Avian functional responses to landscape recovery
- Ikin, Karen, Barton, Philip, Blanchard, Wade, Crane, Mason, Stein, John, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Ikin, Karen , Barton, Philip , Blanchard, Wade , Crane, Mason , Stein, John , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Vol. 286, no. 1901 (2019), p.
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- Description: Restoring native vegetation in agricultural landscapes can reverse biodiversity declines via species gains. Depending on whether the traits of colonizers are complementary or redundant to the assemblage, species gains can increase the efficiency or stability of ecological functions, yet detecting these processes is not straightforward.We propose a new conceptual model to identify potential changes to complementarity and redundancy in response to landscape change via relative changes in taxonomic and functional richness.We applied our model to a 14-year study of birds across an extensive agricultural region. We found compelling evidence that high levels of landscape-scale tree cover and patch-scale restoration were significant determinants of functional change in the overall bird assemblage. This was true for every one of the six traits investigated individually, indicating increased trait-specific functional complementarity and redundancy in the assemblage. Applying our conceptual model to species diversity data provided new insights into how the return of vertebrates to restored landscapes may affect ecological function. © 2019 The Author(s).
- Authors: Ikin, Karen , Barton, Philip , Blanchard, Wade , Crane, Mason , Stein, John , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Vol. 286, no. 1901 (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Restoring native vegetation in agricultural landscapes can reverse biodiversity declines via species gains. Depending on whether the traits of colonizers are complementary or redundant to the assemblage, species gains can increase the efficiency or stability of ecological functions, yet detecting these processes is not straightforward.We propose a new conceptual model to identify potential changes to complementarity and redundancy in response to landscape change via relative changes in taxonomic and functional richness.We applied our model to a 14-year study of birds across an extensive agricultural region. We found compelling evidence that high levels of landscape-scale tree cover and patch-scale restoration were significant determinants of functional change in the overall bird assemblage. This was true for every one of the six traits investigated individually, indicating increased trait-specific functional complementarity and redundancy in the assemblage. Applying our conceptual model to species diversity data provided new insights into how the return of vertebrates to restored landscapes may affect ecological function. © 2019 The Author(s).
Incorporating regional-scale ecological knowledge to improve the effectiveness of large-scale conservation programmes
- Kay, G., Barton, Philip, Driscoll, D., Cunningham, S., Blanchard, Wade
- Authors: Kay, G. , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, D. , Cunningham, S. , Blanchard, Wade
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Animal Conservation Vol. 19, no. 6 (2016), p. 515-525
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- Description: Land-stewardship programmes are a major focus of investment by governments for conserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. These programmes are generally large-scale (e.g. >1000 km) spanning multiple biogeographic regions but developed using spatially limited (e.g. landscape-scale; <100 km) ecological data interpolated across broad areas for one, or a few, well-studied taxonomic groups. Information about how less-studied taxa respond to regional differences in management and environmental effects has potential to further inform land-stewardship conservation programmes, but suitable data sets are rarely available. In this study, we sought to enhance planning of large-scale conservation programmes by quantifying relationships between reptile assemblages and key environmental attributes at regional scales within a large-scale (>172 000 km2) Australian land-stewardship programme. Using 234 remnant woodland monitoring sites spanning four distinct biogeographic regions, we asked: Do reptile assemblages show different environmental associations across biogeographically distinct regions? We found that environmental features important to reptile diversity differed over each region. Abundance and rare species richness of reptiles responded at regional-scales to elevation, native groundcover and aspect. We identified four implications from our study: (1) large-scale conservation schemes can achieve better outcomes for reptiles using regional-scale knowledge of environmental associations; (2) regional-scale knowledge is particularly valuable for conservation of rare reptile taxa; (3) consideration of abiotic environmental features which cannot be directly managed (e.g. aspect, elevation) is important; (4) programmes can be tailored to better support reptile groups at higher conservation risk. Our study shows that reptile-environment associations differ among biogeographic regions, and this presents opportunity for tailoring stronger policy and management strategies for conserving large-scale agricultural landscapes globally. © 2016 The Zoological Society of London. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Kay, G. , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, D. , Cunningham, S. , Blanchard, Wade
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Animal Conservation Vol. 19, no. 6 (2016), p. 515-525
