Academic literature on the topic 'Mammal decline'
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Journal articles on the topic "Mammal decline"
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Lawes, Michael J., Brett P. Murphy, Alaric Fisher, John C. Z. Woinarski, Andrew C. Edwards, and Jeremy Russell-Smith. "Small mammals decline with increasing fire extent in northern Australia: evidence from long-term monitoring in Kakadu National Park." International Journal of Wildland Fire 24, no. 5 (2015): 712. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf14163.
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Small mammal (<2 kg) numbers have declined dramatically in northern Australia in recent decades. Fire regimes, characterised by frequent, extensive, late-season wildfires, are implicated in this decline. Here, we compare the effect of fire extent, in conjunction with fire frequency, season and spatial heterogeneity (patchiness) of the burnt area, on mammal declines in Kakadu National Park over a recent decadal period. Fire extent – an index incorporating fire size and fire frequency – was the best predictor of mammal declines, and was superior to the proportion of the surrounding area burnt and fire patchiness. Point-based fire frequency, a commonly used index for characterising fire effects, was a weak predictor of declines. Small-scale burns affected small mammals least of all. Crucially, the most important aspects of fire regimes that are associated with declines are spatial ones; extensive fires (at scales larger than the home ranges of small mammals) are the most detrimental, indicating that small mammals may not easily escape the effects of large and less patchy fires. Notwithstanding considerable management effort, the current fire regime in this large conservation reserve is detrimental to the native mammal fauna, and more targeted management is required to reduce fire size.
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Woinarski, J. C. Z., M. Armstrong, K. Brennan, et al. "Monitoring indicates rapid and severe decline of native small mammals in Kakadu National Park, northern Australia." Wildlife Research 37, no. 2 (2010): 116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr09125.
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Context. Australia has a lamentable history of mammal extinctions. Until recently, the mammal fauna of northern Australia was presumed to have been spared such loss, and to be relatively intact and stable. However, several recent studies have suggested that this mammal fauna may be undergoing some decline, so a targeted monitoring program was established in northern Australia’s largest and best-resourced conservation reserve. Aims. The present study aims to detect change in the native small-mammal fauna of Kakadu National Park, in the monsoonal tropics of northern Australia, over the period of 1996–2009, through an extensive monitoring program, and to consider factors that may have contributed to any observed change. Methods. The small-mammal fauna was sampled in a consistent manner across a set of plots established to represent the environmental variation and fire regimes of Kakadu. Fifteen plots were sampled three times, 121 plots sampled twice and 39 plots once. Resampling was typically at 5-yearly intervals. Analysis used regression (of abundance against date), and Wilcoxon matched-pairs tests to assess change. For resampled plots, change in abundance of mammals was related to fire frequency in the between-sampling period. Key results. A total of 25 small mammal species was recorded. Plot-level species richness and total abundance decreased significantly, by 54% and 71%, respectively, over the course of the study. The abundance of 10 species declined significantly, whereas no species increased in abundance significantly. The number of ‘empty’ plots increased from 13% in 1996 to 55% in 2009. For 136 plots sampled in 2001–04 and again in 2007–09, species richness declined by 65% and the total number of individuals declined by 75%. Across plots, the extent of decline increased with increasing frequency of fire. The most marked declines were for northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus, fawn antechinus, Antechinus bellus, northern brown bandicoot, Isoodon macrourus, common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula, and pale field-rat, Rattus tunneyi. Conclusions. The native mammal fauna of Kakadu National Park is in rapid and severe decline. The cause(s) of this decline are not entirely clear, and may vary among species. The most plausible causes are too frequent fire, predation by feral cats and invasion by cane toads (affecting particularly one native mammal species). Implications. The present study has demonstrated a major decline in a key conservation reserve, suggesting that the mammal fauna of northern Australia may now be undergoing a decline comparable to the losses previously occurring elsewhere in Australia. These results suggest that there is a major and urgent conservation imperative to more precisely identify, and more effectively manage, the threats to this mammal fauna.
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Lyman, R. Lee. "Terminal Pleistocene change in mammal communities in southeastern Washington State, USA." Quaternary Research 81, no. 2 (2014): 295–304. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2013.10.019.
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AbstractSmall mammal communities in western North America experienced declines in taxonomic richness across the late Pleistocene to Holocene transition (PHT), a recent natural global warming event. One community also experienced a decline in evenness and others replaced one species with a congener. Variability in response of small mammal communities to PHT warming is apparent. At the presently arid and xeric Marmes site in the Columbia Basin of southeastern Washington State, megafauna were absent by about 13,000 cal yr BP, evenness of small mammals declined about 11,700 cal yr BP and again about 11,400 cal yr BP whereas richness declined about 11,400 cal BP. Regional faunal turnover was, however, minimal among small-bodied taxa. Local mammal communities are depauperate as a result of megafaunal extinctions and subsequent decreases in small-mammal richness and evenness. The latter chronologically corresponds with a decrease in primary productivity driven by increasing warmth and aridity. More faunas must be studied in order to fully document the range of variability in the responses of mammalian communities to PHT warming. Documentation of patterns in those responses will facilitate understanding and enhance predictive accuracy with respect to responses of mammalian communities to modern global warming.
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Ibbett, M., J. C. Z. Woinarski, and M. Oakwood. "Declines in the mammal assemblage of a rugged sandstone environment in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia." Australian Mammalogy 40, no. 2 (2018): 181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am17011.
