 1695 Pumicestone Rd, Toorbul Qld 4510.

Development pressures continue to threaten the survival of koalas in South

East Queensland. Habitat loss and fragmentation can significantly reduce the

permeability of the landscape and isolate wildlife populations, reducing long term

viability. The placement of fauna underpasses, overpasses and crossing points in

association with linear infrastructure aims to mitigate hazards associated with wildlife

attempting to cross roads and rail lines, enhancing safe movement opportunities

around transport corridors.

The koala tagging and monitoring program for the Moreton Bay Rail Link

project has been one of the most intensive koala management programs of its kind.

Strategies included the installation of dedicated fauna culverts beneath the rail

corridor. The monitoring of koalas with GPS collars before, during and after

construction has provided a wealth of data on which to assess habitat use and

movements of koalas. Trail cameras mounted at the entrances to fauna and non-

fauna culverts, bridges and pipes is demonstrating the use of a variety of these

structures by koalas (and other native animals), enhancing the GPS collar data by

pinpointing crossing points along the alignment. The inclusion of suitably designed

fauna crossing structures should be mandatory in any new linear infrastructure

project to offset and mitigate impacts on local wildlife.


MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX CLASS II IN THE RED-TAILED

PHASCOGALE (PHASCOGALE CALURA)

Old, Julie M., Hermsen, Eden M. and Young, Lauren J.

School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751,

Australia; [email protected]

Diversity in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes can be correlated

with the level of immunological fitness of an individual or group of individuals. This

study tested published primer sets designed to amplify fragments of the MHC Class

II DAB and DBB genes to amplify the equivalent gene fragments in red-tailed

phascogales (Phascogale calura). Seventeen genomic DNA samples extracted from

phascogale muscle tissue were used to amplify the initial DAB and DBB fragments;

however, only DAB PCR proved successful. The fragments were 172 bp in length

between the primers and had a high level of identity to other known marsupial MHC

Class II DAB gene sequences (89–98%), including those of the koala (Phascolarctos

cinereus), Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii),common brushtail possum

(Trichosurus vulpecula) and several wallaby species. Multiple sequence alignment

revealed limited variability of MHC Class II genes between the individuals, but eight

individual sequences in total. Genomic DNA was subsequently extracted from three

fresh red-tailed phascogale scat samples and DAB fragments successfully amplified.

The technique will allow for red-tailed phascogales to be sampled non-invasively in

the wild and to determine the level of MHC diversity among individuals in the

population.



REVERSING THE DECLINE OF MAMMALS IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA:

RESPONSE OF NATIVE MAMMALS TO CAT CONTROL ON THE PELLEW

ISLANDS

Paltridge1, Rachel, Johnston2, Anthony, Fitzpatrick2, Sean and Goodman2, Clem

1Desert Wildlife Services, PO Box 4002, Alice Springs, NT, 0871, [email protected]

2li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Ranger Unit, Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Indigenous Corporation, PO Box

435, Borroloola, NT 0854

The decline in native mammal populations in Northern Australia in recent

decades has been well documented. A five year cat control program conducted by

the li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers in the Gulf of Carpentaria provided an opportunity

to test the hypothesis that cat predation is a primary agent of regional mammal

decline. Cats were introduced to West Island in 1994 and despite the presence of

five species of native mammal in 1988, no mammals were captured during five

successive surveys conducted between 2003 and 2011.

A sustained aerial and ground baiting program using Eradicat baits was

implemented across the 13,000 ha island from 2011-2015. Baiting produced a

significant knockdown in the cat population after two years and this has been

followed by a resurgence in native mammals. Three species are now regularly

detected through tracking, trapping and camera trapping surveys. Concurrent

monitoring on a neighbouring island where no predator manipulation occurred

showed no increase in native mammal populations during the study period.

The Pellew Islands cat project demonstrates the benefits of building long-term

collaborations between Indigenous Ranger groups and scientists in wildlife

restoration projects and provides hope for recovery of native mammals at other sites

in Northern Australia.


ATTRACTION, AVOIDANCE OR INDIFFERENCE: HOW FAUNA RESPOND TO

EDGES IN FIRE PRONE LANDSCAPES

Parkins, Kate, Di Stefano, Julian and York, Alan

School of Ecosystem & Forest Science, University of Melbourne, 4 Water St, Creswick, VIC 3363;

[email protected]

Edges are ubiquitous, highly influential environmental features. They are

ecologically important because they influence a wide range of patterns and

processes that affect the distribution and movement of many species. However, we

currently know very little about fire as an agent of edge creation.

We examined how habitat complexity and animal activity changes over time,

at edges between burnt/unburnt parts of fire-affected landscapes. We used a space-

for-time sampling approach at sites treated with planned fire (0-7 years), and at long-

unburnt locations (76 years). We deployed motion-sensing cameras and Elliott traps

to detect fauna, and conducted vegetation structure surveys.

Habitat complexity was lower on the burnt side of the edge up to 2 years post-

fire, higher in year 3, and similar to the unburnt 6-7 years after fire, indicating rapid

vegetation regeneration three years post-fire. We expected animals to follow similar

patterns to the regenerating vegetation, however this appears not to be the case for

several of the species surveyed.

Our findings suggest that fire generates edge effects, and these effects

change over time as vegetation regenerates. However, further research is needed to

understand the spatio-temporal flux of fire edges and their impact on faunal

movement, resource selection and biotic interactions.


DINING WITH THE DEVIL: MAINTAINING NATURAL TASMANIAN DEVIL

(SARCOPHILUS HARRISII) BEHAVIOURS THROUGH DIET AND FOOD-BASED

ENRICHMENT

Parrott1, Marissa L., Rosewarne2, Tanya, O’Neal3, Tierney, Lancaster4, Melanie,

Eastley4, Tiffany, Stasiak4, Tammika, Zabinskas4, Monika and Ritchie2, Euan G.

1 Wildlife Conservation and Science, Zoos Victoria, Elliott Avenue, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia;

[email protected]; #drmparrott #euanritchie1 #zoosvictoria 2 School of Life & Environmental Sciences and Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University,

Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia 3 Franklin & Marshall College, Harrisburg Ave, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 17603, United States of

America 4 Healesville Sanctuary, Badger Creek Road, Healesville, Victoria 3777, Australia

Providing a natural diet and feeding regime is a key component of successful

captive breeding programs for endangered species. However, there are difficulties in

captive populations that, unlike wild populations, are not subject to the selective

forces of hunting, seasonal stressors and a varied wild-type diet. In some captive

species this could result in the loss of ‘natural’ wild behaviours or a change in gut

morphology, and potentially pose problems for survival after reintroduction.

A key component of the Tasmanian devil conservation program is a long-term

insurance program that promotes natural behaviours and fitness. However, research

is required to determine the optimum techniques for maintaining natural behaviours

and mimicking wild feeding regimes. This study examined the effects of a

conventional daily feeding regime and natural fast gorge regime on activity levels,

behaviours and weight of Tasmanian devils. We found that the naturalistic regime

maintained weight and greater nocturnal activity, while eliciting increased olfactory

and resting behaviours, compared with daily diets. A study into food-based

enrichment further determined key behaviours elicited by different foods and

regimes. Based on current knowledge of Tasmanian devil’s wild behaviours, the fast

gorge regime appears to promote and maintain more natural behaviours and

nocturnal activity patterns.



NYARRPARA-KALU NYINAMI WALPAJIRI? WHERE ARE THE BILBIES?