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Land-stewardship programmes are a major focus of investment by governments for conserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. These programmes are generally large-scale (e.g. >1000 km) spanning multiple biogeographic regions but developed using spatially limited (e.g. landscape-scale; <100 km) ecological data interpolated across broad areas for one, or a few, well-studied taxonomic groups. Information about how less-studied taxa respond to regional differences in management and environmental effects has potential to further inform land-stewardship conservation programmes, but suitable data sets are rarely available. In this study, we sought to enhance planning of large-scale conservation programmes by quantifying relationships between reptile assemblages and key environmental attributes at regional scales within a large-scale (>172 000 km2) Australian land-stewardship programme. Using 234 remnant woodland monitoring sites spanning four distinct biogeographic regions, we asked: Do reptile assemblages show different environmental associations across biogeographically distinct regions? We found that environmental features important to reptile diversity differed over each region. Abundance and rare species richness of reptiles responded at regional-scales to elevation, native groundcover and aspect. We identified four implications from our study: (1) large-scale conservation schemes can achieve better outcomes for reptiles using regional-scale knowledge of environmental associations; (2) regional-scale knowledge is particularly valuable for conservation of rare reptile taxa; (3) consideration of abiotic environmental features which cannot be directly managed (e.g. aspect, elevation) is important; (4) programmes can be tailored to better support reptile groups at higher conservation risk. Our study shows that reptile-environment associations differ among biogeographic regions, and this presents opportunity for tailoring stronger policy and management strategies for conserving large-scale agricultural landscapes globally. © 2016 The Zoological Society of London. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
Species co-occurrence networks show reptile community reorganization under agricultural transformation
- Kay, Geoffrey, Tulloch, Ayesha, Barton, Philip, Cunningham, Saul, Driscoll, Don, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Kay, Geoffrey , Tulloch, Ayesha , Barton, Philip , Cunningham, Saul , Driscoll, Don , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecography Vol. 41, no. 1 (2018), p. 113-125
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- Description: Agricultural transformation represents one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, causing degradation and loss of habitat, leading to changes in the richness and composition of communities. These changes in richness and composition may, in turn, lead to altered species co-occurrence, but our knowledge of this remains limited. We used a novel co-occurrence network approach to examine the impact of agricultural transformation on reptile community structure within two large (> 172 000 km2; 224 sites) agricultural regions in southeastern Australia. We contrasted assemblages from sites surrounded by intact and modified landscapes and tested four key hypotheses that agricultural transformation leads to (H1) declines in species richness, (H2) altered assemblages, (H3) declines in overall co-occurrence, and (H4) complex restructuring of pairwise associations. We found that modified landscapes differed in composition but not richness compared with intact sites. Modified landscapes were also characterized by differences in co-occurrence network structure; with species sharing fewer sites with each other (reduced co-occurrence connectance), fewer highly-connected species (truncation of the frequency distribution of co-occurrence degree) and increased modularity of co-occurrence networks. Critically, overall loss of co-occurrence was underpinned by complex changes to the number and distribution of pair-wise co-occurrence links, with 41–44% of species also gaining associations with other species. Change in co-occurrence was not correlated with changes in occupancy, nor by functional trait membership, allowing a novel classification of species susceptibility to agricultural transformation. Our study reveals the value of using co-occurrence analysis to uncover impacts of agricultural transformation that may be masked in conventional studies of species richness and community composition. © 2017 The Authors
- Authors: Kay, Geoffrey , Tulloch, Ayesha , Barton, Philip , Cunningham, Saul , Driscoll, Don , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecography Vol. 41, no. 1 (2018), p. 113-125
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Agricultural transformation represents one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, causing degradation and loss of habitat, leading to changes in the richness and composition of communities. These changes in richness and composition may, in turn, lead to altered species co-occurrence, but our knowledge of this remains limited. We used a novel co-occurrence network approach to examine the impact of agricultural transformation on reptile community structure within two large (> 172 000 km2; 224 sites) agricultural regions in southeastern Australia. We contrasted assemblages from sites surrounded by intact and modified landscapes and tested four key hypotheses that agricultural transformation leads to (H1) declines in species richness, (H2) altered assemblages, (H3) declines in overall co-occurrence, and (H4) complex restructuring of pairwise associations. We found that modified landscapes differed in composition but not richness compared with intact sites. Modified landscapes were also characterized by differences in co-occurrence network structure; with species sharing fewer sites with each other (reduced co-occurrence connectance), fewer highly-connected species (truncation of the frequency distribution of co-occurrence degree) and increased modularity of co-occurrence networks. Critically, overall loss of co-occurrence was underpinned by complex changes to the number and distribution of pair-wise co-occurrence links, with 41–44% of species also gaining associations with other species. Change in co-occurrence was not correlated with changes in occupancy, nor by functional trait membership, allowing a novel classification of species susceptibility to agricultural transformation. Our study reveals the value of using co-occurrence analysis to uncover impacts of agricultural transformation that may be masked in conventional studies of species richness and community composition. © 2017 The Authors