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There has been marked recent decline in the terrestrial mammal fauna across much of northern Australia, with most documentation of such decline for lowland areas. Here we report changes in the assemblage of small mammals in a rugged sandstone environment (Nawurlandja, in Kakadu National Park) over intermittent sampling between 1977 and 2002. Four native mammal species were commonly recorded in the original sampling: sandstone antechinus (Pseudantechinus bilarni), northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), Arnhem rock-rat (Zyzomys maini) and common rock-rat (Z. argurus). Trap success rates declined significantly for the northern quoll, Arnhem rock-rat and all species combined, but increased for the common rock-rat. Despite being recorded commonly in the initial (1977–79) study, no Arnhem rock-rats were recorded in the most recent (2002) sampling. Trap success rates for northern quoll declined by ~90% from 1977–79 to 2002. The reasons for change are not clear-cut. Notably, all sampling occurred before the arrival of cane toads (Rhinella marina), a factor that has caused severe decline in northern quoll numbers elsewhere. Fire was more frequent in the sampling area in the period preceding the 2002 sampling than it was in the period preceding the initial (1977–79) sampling, and this may have contributed to change in mammal abundance.
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Wayne, A. F., B. A. Wilson, and J. C. Z. Woinarski. "Falling apart? Insights and lessons from three recent studies documenting rapid and severe decline in terrestrial mammal assemblages of northern, south-eastern and south-western Australia." Wildlife Research 44, no. 2 (2017): 114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr16178.
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Context Since European settlement in 1788, much of the Australian terrestrial mammal fauna has declined or become extinct. The pattern of, and reason for, that decline was little documented, and is now difficult to decipher. Many mammal species are still declining, providing (an unfortunate) opportunity to better document the process, identify the causal factors and attempt to redress the problem. Aim We compare trends in mammal abundance reported in three recent longitudinal studies in conservation reserves in Australia. The studies were not established with the intention of documenting mammal decline, but marked simultaneous decline of co-existing species was the most striking feature of their results. Methods Long-term monitoring in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory (2001–04 and 2007–09), the Upper Warren region of Western Australia (since 1974) and the Great Otway National Park, Victoria (since 1975) principally relied on trapping, but also some spotlighting and sand plots, to document changes and trends in abundance in their respective mammal assemblages. Key results Decline was reported in most mammal species, across taxonomic groups, diets and size classes, but mostly involved species <5500g. The studies differed in their monitoring protocols and varied in the degree to which potential causal factors were monitored, thereby constraining interpretation of the drivers of declines. Inappropriate fire regimes and predation by feral cats are likely contributing factors in at least two study areas, and periods of markedly below-average rainfall are implicated in two areas. Conclusions We conclude the following: (1) conservation reserves in Australia may be failing to maintain at least some elements of the biodiversity that they were established to protect, and substantially enhanced management is required to redress this problem; (2) with current threats, mammal assemblages in Australia may be highly unstable; (3) substantial increase in effective long-term biodiversity monitoring programs in an adaptive management framework is needed; and (4) such monitoring programs will be more insightful if they also monitor factors driving population change. Implications Native mammal species declines and community disassembly may be occurring elsewhere. Long-term monitoring is critical for assessing trends in biodiversity and if done well, it can guide more effective and efficient management to deliver better conservation outcomes.
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Stokeld, Danielle, Alaric Fisher, Tim Gentles, et al. "What do predator diets tell us about mammal declines in Kakadu National Park?" Wildlife Research 45, no. 1 (2018): 92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr17101.
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Context Small- and medium-sized native mammals have suffered severe declines in much of northern Australia, including within protected areas such as Kakadu National Park. Several factors have been implicated in these declines but predation, particularly by feral cats (Felis catus), has been identified as potentially the most direct cause of decline for many species. Aims We evaluated how prey frequency changed in cat and dingo scats in Kakadu from the early 1980s to 2013–15, with this period spanning a severe decline in the small- and medium-sized mammal fauna. Methods Chi-square test of independence and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare prey frequencies between dingoes and cats, and among years to assess significance of temporal change. Key results Small-sized native mammals were the prey item occurring at the highest frequency in scats for both dingoes and cats in the 1980s. Prey content in dingo and cat scats differed in the 2010s with macropods predominating in the scats of dingoes, and medium-sized native mammals predominating in cat scats. The frequency of occurrence of small-sized native mammals declined in both dingo and cat scats between the 1980s and 2010 sampling periods, while the frequency of occurrence of medium-sized native mammals remained constant in dingo scats and increased in cat scats. Conclusions Small mammals were a major component of the diets of both dingoes and cats in Kakadu in the 1980s, when small mammals were much more abundant. Despite marked reduction from the 1980s to the 2010s in the capture rates of both small- and medium-sized native mammals, some species continue to persist in the diets of cats and dingoes at disproportionally high frequencies. Both predators continue to exert predatory pressure on mammal populations that have already experienced substantial declines. Implications Although predation by feral cats is a major threat to small- and medium-sized native mammals, dingoes may also play an important role in limiting their recovery. Disturbance from fire and grazing by introduced herbivores has been shown to augment predatory impacts of feral cats on native mammals. Predation more generally, not just by feral cats, may be exacerbated by these disturbance processes. Management programs that solely focus on mitigating the impact of feral cats to benefit threatened species may be inadequate in landscapes with other significant disturbance regimes and populations of predators.
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Woinarski, John C. Z., Andrew A. Burbidge, and Peter L. Harrison. "Ongoing unraveling of a continental fauna: Decline and extinction of Australian mammals since European settlement." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, no. 15 (2015): 4531–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1417301112.