Partridge, Thalie, Michaels, Christine and Kelly, Preston

Central Land Council, 27 Stuart Hwy, Alice Springs, Northern Territory 0870;

[email protected]

Central Land Council has been collecting trackplot data for over 15 years. The

main target of this work has been the Bilby, Macrotis lagotis. Central Land Council

supports 11 ranger groups to undertake land management activities across an area

of 750,000km2 in the southern half of the Northern Territory. Historically Bilbies

occurred across this whole region. They hold significant cultural and economic

significance to Aboriginal people, although economic use has changed with the loss

of Bilbies. The ongoing decline in distribution now means only four of the Central

Land Council’s ranger groups have Bilbies extant in their work region.

Bilbies tracks, scats and burrows can be easily identified if present in an area.

The trackplot methodology has been used to support maintenance of traditional

tracking skills and to standardise data and effort. Central Land Council has limited

and inconsistent support for data management. This has affected data quality and

prevented use of the data. Central Land Council has now collated data from the last

15 years, which will add around 500 additional Bilby records, many in previously

unsurveyed areas. Some tracking activities have not detected Bilbies in where they

used to occur. As a non-research organisation Central Land Council needs external

advice and support to review this data, improve methodologies and manage Bilbies

into the future.



THE REFUGES-APPROACH TO ENSURING PERSISTENCE OF THREATENED

SMALL MAMMALS IN ARID AUSTRALIA

Pavey, Chris R.

CSIRO Land and Water, Alice Springs, NT, 0871; [email protected]

Australia is known as a continent that has experienced significant mammal

declines. Halting and reversing declines of arid zone mammals, in particular, has

proven extremely challenging. The irruptive population dynamics of many rodents

and some dasyurid marsupials along with the difficulties of locating species during

dry periods present challenges to monitoring and conservation management. Here, I

advocate for an approach to conservation of small mammals in arid Australia that

focuses on the location and management of drought refuges. The small size and

discrete nature of these refuges makes them ideal for targeted management of

threats including control of cats and foxes. Given the sparse human population and

poor resourcing of much of arid Australia, the proposition is made that pastoralists

have the potential to make a significant contribution to land management in the

vicinity of refuges especially in relation to cat and fox management. Many refuges

occur in areas where extensive cattle production is the dominant land use. Data from

social research is presented that shows that pastoralists can make a significant

contribution to small mammal conservation in arid Australia. I also discuss the

broader importance of refuge of small mammals in arid Australia by considering the

reliance of native predators on refuge populations.



ODOUR CUES FACILITATE NICHE SEPARATION IN A PREDATOR GUILD

Garvey1, P.M., Clout1, M.N., Glen2, A.S. and Pech3, R.P.

1 Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, New

Zealand 2 Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

3 Landcare Research, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand, [email protected]

Context: Odour deposited by mammals leaves a landscape of cues that are

used by predators to find prey, by prey to avoid predators, and by conspecifics to

signal to each other. Mesopredators potentially use odour cues for all these roles.

Aim: We assessed the way a mesopredator, the stoat (Mustela erminea),

uses olfactory communication to persist in a guild of invasive predators in New

Zealand.

Methods: In pen trials we recorded the behaviour of stoats in the presence of

apex predators and their odour. In a subsequent field trial we used odour cues to

manipulate predator detection rates, and we used activity data and occupancy data

to evaluate niche separation.

Results: Stoats were highly attracted to the body odour of apex predators

despite strong aversion to their immediate presence. Where stoats, ferrets (Mustela

furo) and feral cats (Felis catus) are sympatric, the activity patterns of stoats and

ferrets are mutually exclusive and stoats increased occupancy following removal of

both apex predators.

Conclusion: Use of odour cues facilitates the persistence of a mesopredator in

a predator guild.

Significance: Apex predator odour can be exploited to increase detection of a

mesopredator at monitoring or control devices.


ADAPTING TO THE SEMI-ARID ZONE: REINTRODUCTION OF BETTONGIA

PENICILLATA

Ruykys, Laura, Riessen, Noel and Palmer, Nicola

Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Mt Gibson Sanctuary, Great Northern Hwy, Wubin, Western


Populations of the Woylie (brush-tailed bettong; Bettongia penicillata)

contracted to just four sub-populations, all in the mesic south-west of Western

Australia. Despite being one of the most wildly reintroduced animals in Australia,

most translocations have been to temperate-zone release sites. In 2015-16, ninety-

one woylies of varying ages and sexes, and from two different source sites, were

translocated to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary, a

conservation property in the semi-arid Wheatbelt Region of Western Australia.

Animals were released within a 7,832 ha fenced site cleared of introduced predators.

Forty individuals had radio-tracking collars attached, with radio-tracking undertaken

at least weekly. Detailed survivorship, home range and habitat utilisation data will be

presented and, where available, compared with data from temperate-zone sites.

Broadly, there was extremely high survivorship of the released individuals; use of a

range of vegetation types, though predominantly shrubland and woodland; rapid

building of nesting sites; and a range of dispersal strategies. The project could

provide a baseline for future reintroductions of this species to the semi-arid zone.



DECOUPLING OF PERSONALITY TRAITS: EVIDENCE FROM THE FAWN-

FOOTED MOSAIC-TAILED RAT MELOMYS CERVINIPES

Turner1, Ayla, Congdon1,2, Bradley and Rymer1,2, Tasmin

1 College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870,

Australia 2 Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P. O. Box

6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia

Animal personalities, also known as behavioural syndromes or coping styles,

refer to consistent individual differences in behaviour that are consistent over time or

across different situations. It has been repeatedly suggested that, within these

syndromes, some characteristics are inherently linked. However, a few studies

suggest that the correlation between different characteristics may be decoupled,

depending on the context or intensity of selection. To determine whether typical

personality traits are inherently linked, we assessed behavioural and physiological

characteristics of anxiety, dominance and boldness in a tropical rainforest rodent, the

fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat Melomys cervinipes. We assessed boldness of males

across three behavioural tests (open field, novel object, predator avoidance),

dominance in dyadic interactions and anxiety in a modified plus maze. We also

collected blood samples before and after a mild handling stress test to assess basal

and post-stress corticosterone, testosterone and glucose concentrations. Boldness

was not correlated with reduced anxiety or increased dominance, both behaviourally

and physiologically, suggesting decoupling of personality traits. We suggest that the

complexity and heterogeneity of tropical rainforest habitats promotes this decoupling

due to the spatial and temporal variability of resources, which promotes exploratory

behaviour, but not necessarily other traits characteristic of proactive coping styles.


HOW DOES ACTIVITY INFLUENCE MACRONUTRIENT NEEDS IN

CARNIVORES?

Stannard1, Hayley, McAllan2, Bronwyn and Raubenheimer1, David

1School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney,

Sydney NSW 2006 Australia; [email protected] 2Discipline of Physiology and Bosch Institute, School of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW

2006 Australia

Recent studies of preferred dietary macronutrient profiles suggest carnivores

self-regulate macronutrient intake and prefer higher fat diets (on a percentage of

energy basis). Nutritional status is affected by a range of factors such as activity

levels, reproduction and ambient temperature. For example, energy requirements

increase with increased activity levels and is proportional to the distance travelled in

dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Little is known of how nutrient needs change in relation

to activity in non-domestic carnivores. Thus our study aimed to determine the

influence of activity on nutrient selection of dunnarts (Sminthopsis spp.).

Captive dunnarts were provided with a functional or non-functional running

wheel with a pedometer attached. The dunnarts were offered three macronutrient

modified foods (high protein, high fat and equal nutrients) for one week followed by a

one week washout period and then three macronutrient modified foods were

provided for a week again.