Effects of past and present livestock grazing on herpetofauna in a landscape-scale experiment
- Kay, Geoffrey, Mortelliti, Alessio, Tulloch, Ayesha, Barton, Philip, Florance, Daniel
- Authors: Kay, Geoffrey , Mortelliti, Alessio , Tulloch, Ayesha , Barton, Philip , Florance, Daniel
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Conservation Biology Vol. 31, no. 2 (2017), p. 446-458
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Livestock grazing is the most widespread land use on Earth and can have negative effects on biodiversity. Yet, many of the mechanisms by which grazing leads to changes in biodiversity remain unresolved. One reason is that conventional grazing studies often target broad treatments rather than specific parameters of grazing (e.g., intensity, duration, and frequency) or fail to account for historical grazing effects. We conducted a landscape-scale replicated grazing experiment (15,000 km2, 97 sites) to examine the impact of past grazing management and current grazing regimes (intensity, duration, and frequency) on a community of ground-dwelling herpetofauna (39 species). We analyzed community variables (species richness and composition) for all species and built multiseason patch-occupancy models to predict local colonization and extinction for the 7 most abundant species. Past grazing practices did not influence community richness but did affect community composition and patch colonization and extinction for 4 of 7 species. Present grazing parameters did not influence community richness or composition, but 6 of the 7 target species were affected by at least one grazing parameter. Grazing frequency had the most consistent influence, positively affecting 3 of 7 species (increased colonization or decreased extinction). Past grazing practice affected community composition and population dynamics in some species in different ways, which suggests that conservation planners should examine the different grazing histories of an area. Species responded differently to specific current grazing practices; thus, incentive programs that apply a diversity of approaches rather than focusing on a change such as reduced grazing intensity should be considered. Based on our findings, we suggest that determining fine-scale grazing attributes is essential for advancing grazing as a conservation strategy. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
Tests of predictions associated with temporal changes in Australian bird populations
- Lindenmayer, David, Lane, Peter, Westgate, Martin, Scheele, Ben, Barton, Philip
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Lane, Peter , Westgate, Martin , Scheele, Ben , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biological Conservation Vol. 222, no. (2018), p. 212-221
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- Description: Global biodiversity loss is the cumulative result of local species declines. To combat biodiversity loss, detailed information on the temporal trends of at-risk species at local scales is needed. Here we report the results of a 13-year study of temporal change in bird occupancy in one of the most heavily modified biomes worldwide; the temperate woodlands of south-eastern Australia. We sought to determine if temporal changes in bird species were different between three broad native vegetation types (old-growth woodland, regrowth woodland and restoration plantings) and between species traits (body size, migratory status, rarity, woodland dependency, or diet). We found evidence of decline for over a quarter of all bird species for which we had sufficient data for detailed analysis (30 out of 108 species). In contrast, only 14 species increased significantly. Temporal change of birds was linked to life-history attributes, with patterns often being habitat-dependent. Nectarivores and large-bodied birds declined across all vegetation types, whereas small-bodied species increased, particularly in restoration plantings. Contrasting with patterns documented elsewhere, resident but not migratory species declined, with this trend strongest in restoration plantings. Finally, our analyses showed that, as a group, common birds tended to decline whereas rare birds tended to increase, with effects for both most pronounced in restoration plantings. Our results highlight the benefit of targeted restoration planting for some species, but also demonstrate that many common species that have long-persisted in human-dominated landscapes are experiencing severe declines. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Lane, Peter , Westgate, Martin , Scheele, Ben , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biological Conservation Vol. 222, no. (2018), p. 212-221
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Global biodiversity loss is the cumulative result of local species declines. To combat biodiversity loss, detailed information on the temporal trends of at-risk species at local scales is needed. Here we report the results of a 13-year study of temporal change in bird occupancy in one of the most heavily modified biomes worldwide; the temperate woodlands of south-eastern Australia. We sought to determine if temporal changes in bird species were different between three broad native vegetation types (old-growth woodland, regrowth woodland and restoration plantings) and between species traits (body size, migratory status, rarity, woodland dependency, or diet). We found evidence of decline for over a quarter of all bird species for which we had sufficient data for detailed analysis (30 out of 108 species). In contrast, only 14 species increased significantly. Temporal change of birds was linked to life-history attributes, with patterns often being habitat-dependent. Nectarivores and large-bodied birds declined across all vegetation types, whereas small-bodied species increased, particularly in restoration plantings. Contrasting with patterns documented elsewhere, resident but not migratory species declined, with this trend strongest in restoration plantings. Finally, our analyses showed that, as a group, common birds tended to decline whereas rare birds tended to increase, with effects for both most pronounced in restoration plantings. Our results highlight the benefit of targeted restoration planting for some species, but also demonstrate that many common species that have long-persisted in human-dominated landscapes are experiencing severe declines. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