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The highly distinctive and mostly endemic Australian land mammal fauna has suffered an extraordinary rate of extinction (>10% of the 273 endemic terrestrial species) over the last ∼200 y: in comparison, only one native land mammal from continental North America became extinct since European settlement. A further 21% of Australian endemic land mammal species are now assessed to be threatened, indicating that the rate of loss (of one to two extinctions per decade) is likely to continue. Australia’s marine mammals have fared better overall, but status assessment for them is seriously impeded by lack of information. Much of the loss of Australian land mammal fauna (particularly in the vast deserts and tropical savannas) has been in areas that are remote from human population centers and recognized as relatively unmodified at global scale. In contrast to general patterns of extinction on other continents where the main cause is habitat loss, hunting, and impacts of human development, particularly in areas of high and increasing human population pressures, the loss of Australian land mammals is most likely due primarily to predation by introduced species, particularly the feral cat, Felis catus, and European red fox, Vulpes vulpes, and changed fire regimes.
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García-Aguilar, María C., Jaime Luévano-Esparza, and Horacio de la Cueva. "Mammal decline in the Middle America." Journal for Nature Conservation 28 (November 2015): 127–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2015.10.001.
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Short, J., and A. Smith. "Mammal Decline and Recovery in Australia." Journal of Mammalogy 75, no. 2 (1994): 288–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1382547.
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Moore, T. L., L. E. Valentine, M. D. Craig, G. E. St J. Hardy, and P. A. Fleming. "Does woodland condition influence the diversity and abundance of small mammal communities?" Australian Mammalogy 36, no. 1 (2014): 35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am13007.
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Loss of mammal species in Australia in the last 200 years has been attributed to many factors including habitat removal and altered fire regimes. Decline in tree condition could contribute further to the ongoing decline of mammals. Eucalyptus wandoo trees are currently undergoing a decline in condition that can result in a loss of canopy and other changes to the habitat. This paper examines the relationships between E. wandoo tree condition, habitat characteristics and small mammal species richness and abundance. Live-capture trapping was conducted at 24 E. wandoo sites at Dryandra State Forest and Wandoo Conservation Park, Western Australia. Condition and microhabitat variables of E. wandoo were recorded for each site. Generalised additive mixed models revealed a range of habitat and tree condition characteristics that influenced small mammal abundance and species richness, including site litter cover, crown dieback, understorey vegetation cover and tree density. The availability of coarse woody debris played a large role in explaining the abundance of Cercartetus concinnus and Antechinus flavipes, along with other microhabitat and tree condition variables, such as tree leaf litter and crown dieback. Epicormic growth, crown density and the distance to the drift fence from E. wandoo trees were the common variables in the best model for the abundance of Sminthopsis griseoventer. The decline in condition of E. wandoo and the subsequent modifications to the microhabitat are correlated with changes in the small mammal community. A better understanding of how the decline of E. wandoo impacts small mammal communities could improve management practices in E. wandoo woodlands.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Mammal decline"
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Hennen, Daniel Reneau. "The Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Decline and the Gulf of Alaska / Bering Sea Commercial Fishery." Thesis, Montana State University, 2004. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2004/hennen/HennenD1204.pdf.
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The Steller sea lion (SSL) population in Alaska was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1991. Several procedural restrictions were placed on the commercial fisheries of the region at that time in an effort to reduce the potential for human induced mortality on sea lions. Several years have elapsed since these restrictions were put into place and questions about their efficacy abound. In an effort to determine whether or not fisheries interventions have helped the SSL population to recover, estimates of the fishing activity of the Bering Sea/ Gulf of Alaska commercial fisheries in the vicinity of individual Steller sea lion rookeries and SSL population trends at those rookeries were made using data from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Fisheries Observer Program and Steller Sea Lion Adult Count Database. Fisheries data from 1976 - 2000 were analyzed in relation to SSL population counts from 1956 - 2001, at 32 rookeries from the endangered Western Stock. Linear regression on the principal components of the fisheries data show that a positive correlation exists between several metrics of historical fishing activity and SSL population decline. The relationship is less consistent after 1991, supporting a hypothesis that fishing closures around some of the rookeries have been effective in moderating the localized effects of fishing activity on SSL.
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Short, Jeff. "Decline and recovery of Australian mammals: With particular emphasis on the burrowing bettong Bettongia lesueur." Thesis, Short, Jeff (1999) Decline and recovery of Australian mammals: With particular emphasis on the burrowing bettong Bettongia lesueur. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 1999. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/51823/.
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Australian mammals have fared badly over the past 200 years with 17 species extinct, 10 species surviving only on islands, and another 17 reduced to remnant populations of less than 10% of their range at the time of European settlement. Most extinct or threatened species fall within a critical weight range of 35 g to 5,500 g (CWR), as defined by Burbidge and McKenzie (1989). A disproportionate number come from arid and semi-arid Australia.
This thesis poses the questions: Why have these species proved so vulnerable and what can be done to redress the situation?
Section 2 describes a particular CWR species - the Burrowing Bettong Bettongia lesueur. The Burrowing Bettong is a small macropod that is extinct on the Australian mainland, but survives as remnant populations on offshore islands. Study of this species has been largely neglected due to the relative isolation of its surviving populations and the belief that they may be secure because of that isolation. I surveyed four islands on which Burrowing Bettongs occurred to establish their abundance and distribution; to assess the major factors impacting on their abundance; and to detail their ecology.