Preliminary analysis of the results show there was no significant increase in

daily food intake for either dunnart species when provided with a functioning wheel

vs a non-functioning wheel. Activity did not influence macronutrient intake during the

trial with animals consistently preferring a high fat diet (as a percentage of energy).

In dogs energy needs have been associated with distance travelled thus it is

possible the dunnarts need to travel further than 8km per night to significantly

increase their energy and macronutrient needs.



GLIDING PAST SMALL MAMMAL DECLINE: INVESTIGATING THE ECOLOGY OF

THE NORTHERN SAVANNA GLIDER

Stobo-Wilson, Alyson, Carthew, Sue, Cremona, Teigan and Murphy, Brett

Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory

0815, Australia; [email protected]; @astobowilson

Rapid and catastrophic declines of a broad array of small mammals across

northern Australia have been well documented in recent decades. These declines

have been linked to predation by feral cats and changed fire regimes. The northern

savanna glider (currently designated as Petaurus breviceps ariel), appears to be one

of the few small mammals in the region that has escaped the widespread declines

and range contractions. However, this assumption is based on limited evidence from

non-target, ground-level surveys. Our study forms the first investigation of the

distribution and ecology of marsupial gliders in the Northern Territory, with specific

attention on their population status and ecological niche.

Based on live-trapping, radio-tracking and spotlight surveys, our study will

examine the apparent persistence of gliders across a wide range of northern

Australia where other arboreal mammals have been lost. Here we report our initial

insights into the broad distribution patterns and socio-ecology of the savanna glider

throughout its latitudinal range, and how this compares to other Petaurus gliders in

Australia. Findings from this work will address whether the northern savanna glider is

vulnerable to decline and guide future conservation management of the species in

the Northern Territory.


EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE THAT CAT PREDATION SUPPRESSES REPTILE

DIVERSITY IN AUSTRALIA’S TROPICAL SAVANNAS

Stokeld1, Danielle, Fisher1, Alaric, Gentles1, Tim, Hill1, Brydie M., Woinarski2, John,

Young1, Stuart and Gillespie1, Graeme R.

1 Flora and Fauna Division, Department of Land Resource Management, PO Box 496, Palmerston,

0831; [email protected] 2Threatened Species Recovery Hub of the National Environment Science Programme, Research

Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory

0909, Australia

Predator-proof fences have previously been used successfully to exclude feral

cats from targeted areas for threatened species conservation. To evaluate the role of

cat predation on vertebrate population responses a cat-exclusion experiment was

undertaken in Kakadu National Park. Two 64 ha predator-proof exclosures were

constructed in Kapalga, Kakadu National Park in December 2013. Four non-fenced

sites of equal size were established to serve as controls. Baseline population data of

reptiles was obtained prior to fence completion and following fence construction.

Reptiles were sampled using 24 x 20 L pitfall traps per site on three occasions per

year over two years, from November 2013 to December 2015. Reptile abundance

doubled over two years in the fenced exclosures but remained unchanged in the

unfenced sites. Reptile species richness increased inside fenced areas; however,

large seasonal variation in captures of species weakened the significance of this

result. The cat exclusion experiment demonstrated that predation by feral cats is

exerting considerable pressure on small reptile diversity in savanna woodland

habitat. Further monitoring of reptiles at these experimental plots would yield

important information on the relative vulnerability of different components of the

reptile community, and help to hone management priorities.


SOUTHERN HAIRY-NOSED WOMBATS (LASIORHINUS LATIFRONS) IN THE

GAWLER RANGES REGION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: POPULATION GROWTH

OVER THE PAST THREE DECADES

Swinbourne, Michael, Taggart, David and Ostendorf, Bertram

School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide Waite Campus, Urrbrae 5064.;

[email protected]

As part of a nation-wide survey of southern hairy-nosed wombats, we

surveyed the wombat population in the Gawler Ranges region of South Australia.

Using a combination of satellite imagery, field surveys and reports from locals and

wildlife managers, we mapped the distribution of wombats in the region and

compared it to the most recent wide-area distribution maps that were produced in

1988.

In 1988 there were two sub-population groups in the region: a relatively small

group south of the transcontinental railway line to the west of Lake Harris, and a

larger group to the south and west of Lake Acraman. Both sub-population groups

have expanded substantially in distribution and abundance since the 1980s, and

should now be considered a single group. Wombats can now be found to the north

and east of Lake Harris, and up to 60 km north of the transcontinental railway. To the

west they occur in the Yellabinna Regional Reserve, and to the south they can be

found in the Gawler Ranges National Park, and in the Locke Claypans to the south-

west of the park. Coincident with the increase in wombat numbers, the population of

rabbits in the region appears to have suffered a major decrease.



BREEDING BEHAVIOUR OF CAPTIVE FEMALE SOUTHERN HAIRY-NOSED

WOMBATS (LASIORHINUS LATIFRONS)

Swinbourne1, Alyce, Janssen2, Tina, Phillips3, Clive, Keeley3, Tamara and

Johnston1, Stephen

1School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Gatton,

Queensland, Australia. 4343; [email protected] 2Australian Animals Care and Education, Wilmott Road, Mount Larcom, Queensland, Australia. 4695 3The Centre of Animal Welfare and Ethics, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Gatton,

Queensland, Australia. 4343

A major challenge associated with breeding southern hairy-nosed wombats

(SHNW) in captivity is the inability to identify behavioural oestrus. This study

examined whether oestrus behaviours could be identified using changes in urinary

reproductive hormones.

Seven females used in this trial were housed in mating trios (1M:2F), or pairs,

female only pairs or as a single female. Infrared cameras were installed in all indoor

and outdoor enclosures, and daily urine samples were collected and stored frozen (-

20oC). Changes in urinary progesterone metabolites were determined using an

enzyme-immunoassays. The duration and frequency of 33 behaviours were

analysed on d-14, d-3, d-2, d-1, d0, d+1, d+2 and d+14, with d0 denoted as the

beginning of the luteal phase, defined as a sustained increase in urinary

progesterone levels. A regression analysis and general linear model were conducted

to examine the relationship between behaviours corresponding to urinary

progesterone levels.

From the 18 oestrous cycles analysed, during periods of low progesterone,

the frequency and duration of pacing increased significantly (P = 0.02 and 0.001,

respectively), the frequency of defensive behaviours increased (P = 0.05), and

sleeping duration decreased (P =0.02). These initial results suggest that pedometry

could be a potential means of detecting oestrus in SHNW.


SEASONAL CHANGES IN THE DIET OF SYMPATRIC NATIVE AND

INTRODUCED HERBIVORES IN THE GRASSY ECOSYSTEMS OF THE

MURRAYLANDS, S.A.

Taggart1, David, Sparrow2, Elisa and Croxford3, Adam

1Fauna Research Alliance & University of Adelaide (Waite Campus), SA 5064.

[email protected] 2Dept of Environment, Water and Natural Resources South Australia, Willunga, SA 5172

3Plant Research Centre, University of Adelaide (Waite Campus), SA 5064.

Declining grassy ecosystems in the Murraylands of South Australia are of

concern to both conservation and agricultural sectors, resulting in a reduction in feed

availability, loss of soil stability, reduced biodiversity and erosion. Understanding

herbivore diet and potential grazing impacts are vital in developing appropriate land

management strategies. The dominant grazing species in this region include: (i)

native - western-grey kangaroo, euro, red kangaroo, and the southern hairy-nosed

wombat, and (ii) introduced - sheep, European rabbit and Mediterranean snails.

Next generation gene sequencing was used to examine the diet and dietary overlap

of these sympatric species in spring and late summer based on stomach content.