Conservation conundrums and the challenges of managing unexplained declines of multiple species
- Lindenmayer, David, Wood, Jeff, MacGregor, Christopher, Foster, Claire, Barton, Philip
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Wood, Jeff , MacGregor, Christopher , Foster, Claire , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biological Conservation Vol. 221, no. (2018), p. 279-292
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- Reviewed:
- Description: The conventional approach to conserving threatened biota is to identify drivers of decline, instigate actions to mitigate threatening processes, and monitor interventions to test their effectiveness and ensure target species recover. In Australia, predation by introduced predators is a threatening process for many native mammals. Here we report the results of a 15 year monitoring study in an iconic Australian reserve, Booderee National Park, where exotic Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations have been controlled through an intensive poison baiting program since 2003. Unexpectedly, we documented the collapse of native mammal fauna during this period, including fully arboreal species that should be largely unaffected by fox predation – such as the nationally Vulnerable Greater Glider (Petauroides volans) and Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus). We used path analysis to explore potential causes of these unexpected declines. We found no compelling evidence to support hypotheses that competition with increasing native species, native predator release, or increases in native herbivores underpinned mammal declines. Beyond the path analysis, data from other studies completed both inside Booderee National Park and outside (where intensive fox baiting does not occur yet depleted fauna species remain), allowed us to rule out several drivers of change. The temporal declines we documented for arboreal marsupials were not anticipated nor explained by any clear mechanism. We propose the use of experimentally-guided reintroductions and translocations to: (1) restore empty niches such as the currently vacant apex mammal predator niche, (2) reconstruct the now depleted arboreal marsupial guild, and (3) further test key hypotheses associated with mammal decline. We also suggest that given the potential for perverse outcomes following large-scale management interventions (even those where there is high confidence of success), wildlife managers should consider maintaining reference areas (where there is no management intervention). Finally, as the declines we documented were unexpected and rapid, there is a clear need to develop more sensitive early warning signals to alert conservation managers to impending problems, allowing them to alter management regimes before major declines occur. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton is provided in this record**
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Wood, Jeff , MacGregor, Christopher , Foster, Claire , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biological Conservation Vol. 221, no. (2018), p. 279-292
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The conventional approach to conserving threatened biota is to identify drivers of decline, instigate actions to mitigate threatening processes, and monitor interventions to test their effectiveness and ensure target species recover. In Australia, predation by introduced predators is a threatening process for many native mammals. Here we report the results of a 15 year monitoring study in an iconic Australian reserve, Booderee National Park, where exotic Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations have been controlled through an intensive poison baiting program since 2003. Unexpectedly, we documented the collapse of native mammal fauna during this period, including fully arboreal species that should be largely unaffected by fox predation – such as the nationally Vulnerable Greater Glider (Petauroides volans) and Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus). We used path analysis to explore potential causes of these unexpected declines. We found no compelling evidence to support hypotheses that competition with increasing native species, native predator release, or increases in native herbivores underpinned mammal declines. Beyond the path analysis, data from other studies completed both inside Booderee National Park and outside (where intensive fox baiting does not occur yet depleted fauna species remain), allowed us to rule out several drivers of change. The temporal declines we documented for arboreal marsupials were not anticipated nor explained by any clear mechanism. We propose the use of experimentally-guided reintroductions and translocations to: (1) restore empty niches such as the currently vacant apex mammal predator niche, (2) reconstruct the now depleted arboreal marsupial guild, and (3) further test key hypotheses associated with mammal decline. We also suggest that given the potential for perverse outcomes following large-scale management interventions (even those where there is high confidence of success), wildlife managers should consider maintaining reference areas (where there is no management intervention). Finally, as the declines we documented were unexpected and rapid, there is a clear need to develop more sensitive early warning signals to alert conservation managers to impending problems, allowing them to alter management regimes before major declines occur. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton is provided in this record**