Section 3 briefly summarises the controversy surrounding the loss of CWR mammals. Is the primary cause of their decline and extinction due to a decline in habitat and habitat quality, to predation, or to some other factor or combination of factors? Previous major reviews have been comprehensive and inclusive, generally concluding that declines and extinctions of fauna are due to complex interactions of many factors. While the value of such reviews is acknowledged, my approach has been more pragmatic. I approached the issues from the view of a manager whose primary aim is an on-ground result: successful re-establishment of populations of threatened species after an absence of more than half a century. I took a hierarchical view of threatening processes seeking to identify and focus on the process most likely to limit successful reintroduction.
Section 3 includes three discrete bodies of research that each probe the cause or causes of mammal decline. The first examines the distribution, abundance and ecology of CWR mammals (including the Burrowing Bettong) on Barrow Island as influenced by vegetation mosaic. The second examines the historical record of bounty payments made on rat-kangaroos in New South Wales (the Burrowing Bettong is one of five species) to establish the spatial and temporal pattern of decline. This decline is juxtaposed against the major ecological events of the time: Sheep, Rabbits, Foxes and drought. The third collates and synthesises unpublished data on twenty five past reintroductions of macropods in an attempt to identify threatening processes and threatening practices. One such attempt was the unsuccessful introduction of Burrowing Bettong to Kangaroo Island in South Australia in the 1920s.
Section 4 details the reintroduction of the Burrowing Bettong from Dorre Island to Heirisson Prong at Shark Bay. This was the first reintroduction of this species to mainland Australia and was conducted against a background of past failure or limited success of reintroductions to arid and semi-arid Australia. This study pioneered or advanced a number of innovative techniques: the use of peninsulas to gain advantages in predator control; the use of a number of complementary barriers of defence against predators to minimise incursions, and in situ captive breeding of the endangered species in its natural habitat to provide a pool of animals for release over successive years (a buffer against demographic and environmental stochasticity and providing for adaptive development of predator control methods).
The reintroduced population of Burrowing Bettongs on Heirisson Prong represents the first mainland population for over 50 years. An initial group of twelve animals were transferred from Dorre Island in May 1992 and a first release to the wild was made in September 1993. The population has persisted in the wild for over five years and now exceeds 130 animals and is continuing to grow. Its continued survival depends on ongoing predator control.
Section 5 reviews the historical pattern of decline of mammals and the range of threatening processes that might be responsible. There appear to have been at least two major periods experiencing high loss of mammals in post-European times. The mainland extinction of the Burrowing Bettong forms part of the second phase - attributed primarily to predation by Foxes. The first period of loss coincided with, or immediately post-dated, European pastoral expansion. Typically, species lost during this period were smaller species within the CWR (< 350 g). These species may have been unable to cope with habitat alteration caused by stocking; or they may have been victims of the colonisation of the continent by another exotic predator - the feral Cat. The early loss of smaller species on both sides of the continent suggests the latter. Suggestions in the literature that Cats became established across Australia in pre- European times suggest otherwise. However, I provide some evidence to suggest Cats may have become established in the early pastoral phase of post-European Australia. Hence, predation by Cats provides a plausible explanation for the early loss of mammals.
The research within this thesis is firmly embedded in the “declining population paradigm” of Caughley (1994) and has made little or no use of the new tools of the “small population paradigm”. I have assumed that the cause of declines and extinctions is some external agent and I have sought to identify that agent and ameliorate its impact.
Caughley’s criticism of the “declining population paradigm” is that it represents a case-by-case zoological investigation to solve problems of particular species threatened with extinction. This does not appear to be true in this instance. The CWR mammals appear to have suffered broadly similar fates. Hence solutions generated for one species should have broad application to a suite of species. The conclusions may also generalise to extinctions and declines at many other insular situations that have been invaded by humans and their pest species in historic times.
The body of research within this thesis has advanced the general understanding of the processes of extinction of CWR mammals and provided the knowledge to successfully re-establish at least one species to the mainland from remaining relict populations on off-shore islands. It has led, also, to further related work on the control of predators; the behaviour of native species that make them vulnerable to predation by exotic predators; the behaviour of predators that led to a scale of impact greater than one might expect from predator-prey theory; and provides baseline data for modeling the interaction between predator and prey.
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Ruykys, Laura. "Ecology of warru (Petrogale lateralis MacDonnell Ranges race) in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, South Australia." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/72153.