Burr medic, stipa, chenopods, emu bush, sunrays, stork bills and daisies were the

main native species consumed. Wards weed and thread iris were the main weed

species consumed. Burr medic dominated the diet (>30%) of all species in spring,

with Chenopods, stipa, medic and wards weed the dominant dietary items in

summer. Dietary overlap was closest between (i) red kangaroos and sheep, (ii)

rabbits and wombats and (iii) western grey kangaroos and snails across both

summer and spring periods. Although the diet of all species was relatively broad in

spring, that of sheep and snails was markedly narrower than the other species

examined across summer months. Kangaroo diets showed the strongest overlapped

with sheep at this time, and wombat diet the least. The use of Next generation gene

sequencing to examine diets of sympatric herbivores will benefit both conservation

and agricultural sectors and can help guide management in regulating grazing

impacts in threatened ecosystems.


INVESTIGATING CORRELATES OF TOXOPLASMA GONDI TO EXPLAIN ITS

HIGHER PREVALENCE ON KANGAROO ISLAND

Taggart, Patrick

School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide; [email protected]

Australia’s mammals have declined at an unparalleled rate since European

settlement. In Australia, disease has contributed to the localised extinction and

decline in range and abundance of several native species, and is considered a key

threat to many species of conservation significance. Toxoplasmosis, the disease

caused by Toxoplasma gondii, causes fatalities in many species of Australian

mammal, and sub-lethal impacts of the disease can increase an animal’s

susceptibility to predation. On Kangaroo Island (KI), the prevalence of T.gondii in

cats and sheep is substantially higher than on mainland Australia, suggesting a high

level of environmental contamination and exposing wildlife to a high risk of infection.

This is of concern as the island supports a number of threatened and endemic

species. My PhD research will identify why the prevalence of T.gondii is substantially

higher on KI than on the Australian mainland. Possible explanations for the high

prevalence of T. gondii on KI include differences in cat and/or intermediate host

abundance, T. gondii seroprevalence in intermediate hosts, the availability and

accessibility of T. gondii infected carrion, cat behaviour, and/or environmental

conditions. Results of this study are directly relevant to the management of T.gondii

in wildlife on KI and other Australian islands.


SUBURBAN QUENDA DIETS: COMPARISONS OF STOMACH AND FAECAL

ANALYSES

Tay1, Natasha, Pellegrin2, Christine, Dunstan1, Bill, Bateman3,P.W. and

Fleming1, Trish

1School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch WA 6150, Perth, Australia;

[email protected] 2École nationale vétérinaire de Toulouse, 31300 Toulouse, France

3Department of Environment & Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley WA 6845, Perth, Australia

Bandicoots are assumed to be omnivorous, with a high proportion of their diet

made up of invertebrates, but also including plant material and fungi. Despite being

relatively common in some areas of suburban Perth, there is little quantitative

information on the diet of quenda (Isoodon obesulus fusciventer). Direct

observations of feeding behaviour in the wild are often difficult to obtain and many

wildlife diet studies rely on scat analysis. However, differences in digestibility and gut

passage times can affect detectability of food items in scat samples.

To investigate suburban and peri-urban quenda diet, stomach contents and

rectal faeces were collected from road kill quenda (n=21) for high-throughput DNA

sequencing. Samples from the different sections of the gastrointestinal tract of each

individual were compared in order to test if there was any association in molecular

genetic diet results and allowed us to assess disparities in the detectability of food

items at different stages of digestion. A further macroscopic analysis of stomach

contents was also conducted in order to compare detection methods.

Identifying and quantifying components of quenda diets allows us to identify

possible food sources of quenda living in modified habitats in close proximity to

humans.


BRUSH-TAILED PHASCOGALE ACTIVITY IN A POST-FIRE LANDSCAPE

Terry, William

Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Victoria 3444

While fire has shown to have a positive influence on a variety of plant species,

the impacts on fauna can be devastating. These impacts are magnified in areas

where viable habitat is already in limited supply as a result of agriculture and urban

development. The activity of the threatened Brush-tailed Phascogale, Phascogale

tapoatafa, in a post-fire landscape is yet to be formally documented. A burnt

environment could have potential to limit dispersal and act as a barrier between

populations. This is of particular concern for Phascogale which has a short lifespan

and any reduction in breeding opportunities in an already fragmented landscape

could have a substantial impact on the species at a local level. A total of 56

nestboxes were installed throughout both burnt and unburnt areas of a recently burnt

conservation reserve in central Victoria. Nestboxes were checked at regular intervals

and any activity was recorded. The use of nestboxes by Sugar Gliders and Brush-

tailed Phascogale steadily increased after fire in the unburnt areas. At nine months

after the fire, Sugar Gliders, Petaurus breviceps, began occupying nextboxes in

burnt areas. At eighteen months after fire, Phascogale activity was not recorded in

any nestboxes in the burnt areas. These findings are consistent with the

observations of other researchers in regions across Victoria. This small scale study

identifies the possible need for land managers involved biomass burns to consider

the dispersal opportunities of Brush-tailed Phascogale and avoid burns that have the

potential to isolate populations.


CHARACTERISATION OF FACTORS INFLUENCING MALE REPRODUCTIVE

SUCCESS IN THE EASTERN GREY KANGAROO (MACROPUS GIGANTEUS)

Thomas, Georgia, Eldridge, Mark, Grueber, Catherine, Machovsky-Capuska,

Gabriel, Spielman, Derek and Herbert, Catherine

Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2050;

[email protected]

The Eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is one of the largest

existing marsupials. It exhibits a polygamous mating system, established social

structuring, and sexual size dimorphism. As an evolutionary response, males exhibit

traits that influence their ability to successfully reproduce. In eutherian species, these

can include weaponry, a larger body size and/or higher testosterone concentrations.

Limited research has been performed on marsupials, impeding the development of

evolutionary theories surrounding this extant mammalian lineage. The present study

aimed to identify factors influencing male reproductive success in a free ranging New

South Wales Eastern grey kangaroo population.

Candidate male body weight, skeletal size, testes size and testosterone and

glucocorticoid concentrations were investigated as potential influential factors.

Paternity was assigned to a total of 70 offspring across three breeding seasons,

representing male reproductive success. As predicted, body size, indicated by body

weight, leg length, testes size and testosterone, significantly influenced male

reproductive success. These results will be discussed within the context of other

studies on this species at higher latitudes. Such information contributes to the

development of broad evolutionary theories across all extant mammalian lineages,

as well as providing valuable information to aid the management of wild and captive

populations.


THE PIG-FOOTED BANDICOOT, EXTINCT BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: REVIEW OF

ITS TAXONOMY AND DESCRIPTION OF A NEW EXTINCT SPECIES

Travouillon1, K.J., Brewer2, P., Portela Miguez2, R., Simoes2, B. and Stemmer3, D.

1Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA, 6986, Australia;:

[email protected]; @TravouillonK 2The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, U.K.; E-mail:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] 3South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia; E-mail:

The Pig-footed Bandicoot, Chaeropus ecaudatus, an extinct arid-adapted

bandicoot, was first named in 1838, based on a specimen without a tail from the

Murray River in New South Wales. Two additional species were later named, C.

castanotis and C. occidentalis, which have since been synonymised with C.

ecaudatus. Taxonomic research in this genus is rather difficult, with the holotype of

C. ecaudatus missing, the types of C. castanotis and C. occidentalis at the NHM in

London, and less than 30 other modern specimens scattered around the world.