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Australia has one of the world's worst rates of mammal extinctions, accounting for about one third of the mammal species that have become extinct in the world since 1600 (Burbidge and Manly 2002). Most of these documented declines and extinctions have been concentrated towards mammals in the arid-zone of central Australia. In South Australia (SA), one of the arid-zone species that has undergone substantial declines in range and abundance is the black-footed rock-wallaby, Petrogale lateralis (MacDonnell Ranges race). Animals are now restricted to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the state's far north-west, where there remain two known metapopulations. The decline of this race, which is known as 'warru' by Western Desert Indigenous people, is presumed to have been precipitated by introduced predators. However, in order to exclude other potential causes and establish if recovery is feasible, the current project investigated the ecology of warru in the SA APY Lands. In order to make inferences about the habitat and environmental conditions that best facilitate warru persistence, a modelling approach at multiple spatial scales was used. At a landscape scale, warru presence was correlated to geology, slope, soil type and elevation. At a finer scale, fieldwork established that a number of parameters, including aspect, vegetation, rock complexity and refuges' physical characteristics were important determinants of warru presence and use. The work presents the first analysis of P. lateralis habitat requirements. To establish animals' use of this preferred habitat, the thesis provides preliminary data on warru home range and movement patterns. Unfortunately, catastrophic failure of Global Positioning System collars meant that data were limited to those from one adult female in one month. Nevertheless, during this time, the animal had a larger than expected home range and undertook a number of long-range movements, including a sojourn off the hill. These results have implications for management, including predator and fire management strategies. An investigation of the genetic structure of animals in the three largest-known warru colonies indicated that all colonies are genetically diverse, with levels of heterozygosity approximating expected values. All three also exhibited substantial population structuring, with genetic groups correlating to geographic colonies. However, there was also evidence for sub-structuring being present within one of the colonies and for migration occurring into two colonies, with approximately 5% of sampled individuals having mixed ancestry. An analysis of the parentage of offspring indicated that warru have a polygamous mating structure, although one instance of intra- and inter-year monogamy was also established. Population modelling was used to provide an estimate of the sizes of each of the three studied colonies. Combined with recent aerial survey data, these data suggested that there are likely to be fewer than 200 warru remaining in SA. However, all three colonies showed signs conducive to potential recovery, including high average reproductive rates, even sex ratios and high adult survivorship (>75%). Juvenile survival, however, was significantly lower (51%) and positively correlated with winter rainfall, indicating that access to water is important during the drier winter months. The potential for warru recovery was supported by an analysis of warru blood chemistry in both the wild and captive colonies. The latter was established as part of the recovery program and aimed to produce animals for in-situ supplementation and reintroduction. In 2009, when blood samples were taken, warru colonies did not manifest with results that are indicative of population-wide disease. However, the biochemical parameters of animals in one of the in-situ colonies, 'New Well', suggested some level of nutritional and water stress. This suggests that managers could consider providing warru at New Well with supplementary food and water during drought, and/or using fire to promote vegetational diversity. The study presents the first detailed haematological reference values for P. lateralis and potentially, a methodology for other threatened species recovery programs to follow in order to establish the health of their populations. The current results have implications for management of both the in- and ex-situ warru populations. For example, results pertaining to habitat selection can be used to guide selection of appropriate reintroduction sites. Overall, results indicate that although the extant colonies have small population sizes, the animals therein have high reproductive rates, are not suffering the effects of disease and are genetically diverse. The rock-wallabies' polygamous mating strategy is also likely to continue to facilitate this genetic diversity. Furthermore, although warru have specific habitat preferences, they have the capacity to disperse to surrounding available habitat. Overall, this suggests that, given appropriate management, warru recovery is feasible. Some of these data may also be pertinent for management of P. lateralis in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.<br>Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2011
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Hanna, Emily Alice. "Drivers of mammalian extinction and decline." Phd thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/132352.
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The earth is currently believed to be in the midst of a mass-extinction episode. Globally, approximately a quarter of mammal species are at risk of extinction. To prevent further degradation of mammals, it is important to understand what causes species to decline, and why some species seem to be more vulnerable than others. Comparative studies in vertebrate taxa often find that a small geographic range size is a strong predictor of high extinction risk. I found that current range size in Australian mainland mammals is a response to previous threatening processes. Using current range size as a predictor of extinction risk is therefore circular. Models that include current range size also tend to underestimate levels of latent extinction risk (the discrepancy between a species' current extinction risk and that predicted from its biological traits), giving misleading predictions of the species and regions with greatest potential for future species declines. Torpor has been associated with both raised and lowered extinction risk due to factors related to energetic efficiency and predation. I found that undertaking torpor reduces extinction risk in mammals, both overall, and specifically in groups threatened by predation. Understanding causes of extinction on islands is critical as islands host endemic species and are refuges for many species now extinct on continents. I found that island mammal extinctions result from complex interactions of introduced predators, island geography, and prey biology. Most notably, extinction probabilities are lower on islands with both black rats and a larger introduced predator (cats, red foxes or dingoes), compared to islands with rats but no larger predator. One conservation implication of this is that eradication of introduced apex predators from islands could precipitate the expansion of black rat populations, potentially leading to extinction of native mammal populations. Conservation now aims to preserve evolutionary history as well as species richness. Using a range of extinction scenarios, I modelled possible future phylogenetic diversity loss on Australia's islands. Under all scenarios, islands in the east of the Bass Strait and the north-east of Northern Territory seem to be centres of phylogenetic diversity loss. As such, we recommend that these islands be prioritised for conservation consideration. Body size is recognised as an important driver of extinction risk, with larger species being at higher risk globally. However, in Australia, it has been argued that ""critical weight range"" mammals (those between 35 and 5500g) are the most vulnerable to decline due to being the preferred prey size for the introduced predators, cats and red foxes. I examined whether Australia's islands tend to have extinctions clustered around a body size significantly smaller or larger than expected by random, and discovered that approximately equal numbers of islands have significantly larger and smaller sized extinctions than expected. Significantly smaller sized extinction clusters predominantly occur in the southeast of Australia. Extinctions on islands with larger introduced predators tend to be biased towards mid-sized species, supporting the theory that foxes and cats can drive size-biased extinctions.
Books on the topic "Mammal decline"
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Tuxill, John. Losing strands in the web of life: Vertebrate declines and the conservation of biological diversity. Edited by Peterson Jane A and Worldwatch Institute. Worldwatch Institute, 1998.