Upon scoring morphological characters for this species, two distinct

morphologies were observed, one for southern specimens from WA to NSW, and

one for northern specimens from the NT. This discovery led us to investigate this

species further. Measurements of the skulls and teeth also support at least two

distinct groups.

Previous molecular studies by Westerman and colleagues, have sampled a

specimen from Museum Victoria, which belongs to the northern population. Here we

also present molecular data from the southern population and compare it to the

northern population data. Our re-analysis highlights the importance of historical

museum collections as this project integrates new molecular techniques and

morphological analysis using museum specimens.



DOING THE LEG WORK FOR US: SELF-REINTRODUCTIONS TO PREDATOR-

PROOF RESERVES

Tuft1, Katherine, Moseby1,2, Katherine, Crisp3, Helen and Pedler4, Reece

1 Arid Recovery, Roxby Downs SA; [email protected]; @KatherineTuft,

@AridRecovery 2 Ecological Horizons, Secret Rocks SA

3 Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Yookamurra Sanctuary SA

4 South Australian Arid Lands NRM, Port Augusta SA

Fenced reserves are a critical tool in securing populations of threatened

species. Most such populations are established via intensive reintroduction

programs. Here we profile a threatened species that did the hard yards for us by

reintroducing itself into the Arid Recovery Reserve.

Plains mice are an irruptive rodent of the arid and semi-arid zones. In the last

century they have been restricted to cracking clay habitats within stony gibber plains.

Plains mice were rarely recorded over 20 years of survey in the broader region

around Arid Recovery, until 2006 when they were captured at one location within the

Reserve. From this one area of cracking clay habitat, plains mice have since

established themselves in abundance across all habitats within the Reserve.

They are also now reliably found at trapping sites outside of the predator-

proof fence, suggesting the population within the fence is seeding the surrounding

area and potentially enabling dispersal and re-establishment well beyond the

Reserve itself.

This example shows how conservation fencing can have value beyond

protecting critical weight range reintroduced species.



COMPARATIVE PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF ARID ZONE DASYURIDS

Umbrello1,2, Linette, Didham1, Raphael, How2,3, Ric and Huey1,2, Joel

1School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Western Australia 6009, Australia;

[email protected] 2Western Australian Museum, Western Australia 6106, Australia.

3School of Anatomy and Human Biology, University of Western Australia, Western Australia 6009,

Australia.

The Australian arid zone accounts for around 70% of the country’s land area

and is occupied by many endemic Australian mammals. Small dasyurid marsupials

are particularly diverse in arid habitats and are believed to have diversified in this

region during the Miocene. Many small dasyurid populations remain relatively

abundant in the arid zone and are, therefore, useful for studying the response of

Australian taxa to climate oscillations during the Pleistocene. The importance of

inland mountain ranges as refuges during the Last Glacial Maxima (LGM) has

recently been revealed using molecular data on other vertebrates, however, studies

on small arid-adapted mammals are lacking. In this study I aimed to use molecular

data to examine the comparative phylogeography of six dasyurid species

(Sminthopsis and Planigale) with particular focus on the Pilbara region in Western

Australia. I sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from over 800 tissues held at

the WA and SA Museums. Some species showed little genetic structure and others

exhibited well differentiated populations and most species revealed evidence of

population expansions. Evidence of population expansion, as well as isolation during

the Pleistocene, is discussed with the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara acting as a

potential refuge during the LGM.


HUMAN-LARGE CARNIVORE COEXISTENCE: A GLOBAL REVIEW AND

IMPLICATIONS FOR AUSTRALIAN DINGO MANAGEMENT

Van Eeden1, Lily, Crowther1, Mathew, Dickman1, Christopher, Macdonald2, David,

Ripple3, William, Ritchie4, Euan and Newsome1,3,4,5, Thomas

1 Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney,

NSW 2006, Australia; [email protected]; @lilyvaneeden

2 Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-

Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK

3 Global Trophic Cascades Program, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State

University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA

4 Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University,

Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia 5 School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Box 352100, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

98195, USA

Large carnivores continue to be persecuted globally because of their threats to

human industries and livelihoods. How we manage this conflict has consequences

for carnivore conservation, the ecological services carnivores provide, and for

biodiversity more broadly. Mitigating this conflict should be evidence-based and

promote coexistence by building social tolerance for large carnivores. However,

despite much research into human-large carnivore coexistence strategies, there has

been no attempt to document success on a global scale. This study presents the first

meta-analysis of global research on conflict mitigation between large carnivores and

humans, focussing on the livestock industry. Overall, research effort and focus

varied between continents, with Australia the only continent for which lethal control

(of dingoes) dominated. Globally, we found livestock guardian animals to be most

effective at reducing livestock loss, followed by lethal control, although the latter

exhibited the widest variation in success. Financial incentives have promoted

tolerance in some settings, reducing retaliatory killings. In the future, coexistence

strategies should be location-specific, incorporating cultural values and

environmental conditions. Improved monitoring of mitigation measures is urgently

needed to build effective evidence-based policy world-wide, including critical analysis

of the widespread use of lethal control in Australian dingo management.



THE ANTERIOR NASAL REGION IN THE RED KANGAROO (MACROPUS

RUFUS) SUGGESTS ADAPTATION FOR THERMOREGULATION AND WATER

CONSERVATION

Nelson1, Dale, Warburton2, Natalie M. and Prideaux1, Gavin J.

1 School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, South Australia 5042, Australia.

2 School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Western Australia 6150, Australia;

[email protected]

The Red Kangaroo, Macropus rufus, is a specialist inhabitant of the hot arid

interior of Australia. Physiological adaptations that enable it to survive in this extreme

environment include modifications of the kidney to optimise water economy and the

ability to reabsorb water from digesta. Computed tomographic scans reveal two

previously undescribed modifications of the premaxillae in adult M. rufus: a sulcus on

the inner margin of lateral walls of the nasal cavity, and a longitudinal sinus lying in

the floor of the nasal cavity. Histological analysis shows that these are lined with

simple respiratory epithelia; no additional glandular structures were evident. The

submucosa of the lateral sulcus was highly vascular, suggesting a role in

thermoregulation. The lamina propria of the ventral sinus was relatively avascular,

but contains lymphatic vessels. Presence of the lateral sulcus in the tropical

Antilopine Kangaroo, M. antilopinus, and absence of either feature in the more

mesic-adapted grey kangaroos (M. fuliginosus, M. giganteus), lends support to the

hypothesis that this premaxillary modification may reflect adaptation of the nasal

cavity for thermoregulation. The ventral nasal sinus was unique to M. rufus and we

suggest that it may play a role in water conservation in this species.


MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH OF THREATENED MAMMALS IN THE

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Ward, Simon

Flora and Fauna Division, Department of Land Resource Management, Northern Territory

Government, Alice Springs, NT 0870. [email protected]

Fifty one mammal taxa from the Northern Territory (NT) appear on lists of

extinct or threatened species; nine are nationally extinct, seven are extinct from the

NT but are extant elsewhere, the mala is extinct in the wild in the NT, and the

remaining thirty four are listed as threatened under NT and / or national legislation

(EPBC Act). NT Government programs for threatened species range from ‘watching

brief’ to active programs controlling threatening processes. I will summarise work

being done by NTG, often in collaboration with land managers, on threatened

mammal species.

National changes are planned to harmonise the assessment and listing of

threatened species across all Australian jurisdictions. I will briefly describe the

reasons behind the changes, their intended outcomes, and some of the

consequences for the listing of threatened mammals in the NT and elsewhere, in the

short- and long-term.



CHARACTERISING GENETIC STRUCTURE AND DIVERSITY IN THE SOUTH

GIPPSLAND KOALA POPULATION

Wedrowicz1,2, Faye, Mosse2, Jennifer, Wright2, Wendy and Hogan2, Fiona E.

1Faculty of Science, Monash University, Australia

2School of Applied and Biomedical Sciences, Federation University, Churchill, Victoria 3842, Australia

Victorian koala populations have had a complex history including near

extinction in the early 1900s, island translocations, mainland reintroductions and, in

some populations, overabundance. The koala population in South Gippsland is

thought to be a remnant population - not derived from translocated island individuals

- and has been shown to have a greater level of genetic diversity relative to other

Victorian populations.

Genetic diversity is an important aspect of species management and

conservation as it provides species with the capacity to adapt to environmental

changes. Detailed assessments of genetic diversity and population structure can be

limited by sample size when sourcing DNA from tissue biopsies or blood.

We used DNA sourced non-invasively from koala scats to intensively sample

the South Gippsland koala population, permitting thorough characterisation of

genetic diversity and structure of koalas in this region.

Georeferenced genotypic data (DNA profiles) were obtained for over 300

Victorian koalas and DNA sequences targeting part of the mitochondrial genome

were obtained for a subset (n=150) of these samples.

Genetic differences were mapped across South Gippsland. This work

provides key information which will assist in the conservation and management of

the South Gippsland koala population which is of high conservation value in Victoria.


OLFACTORY DISCRIMINATION OF POTENTIAL INVERTEBRATE PREDATORS

BY A NOCTURNAL TROPICAL RAINFOREST RODENT

Wilson1, David and,3 Rymer2, Tasmin L.

1 Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, Queensland Tropical Health

Alliance, Australian Institute for Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, P. O. Box

6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia 2 College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870,

Australia 3 Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P. O. Box

6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia

In classic food chains, herbivores are often represented by invertebrates,

whereas carnivores are represented by vertebrates, particularly mammals. However,

many invertebrates prey on vertebrates. While numerous studies have focused on

how vertebrate prey detect and respond to potential vertebrate predators, few, if any,

studies have focused on whether vertebrate prey can detect and respond to potential

invertebrate predators. We assessed whether naïve fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rats,

Melomys cervinipes, could discriminate two potential arthropod predators, tarantula

(Phlogius crassipes) and Port Macquarie funnel-web (Hadronyche macquariensis),

from olfactory cues. In the first phase of the experiment, we presented male M.

cervinipes with the venom of these two species in two-way olfactory choice tests.

Funnel-web venom has a distinct odour, whereas tarantula venom does not. Both

spiders are ambush hunters that will consume small rodents if presented to them.

Importantly, rodent pups are susceptible to the venom of both species, whereas

adults develop immunity to funnel-web venom. Preliminary results suggest that M.

cervinipes can discriminate funnel-web venom from a control cue (distilled water),

whereas they cannot discriminate tarantula venom. An ability to detect invertebrate

predators using olfactory cues could have important implications for minimizing

predation risk from ambush predators while foraging at night.


SPATIAL ECOLOGY OF A REFUGE POPULATION OF THE PLAINS MOUSE

(PSEUDOMYS AUSTRALIS)

Young1,2, Lauren, Dickman1, Chris, Pavey2, Chris and Addison, Jane

1 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia;

[email protected] 2CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, PO Box 2111, Alice Springs, Northern Territory 0871, Australia

The plains mouse (Pseudomys australis) is a threatened, irruptive native

rodent, with a distribution spanning the stony deserts of South Australia and the

southern Northern Territory. Plains mouse populations increase in abundance across

the landscape in response to rare, large magnitude rainfall events and contract back

to discrete cracking clay refuges as conditions dry. The small and discrete spatial

extent of these refuges makes them ideal management foci; however more

information about the movements and habitat use of plains mice in these areas is

needed to determine management priorities.

A radio-tracking study designed to determine the short-term spatial ecology of

a plains mouse refuge population during dry conditions was undertaken alongside a

mark-recapture study designed to determine longer-term movement. Radio collars

were fitted to 11 plains mice, which were then tracked for up to 17 nights in late

spring 2014 and autumn 2015. Live-trapping was undertaken between July 2014 and

April 2016 for the mark-recapture study. Plains mice were found to occupy small,

discrete home ranges. High burrow fidelity was observed at all sites and high site

fidelity was observed between trapping sessions. These results indicate that there is

low movement between patches of refuge habitat during dry periods.



POSTER PRESENTATIONS

UNDERSTANDING HABITAT UTILISATION BY KOALAS (PHASCOLARCTOS

CINEREUS) WITHIN AN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE

Barth1, Ben, Gillett2, Amber, FitzGibbon1, Sean, Wilson3, Robbie, Moffitt3, Beth,

Adam1, Dalene and Ellis, William1

1Koala Ecology Group, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072; [email protected]

2Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Beerwah QLD 4518

3School of Biological Sciences , University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072

Agricultural landscapes are increasingly recognised as having conservation

value for native wildlife. A range of valuable habitats are available for wildlife within

an agricultural landscape including: fragments of native vegetation, isolated paddock

trees and road-side vegetation. Understanding which habitats are utilised and how

they are utilised will allow us to make informed conservation efforts. We tracked

koalas to quantify habitat use and examine movement within an agricultural

landscape in southern Queensland. We asked the questions: Do koalas utilise

different habitats according to availability? and do movement characteristics (e.g.

daily movement and turning angle) vary between habitats. We found that koalas

used all available habitat types but did not use habitats proportional to availability.

Isolated paddock trees and road-side vegetation were utilised extensively, despite

accounting for only a very small portion of the available habitat. This was consistent

between breeding and non-breeding seasons. We found no difference in turning

angle between the three habitats but there was a smaller average daily movement

within road-side vegetation compared to the two other habitats. There is growing

realisation that conserving wildlife and active farming practises can co-exist, this

work will help inform land managers and farmers about how koalas utilise habitats

within these environments.



THE ECOLOGY AND SURVIVAL OF JUVENILE BRUSHTAIL POSSUMS IN THE

SEMI-ARID ZONE: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Bannister1, Hannah, Hodgens2,3, Patrick and Moseby1,3,4, Katherine

1The University of Adelaide, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Adelaide SA 5005;

[email protected], @HannahBannist_r 2Terrain Ecology, Kangaroo Island SA 5223

3Ecological Horizons Pty Ltd, Kimba SA 5641

4Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Port Augusta, SA 5700

For a reintroduction project to succeed, population persistence is vital;

understanding influences on juvenile survival and ecology can therefore contribute to

reintroduction success. Our research aimed to monitor the survival, growth and

movement of juveniles recruited to a reintroduced population of brushtail possums

(Trichosurus vulpecula) in the semi-arid Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park in

South Australia, where introduced foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are effectively controlled.

To date, 20 juveniles have been radio-collared and monitored via regular tracking

and trapping. Initial results suggest a mortality rate approaching 50%, with predation

identified as a key threat. The sparse vegetation structure is likely to have resulted in

a potentially higher mortality rate than occurs in more mesic environments, and may

in part explain the drastic decline of the brushtail possum across arid and semi-arid

areas of Australia. Age and weight at dispersal varied greatly between individual

possums, with males dispersing further than females but only once reproductively

mature. In contrast, females dispersed prior to becoming reproductively mature.

Improving our understanding of the ecology of juvenile brushtail possums and

identifying potential threats to their survival will inform future management and

conservation decisions, and contributes to our understanding of potential causes of

the species’ widespread decline.