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Crawley, Derek, Frazer Coomber, Laura Kubasiewicz, et al., eds. Atlas of the Mammals of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Pelagic Publishing, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.53061/xtwi9286.
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Based on more than 1.8 million records, this Atlas provides the most up-to-date information on the current distributions of both terrestrial and marine mammals in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Many changes over time, such as the rapid invasion of the grey squirrel, the recovery of the pine marten and the decline of the water vole, are readily apparent from the detailed maps. Fully illustrated with photographs, detailed information is provided for 84 species, including descriptions of their ecology and identification, together with graphs showing the seasonal distribution of records. Data are also presented for feral species, vagrants, and cetaceans that have only ever been found as strandings. The Atlas will be an invaluable source of information to mammal enthusiasts, professional ecologists, and policy makers.
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Is it food?: Addressing marine mammal and seabird declines : workshop summary. Alaska Sea Grant College Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1993.
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Is It Food? Addressing Marine Mammal and Seabird Declines, Workshop Summary. Alaska Sea Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1994. http://dx.doi.org/10.4027/iif.1994.
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Program, Alaska Sea Grant College. Is It Food?: Addressing Marine Mammal and Seabird Declines (Alaska Sea Grant Report). Alaska Sea Grant College Program, 1993.
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Pluskowski, Aleks. The Medieval Wild. Edited by Christopher Gerrard and Alejandra Gutiérrez. Oxford University Press, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198744719.013.6.
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This article discusses the exploitation of wild fauna in late medieval Britain. It outlines the prevalent trends in the presence and exploitation of the most important wild mammals, birds, and exotics which feature in the archaeology of late medieval sites. The period following the Norman Conquest saw the introduction of a new elite hunting culture which, in turn, resulted in the proliferation of imported exotics, in particular fallow deer and rabbits, alongside the gradual decline and in some cases extirpation of indigenous species such as the beaver and wolf. Above all, the exploitation of wild species was linked to the construction of elite social identities.
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1957-, Trites Andrew W., and University of British Columbia. Fisheries Centre., eds. Ecosystem change and the decline of marine mammals the eastern Bering Sea: Testing the ecosystem shift and commercial whaling hypotheses. Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, 1999.
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Steinberg, Paul F. Who Rules the Earth? Oxford University Press, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199896615.001.0001.
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Worldwide, half a million people die from air pollution each year-more than perish in all wars combined. One in every five mammal species on the planet is threatened with extinction. Our climate is warming, our forests are in decline, and every day we hear news of the latest ecological crisis. What will it really take to move society onto a more sustainable path? Many of us are already doing the "little things" to help the earth, like recycling or buying organic produce. These are important steps-but they're not enough. In Who Rules the Earth?, Paul Steinberg, a leading scholar of environmental politics, shows that the shift toward a sustainable world requires modifying the very rules that guide human behavior and shape the ways we interact with the earth. We know these rules by familiar names like city codes, product design standards, business contracts, public policies, cultural norms, and national constitutions. Though these rules are largely invisible, their impact across the planet has been dramatic. By changing the rules, Ontario, Canada has cut the levels of pesticides in its waterways in half. The city of Copenhagen has adopted new planning codes that will reduce its carbon footprint to zero by 2025. In the United States, a handful of industry mavericks designed new rules to promote greener buildings, and transformed the world's largest industry into a more sustainable enterprise. Steinberg takes the reader on a series of journeys, from a familiar walk on the beach to a remote village deep in the jungles of Peru, helping the reader to "see" the social rules that pattern our physical reality and showing why these are the big levers that will ultimately determine the health of our planet. By unveiling the influence of social rules at all levels of society-from private property to government policy, and from the rules governing our oceans to the dynamics of innovation and change within corporations and communities-Who Rules the Earth? is essential reading for anyone who understands that sustainability is not just a personal choice, but a political struggle.
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Gibbons, Philip, and David Lindenmayer. Tree Hollows and Wildlife Conservation in Australia. CSIRO Publishing, 2002. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/9780643090033.
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More than 300 species of Australian native animals — mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians — use tree hollows, but there has never been a complete inventory of them. Many of these species are threatened, or are in decline, because of land-use practices such as grazing, timber production and firewood collection.
 All forest management agencies in Australia attempt to reduce the impact of logging on hollow-dependent fauna, but the nature of our eucalypt forests presents a considerable challenge. In some cases, tree hollows suitable for vertebrate fauna may take up to 250 years to develop, which makes recruiting and perpetuating this resource very difficult within the typical cycle of human-induced disturbance regimes.
 Tree Hollows and Wildlife Conservation in Australia is the first comprehensive account of the hollow-dependent fauna of Australia and introduces a considerable amount of new data on this subject. It not only presents a review and analysis of the literature, but also provides practical approaches for land management.
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(US), National Research Council. The Decline of the Steller Sea Lion in Alaskan Waters: Untangling Food Webs and Fishing Nets. National Academies Press, 2003.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "Mammal decline"
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Daleszczyk, Katarzyna, Amy E. Eycott, and Jörg E. Tillmann. "Mammal Species Extinction and Decline: Some Current and Past Case Studies of the Detrimental Influence of Man." In Problematic Wildlife. Springer International Publishing, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22246-2_2.
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Daleszczyk, Katarzyna, Amy E. Eycott, and Jörg E. Tillmann. "Erratum to: Mammal Species Extinction and Decline: Some Current and Past Case Studies of the Detrimental Influence of Man." In Problematic Wildlife. Springer International Publishing, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22246-2_27.