WERE AUSTRALIAN NATIVE MAMMALS “IN DECLINE” BEFORE EUROPEAN

SETTLEMENT? REGIONAL NON-VOLANT FAUNAS COLLECTED BY EARLY

EXPEDITIONS STRONGLY SUGGEST NOT

Baynes, Alexander

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49,

Welshpool DC, WA 6986; [email protected]

Wood Jones, in his Mammals of South Australia (1925), noted that living

Ghost Bats (Macroderma gigas) were absent from the state, but their remains were

abundant in caves. In an apparent denial of European responsibility for the

extinctions, he explained this by suggesting that a major climatic change shortly

before European settlement caused a decline in the native mammal fauna. This

hypothesis was mentioned but treated ambivalently by Molnar et al. (1984) and

Churchill and Hellman (1990) in papers on Macroderma. Extensive evidence from

mammal remains from surfaces of cave deposits shows most immediately pre-

European faunas were much richer than at present, indicating that the extinctions

occurred over the last 200 years. But, surprisingly, two students working on

Macroderma in 2016 were still perpetuating the climate change hypothesis. Ideally,

cave remains should be radiocarbon dated, but few are. Live-caught mammal

specimens, however, provide undeniable evidence. Regional faunas collected by

Gilbert, Priess, Masters and the Canning Stock Route expedition in Western

Australia, the Horn Expedition to central Australia, and the Blandowski expedition to

the Murray-Darling strongly suggest that the extinctions postdate European

settlement; and we now know that they were largely caused by introduced predators.

For references see poster.



CAMERA TRAPPING IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA; LESSONS LEARNT FROM MY

PHD FIELDWORK

Dawson, Stuart J., Adams, P.J., Bateman, P.W., Waddington, K.I., Kobryn, H.T.,

Moseby, K.E., Moore, T.L. and Fleming, P.A.

School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, 6150 W;

[email protected]; @BilbyEcology

Camera traps are increasingly being used as a cost effective and efficient way

to survey wildlife, especially species that are difficult to trap otherwise. Following the

initial wave of enthusiastic researchers using this novel method, recent work in

Australia has been investigating the efficacy of cameras and identifying common

methodological flaws and faults. Often, such limitations and challenges are

regionally specific. We used camera traps to investigate a number of ecological

questions around bilby populations in the Kimberley, including habitat use by bilbies,

predator species and cattle; bilby burrow use; and occupancy of cats and dingoes.

In doing so, we have encountered challenges that many camera trap field studies in

northern Australia face, both biological, (e.g. low trap success of cryptic species) and

abiotic (e.g. temperature changing camera sensitivity, and bushfires burning 60

cameras). This poster builds on the increasing body of published data on camera

trap use, and presents our experiences and lessons to those wishing to undertake

camera trapping in the harsh environment of northern Australia.



MONITORING FAECAL GLUCOCORTICOID METABOLITES IN WESTERN

QUOLLS

Jensen1, Melissa, Moseby1, Katherine, Paton1, David and Fanson2, Kerry

1School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia;

[email protected]; @MelissaJensen_ 2Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3216, Australia

Reintroduction is becoming an increasingly important tool in wildlife

conservation. However, despite their wide use many of these programs have a low

rate of success. The reasons for these failures are not always clear, but are often

attributed to predation, poor habitat, and over dispersal. Another possible reason for

reintroduction failure is the compounding effect of stress experienced throughout the

reintroduction process and how it may contribute to these other causes. Monitoring

stress physiology provides insight into how animals perceive their environment and

can be a useful tool for improving animal welfare, understanding behaviour, assisting

conservation efforts, and increasing general knowledge about a species. The aim of

this study was to validate an assay to monitor adrenal activity via faeces in the

western quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii). We used a stressful event (e.g. initial trapping

and transfer) to establish biological validation of the assay used. We also determined

if biological factors such as sex, age, mass and source population influence faecal

glucocorticoid metabolite levels in western quolls. Establishing basic information

about adrenal activity in western quolls provides a foundation for future studies on

stress physiology in this, and potentially other species of quoll, and may help

enhance reintroduction management plans.



WOMBAT SURVEY AND ANALYSIS TOOL (WOMSAT)

Old, Julie M.

School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751,


Wombats are ecological engineers. As Australia’s largest burrow builder, all

three species are essential in maintaining soil health and modifying habitats for other

species through burrowing.

WomSAT (Wombat Survey Analysis Tool) is a Citizen Science tool designed

to increase knowledge and awareness of the threats to wombats in the wider

community. WomSAT utilises Citizens to log sightings of wombats in real-time, with

or without mange, if they were a victim of road vehicle collision, or other event, as

well as their burrows. WomSAT is available as a downloadable, easy to use,

application for iPhones and Android mobile phones, and sightings can also be

logged directly at WomSAT.org.au.

It is hoped WomSAT will aid future managers by collecting data on real-time

wombat distribution, mange incidence and vehicle collision ‘hotspots’. As real-time

data is possible over large areas, WomSAT can be used in the longer term to

investigate real-time trends in mange incidence and aid in management of the

disease. Overall WomSAT aims to improve our understanding of wombat biology

and ecology.



THE USE OF MOTION SENSING CAMERAS TO MEASURE BAIT-TAKE BY

BRUSH-TAILED PHASCOGALE DURING A SIMULATED FOX CONTROL

PROGRAM

Terry, William and Kent, Beau

Macedon Ranges Shire Council, 40 Robertson Street, Gisborne, VIC, 3437

The use of fox 1080 (sodium fluroacetate) baits are an effective tool for

controlling fox numbers in conservation areas. However, several native species are

also highly susceptible to the poison. Previous studies have shown that Brush-tailed

Phascogale, Phascogale tapoatafa, were able to consume 1080 baits laid for foxes.

Studies have not demonstrated if Phascogale access baits directly from fox bait

stations or via a secondary source. This is important as identifying where in the

process Phascogale access baits can allow land managers to develop key strategies

to avoid accidental poisoning. Remote cameras were used to monitor a simulated

fox 1080 baiting program. Two conservation reserves with active populations of

Brush-tailed Phascogale were chosen for the program. A total of 16 free feed

stations were used and monitored using Reconyx infra-red motion detection cameras

over a period of 21 days. A total 165 animals were recorded visiting the bait stations.

The European Red Fox was the only species found to consume baits. Phascogale

were not recorded visiting any bait stations during this field study and no native

animals was recorded consuming baits. This research suggests that if replicated

under similar conditions, Phascogale are unlikely to access poison for foxes directly

from buried baits. Further research and additional free feed experiments are needed

to determine if other variables such as time of year, length of program and different

baits could alter these findings.


INDEX OF AUTHORS

Abernathy, K. 46

Wintle, B. 46

Adam, D. 1, 101

Adams, P.J 19, 104

Addison, J. 99

Algar, D. 2

Andersen, A. 18

Baker, A. 4, 69

Bannister, H. 101

Barth, B. 33, 100

Bateman, P.W. 19, 35, 88, 103

Baynes, Alexander 102

Beard, L. 1

Blumstein, D. 56

Bragg, J.G. 21

Brandimarti, M.E. 5

Brandle, R. 66

Brassil, T. 38, 55

Breed, W.G. 6, 62

Brennan, K. 39

Brewer, P. 91

Brim Box, J. 7

Broome, L. 8

Burgess, T. 26

Caccamo, G. 55

Calver, M.C. 15

Cameron, E.Z. 28

Campbell, C.D. 64

Carthew, S. 65, 82

Carver, S. 11

Cashmore, M. 58

CLC Rangers 76

Clout, M.N. 78

Coetsee, A. 9

Collett, R. 10

Comte, S. 11

Congdon, B. 80

Cook, A. 30

Cooper, M. 9

Cope, H. 12

Corrigan, A. 13

Coulson, G. 9, 14, 32, 53

Cowan, M. 67

Crawford, H.M. 15

Cremona, T. 82

Crisp, H. 92

Crossing, K. 16

Crowther, M. 17, 94

Croxford, A. 86

Davies, H. 18

Dawson, S.J. 19, 103

de Milliano, J. 9

de Villiers, D. 20, 71

Dennison, S. 21

Denny, M. 22

Di Stefano, J. 45, 74

Dickman, C. 24, 46, 47, 94, 99

Didham, R. 93

Dimovski, A. 23

Doherty, T. 27

Dormer, J. 24

Dowling, T. 54

DuCroz, J.-F. 47, 48

Dudley, J.S. 25

Dundas, S. 26

Dunlop, J. 27

Dunlop, R. 63

Dunstan, W. 88

Eastley, T. 75

Edwards, A.M. 28

Eldridge, M.D.B. 21, 29, 90

Ellis, W. 1, 33, 100

Fabian, M.C. 30

Fancourt, B. 31

Fanson, K 104

Festa-Bianchet, M. 32, 53

Fisher, A. 83

Fisher, D. 42

FitzGibbon, S. 33, 100

Fitzpatrick, S. 73

Fleming, M. 34

Fleming, P.A. 103

Fleming, P.A. 19

Fleming, T. 26, 35, 88

Fontaine, J. 15

Forsyth, D.M. 32, 53


Frankham, G.J. 21

Freeman, A. 40

Friend, J.A. 36

Fuller, S. 69

Garvey, P.M. 78

Gentle, M. 31

Gentles, T. 83

Gillespie, G.R. 18, 37, 48, 83

Gillett, A. 33, 100

Glen, A.S. 78

Gonsalves, L. 38, 55

Goodman, C. 73

Gray, E. 4

Gray, R. 5

Griffiths, A.D. 39

Groenewegen, R. 9

Grueber, C. 90

Gynther, I. 40

Hamede, R. 11

Hamer, R. 41

Hanger, J. 20, 71

Hardy, G. 26

Harley, D. 9

Hayes, C. 42

Heenan, C. 54

Herbert, C.A. 5, 12, 43, 90

Hermsen, E.M. 72

Hill, B.M. 83

Hobbs, R. 43

Hodgens, P. 44, 101

Hogan, F.E. 97

Hogg, C. 12

Hopkins, A. 26

How, R. 93

Hradsky, B. 45

Huey, J. 93

Hughes, C. 46, 47

James, A. 64

Jansen van Vuuren, L. 52

Janssen, T. 85

Jensen, M. 104

Johnson, C. 41, 49, 59, 61

Johnson, R.N. 21

Johnston, A. 73

Johnston, M. 2

Johnston, S. 1, 84

Jolly, C. 48

Jones, M. 11, 41, 49, 59, 61

Kanowski, J. 42

Keeley, T. 50, 63, 85

Kelly, E. 51

Kelly, L. 45

Kelly, P. 76

Kemper, C. 52

Kent, B. 106

King, W.J. 53

Kinloch, M. 44

Kobryn, H.T. 19, 103

Kreusser, J. 54

Krockenberger, M. 17

Lancaster, M. 75

Lavery, T. 40

Law, B. 38, 55

Legge, S. 61, 68

Letnic, M. 49, 56

Leung, L. 40

Liddle, N. 57

Lisle, A. 1

Loader, J. 20, 71

Loch, C. 52

Lothian, A. 22

Low, B. 54

Lumsden, L. 58

Lunney, D. 17

Lüpold, S. 62

Lyall, J. 59

Lynch, M. 9

MacDonald, A.J. 64

Macdonald, D. 94

Machovsky-Capuska, G. 90

MacKay, A. 32

Marshall, G. 47

Mason, E. 4

McAllan, B. 25, 81

McCarthy, M. 18

McDonald, P.J. 60

McEvoy, J. 28

McGregor, H.W. 61, 68


McLennan, H.J. 62

Mella, V. 17

Michaels, C. 76

Miller, K. 47

Mingramm, F.M.J 63

Modave, E. 64

Moffitt, E. 100

Molyneux, J. 65

Mooney, T. 66

Moore, T.L. 103

Moritz, C. 21

Morris, K. 67

Moseby, E. 19

Moseby, K.E. 56, 92, 100, 103, 104

Mosse, J. 97

Munks, S. 59

Murphy, B.P. 18, 68, 82

Murphy, C. 25

Mutton, T. 4, 69

Neaves, L.E. 21

Nelson, D. 95

Newsome, T. 70, 94

Nicolson, V. 1

Nipperess, D. 13

Nottidge, B. 20, 71

O’Donoghue, M. 2

O’Neal, T. 75

Old, J.M. 30, 72, 105

Osborne, L. 26

Ostendorf, B. 84

Oz Mammals Genomes Consortium 39

Palmer, N. 79

Palmer, R. 67

Paltridge, R. 16, 57, 73

Parkins, K. 74

Parrott, M.L. 47, 75

Partridge, T. 76

Paton, D. 104

Pavey, C.R. 65, 77, 99

Pearce, C. 4

Pech, R.P. 79

Pedler, R. 92

Pellegrin, C. 88

Phibbs, D. 43

Phillips, B. 48, 51

Phillips, C. 85

Portela Miguez, R. 91

Possingham, H. 43

Potter, S. 21

Powell, C. 58

Prideaux, G.J. 95

Prowse, T. 61

Quinn, J. 2

Rankmore, B. 39

Raubenheimer, D. 81

Rayner, K. 27

Rendall, A. 9

Riessen, N. 79

Ripple, W. 94

Ritchie, E.G. 45, 75, 94

Robert, K. 23

Rosewarne, T. 75

Roshier, D. 61

Rowe, K.C. 62

Ruthrof, K. 26

Ruykys, L. 79

Rymer, T.L. 80, 98

Sarre, S.D. 64

Schlesinger, C. 57

Schroder, M. 8

Seddon, J. 13

Simms, A. 49

Simoes, B. 91

Smissen, P. 62

Sofo, K. 14

Sparrow, E. 86

Speed, J. 31

Spencer, R. 23

Spielman, D. 5, 43, 90

Stannard, H. 81

Starr, K. 47

Stasiak, T. 75

Steindler, L. 56

Stemmer, D. 52, 91

Stewart, A. 60

Stobo-Wilson, A. 82

Stokeld, D. 83

Sutherland, D. 9


Swinbourne, A. 85

Swinbourne, M. 84

Taggart, D. 83, 86

Taggart, P. 87

Tap, P. 38

Tay, N. 88

Terry, W. 89, 106

Thomas, G. 90

Thompson, M.B. 25

Toole, I. 38

Travouillon, K.J. 91

Tuft, K. 92

Turner, A. 80

Umbrello, L. 93

Van Eeden, L. 94

Waddington, K.I. 19, 103

Waller, N. 40

Wapstra, E. 28

Warburton, N.M. 95

Ward, N.Y. 16

Ward, S. 96

Waters, C. 38

Webb, J. 48, 51

Wedrowicz, F. 97

West, J. 16

West, R. 56

White, P. 12

Wilson, D. 98

Wilson, R. 100

Woinarski, J.C.Z. 39, 68, 83

Wright, W. 97

York, A. 74

Young, L. 54, 99

Young, L.J. 72

Young, S. 82

Zabinskas, M. 74

Zhao, A. 43

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