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Short, Jeff, and Bruce Turner. "A Test of the Vegetation Mosaic Hypothesis: A Hypothesis to Explain the Decline and Extinction of Australian Mammals." In Ecosystem Management. Springer New York, 1994. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4018-1_21.
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Cremona, Teigan, Sam C. Banks, Hugh F. Davies, et al. "On the Brink of Extinction: The Small Mammal Decline in Northern Australia." In Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Elsevier, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-821139-7.00143-4.
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Tal, Alon. "Going, Going, Gone." In At Nature's Edge. Oxford University Press, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199489077.003.0007.
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Israel’s remarkable biodiversity can be attributed to its unique geographical location at the juncture of three continents, its extreme climatic variability and half a century of interventions to ensure protection of habitat. For the country’s first fifty years, its progress in setting aside reserves and protecting myriad, damaged animal populations led to a reversal in the decline of individual species and ecosystems, making the country a model of applied conservation biology. Recently, however, there has been a steady loss of animal and plant populations, with one third of Israel’s 100 mammal species defined as threatened. This chapter considers the range of drivers behind the recent deterioration in ecological indicators, with a focus on the impact of the country’s extraordinary growth in human numbers on the natural world.
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Price, Trevor. "Population Declines." In Ecology of a Changed World. Oxford University PressNew York, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197564172.003.0024.
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Abstract This chapter focuses on evidence for declines in populations, which is difficult because it requires both evaluation of land-use change (habitat conversion) and changes within habitats. Examples are given of declines attributed to a single COPHID threat, including many in protected areas resulting from harvesting, disease, and invasive species. Three approaches to evaluating population changes are considered: the first compares pristine habitat with disturbed areas, finding that undisturbed habitat is critical to the maintenance of many species, especially in tropical rainforests. The second studies time series, exemplified by the North American Breeding Bird Survey, which finds a 30% decline in the number of birds between 1970 and 2010. This decline is attributed to multiple causes, including the rise of new generations of pesticides. The third uses the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List to document the number of species considered threatened. For the best studied groups (amphibians, birds, and mammals combined) the figure is 20%.
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Abdel Farag El-Shafie, Hamadttu. "Impacts of Organic Farming on Insects Abundance and Diversity." In Global Decline of Insects [Working Title]. IntechOpen, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102035.
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Organic farming encourages maximum utilization of the natural biological processes to manage the farm in terms of soil fertilization and pest control, which implies using none or less synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and plant and animal growth-promoting substances. All these practices increase arthropod diversity, particularly soil-dwelling insects. Intercropping, cover crops, and hedges, which are common practices in organic fields, provide alternative habitats for arthropod communities. The refugia also provide a good source of food for pollinators in terms of pollen grains and nectar. The interactions among the different plant and animal taxa (weeds, birds, mammals) that are found in the organic farming ecosystem have a great impact on insects’ abundance and diversity. This chapter summarizes the impacts of the organic farming system on the abundance and diversity of insects. The role of organic farming in mitigating the impact of agriculture intensification, urbanization, deforestation, and climate change on global insects’ decline and diversity loss is discussed.
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Pačenovský, Samuel, and Alexander Kürthy. "Qualitative and Quantitative Changes in a Guild of Forest Owls: Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum), Ural Owl (Strix uralensis), Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) at Kamenný Hrb – Bankov Sit." In Owls - Clever Survivors [Working Title]. IntechOpen, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102932.
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A guild of forest owls was evaluated in 1989 − 2021 in a 5.2 km2 site in Slovakian Volovské mountains in Western Carpathians. Only the Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) declined in this near 30 year period from 8 to 5 territories and that local decline is referred to the increased presence of Tawny Owl (Strix aluco). Clear decline of calling activity of Eurasian Pygmy Owl in sympatric areas with Tawny Owls was also noted. Tawny Owl almost doubled its population from 3 to 5 territories occupied in 2017–2021 and the Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) was almost absent during 1989–1994 but occupied 8 breeding territories in years 2017–2021. Tawny Owl has a tendency of spreading to higher elevations, while Boreal Owl has an opposite tendency. Boreal Owl seeks suitable breeding habitats in old fir-beech forests with fir and oak stands and Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) holes in old beeches as low as below 500 m a.s.l. Due to good populations of small mammals, Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) has been able to maintain stable populations with ca. 8 pairs in the study area between years 1989–2021. Good food situation also attracted some Boreal Owls to lowest known elevation limit of the species in Slovakia. Further research is needed, on a larger scale, to support the population trends documented in this paper.
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Maran, T., D. W. Macdonald, H. Kruuk, V. Sidorovich, and V. V. Rozhnov. "The continuing decline of the European mink Mustela lutreola: evidence for the intraguild aggression hypothesis." In Behaviour and Ecology of Riparian Mammals. Cambridge University Press, 1998. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511721830.018.
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Dickinson, A. B. "Aftermath." In Seal Fisheries of the Falkland Islands and Dependencies. Liverpool University Press, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.5949/liverpool/9780973893441.003.0009.
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This final chapter concludes the history of the Falklands sealing industry, affirming that sealing in all its forms no longer takes place in the Falklands and the Dependencies due to legislation concerning the conservation of seals. The Marine Mammals Ordinance of 1992 further cemented the illegal status of sealing. Statistics show a reduction in the Falklands seal population from 370,000-390,000 to just 2034 in 1995, but the sharp decline over the century could not have been achieved by the sealing rates alone. The potential contributing factors - competition for food due to global fishing practices and the possibility of illegal sealing - are examined in depth but fail to offer a suitable answer. The volume concludes by affirming the dormancy of the Falklands sealing trade, and considers this important, informative chapter of maritime history closed.
Conference papers on the topic "Mammal decline"
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Elliott, Gloria D., and John J. McGrath. "Freezing Response of Mammary Tissue: A Mathematical Study." In ASME 1999 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1999. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/imece1999-0584.
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Abstract Cryosurgery, the use of low temperatures to devitalize neoplastic tissue, has become an accepted treatment modality for many cancers such as those of the liver and prostate. Recently, the application of cryosurgery to human breast malignancies has been explored (Staren et. al, 1997, Pham and Rubinsky, 1998). Breast cancer will affect 1 in 9 women over the course of their lifetime (American Cancer Society, 1997). Although there are a wide variety of therapies available to treat this disease, the broad pathological spectrum of patients with breast cancer necessitates newer and better treatments before these numbers will decline. The composition of human mammary tissue is highly varied (age, body mass, and hormone dependent) making the application of cryosurgery to this tissue complex. Although the preponderance of breast cancer lesions occur in post-menopausal patients, women of all ages are affected by this disease. More importantly, lesions persist in all types of breast tissue. If cryosurgery is to become a viable therapy for breast cancer, it is important to understand the range of responses expected from the different tissue compositions, and, if relevant, identify the tissue types most suited to cryo-based therapies. To this end, an understanding of the response of these various classes of breast tissue to freezing can be accomplished using accurate heat and mass transfer models. Based on a review of basic human breast histology during all stages of mammary gland development, several different categories of human breast tissue were chosen for constitutional analysis. The volumetric dominance of each of the different tissue constituents was determined and then using this information, the volume-averaged thermal properties for each category calculated. A preliminary analysis, utilizing basic heat conduction equations and effective heat transfer properties, was performed to understand if, in a pure conduction sense, the various categories of breast tissue would respond differently to the same applied freezing protocol, and if so, which components were thermally most relevant. This analysis, although not completely descriptive of the physical situation occurring during an actual cryosurgery protocol, represents the first steps in determining the morphological features of mammary tissue which must be taken into consideration in future modeling efforts.
Reports on the topic "Mammal decline"
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Clevenger, Anthony P., and Adam T. Ford. A before-after-control-impact study of wildlife fencing along a highway in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Nevada Department of Transportation, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.15788/ndot2022.02.
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Wildlife exclusion fencing has become a standard component of highway mitigation systems designing to reduce collisions with large mammals. Past work on the effectiveness of exclusion fencing has relied heavily on control-impact (i.e., space-for-time substitutions) and before-after study designs. These designs limit inference and may confound the effectiveness of mitigation with co-occurring process that also change the rate of collisions. We used a replicated before-after-control-impact study design to assess fencing effectiveness along the Trans-Canada Highway in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. We found that collisions declined for common ungulates species (elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer) by up to 96% but not for large carnivores. The weak response of carnivores is likely due to combination of fence intrusions and low sample sizes. When accounting for background changes in collision rates observed at control sites, naïve estimates of fencing effectiveness declined by 6% at one site to 90% and increased by 10% at another to a realized effectiveness of 82%. When factoring in the cost of ungulate collisions to society as a whole, fencing provided a net economic gain within 1 year of construction. Over a 10-year period, fencing would provide a net economic gain of >$500,000 per km in reduced collisions. In contrast, control site may take upwards of 90 years before the background rates of collisions decline to a break even point. Our study highlights the benefits of long-term monitoring of road mitigation projects and provides evidence of fencing effectiveness for reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions involving large mammals.
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El Halawani, Mohamed, and Israel Rozenboim. Temperature Stress and Turkey Reproduction. United States Department of Agriculture, 2002. http://dx.doi.org/10.32747/2002.7570546.bard.
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High temperature stress is of major concern to turkey producers in Israel and the United States. The decline in the rate of egg production at high environmental temperature is well recognized, but the neuroendocrinological basis is not understood. Our objectives were: 1) to characterize the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis involvement in the mechanism(s) underlying the detrimental effect of heat stress on reproduction, and 2) to establish procedures that alleviate the damaging effect of heat stress on reproduction. Heat stress (40oC, Israel; 32oC, U.S.) caused significant reduction in egg production, which was restored by VIP immunoneutralization. The decline in egg production did not appear to be entirely related to the expression of incubation behavior due to the rise in circulating PRL in stressed birds. Heat stress was found to increase circulating PRL in ovariectomized turkeys independent of the reproductive stage. Active immunization against VIP was shown for the first time to up-regulate LHb and FSHb subunit mRNA contents. These findings taken together with the results that the heat stress-induced decline in egg production may not be dependent upon the reproductive stage, lead to the suggestion that the detrimental effect of heat stress on reproductive performance may be in part mediated by VIP acting directly on the GnRH/gonadotropin system. Inhibin (INH) immunoneutralization has been shown to enhance FSH secretion and induces ovulation in mammals. It is hypothesized that immunization of heat-stressed turkeys against INH will increase levels of circulating FSH and the number of preovulating follicles which leads to improved reproductive performance. We have cloned and expressed turkey INH-a and INH-bA. Active immunization of turkey hens with rtINH-a increased pituitary FSH-b subunit mRNA and the number of non-graded preovulatory yellow follicles, but no significant increase in egg production was observed.