Long-term bird colonization and turnover in restored woodlands
- Lindenmayer, David, Lane, P., Barton, Philip, Crane, Mason, Ikin, Karen
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Lane, P. , Barton, Philip , Crane, Mason , Ikin, Karen
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biodiversity and Conservation Vol. 25, no. 8 (2016), p. 1587-1603
- Full Text:
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- Description: The long-term effectiveness of restored areas for biodiversity is poorly known for the majority of restored ecosystems worldwide. We quantified temporal changes in bird occurrence in restoration plantings of different ages and geometries, and compared observed patterns with a reference dataset from woodland remnants on the same farms as our plantings. Over time, bird species richness remained unchanged in spring but exhibited modest increases in winter. We found that wider plantings supported significantly greater bird species richness in spring and winter than narrow plantings. There was no evidence of a significant interaction between planting width and time. We recorded major temporal changes in the occurrence of a range of individual species that indicated a clear turnover of species as plantings matured. Our results further revealed marked differences in individual species occurrence between plantings and woodland remnants. Life-history attributes associated with temporal changes in the bird assemblage were most apparent in winter survey data, and included diet, foraging and nesting patterns, movement behaviour (e.g. migratory vs. dispersive), and body size. Differences in bird assemblages between plantings of different ages suggest that it is important that farms support a range of age classes of planted woodland, if the aim is to maximize the number of native bird species in restored areas. Our data also suggest that changes in the bird species occupying plantings of different ages can be anticipated in a broadly predictable way based on planting geometry (especially width) and key life-history attributes, particularly movement patterns and habitat and diet specialisation. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Lane, P. , Barton, Philip , Crane, Mason , Ikin, Karen
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biodiversity and Conservation Vol. 25, no. 8 (2016), p. 1587-1603
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The long-term effectiveness of restored areas for biodiversity is poorly known for the majority of restored ecosystems worldwide. We quantified temporal changes in bird occurrence in restoration plantings of different ages and geometries, and compared observed patterns with a reference dataset from woodland remnants on the same farms as our plantings. Over time, bird species richness remained unchanged in spring but exhibited modest increases in winter. We found that wider plantings supported significantly greater bird species richness in spring and winter than narrow plantings. There was no evidence of a significant interaction between planting width and time. We recorded major temporal changes in the occurrence of a range of individual species that indicated a clear turnover of species as plantings matured. Our results further revealed marked differences in individual species occurrence between plantings and woodland remnants. Life-history attributes associated with temporal changes in the bird assemblage were most apparent in winter survey data, and included diet, foraging and nesting patterns, movement behaviour (e.g. migratory vs. dispersive), and body size. Differences in bird assemblages between plantings of different ages suggest that it is important that farms support a range of age classes of planted woodland, if the aim is to maximize the number of native bird species in restored areas. Our data also suggest that changes in the bird species occupying plantings of different ages can be anticipated in a broadly predictable way based on planting geometry (especially width) and key life-history attributes, particularly movement patterns and habitat and diet specialisation. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
Wildlife conservation in farm landscapes
- Lindenmayer, David, Michael, Damian, Crane, Mason, Okayda, Sachiko, Florance, Daniel, Barton, Philip, Ikin, Karen
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Michael, Damian , Crane, Mason , Okayda, Sachiko , Florance, Daniel , Barton, Philip , Ikin, Karen
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Book
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: An increasing number of Australians want to be assured that the food and fibre being produced on this continent have been grown and harvested in an ecologically sustainable way. Ecologically sustainable farming conserves the array of species that are integral to key ecological processes such as pollination, seed dispersal, natural pest control and the decomposition of waste. Wildlife Conservation in Farm Landscapes communicates new scientific information about best practice ways to integrate conservation and agriculture in the temperate eucalypt woodland belt of eastern Australia. It is based on the large body of scientific literature in this field, as well as long-term studies at 790 permanent sites on over 290 farms extending throughout Victoria, New South Wales and south-east Queensland. Richly illustrated, with chapters on birds, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and plants, this book illustrates how management interventions can promote nature conservation and what practices have the greatest benefit for biodiversity. Together the new insights in this book inform whole-of-farm planning. Wildlife Conservation in Farm Landscapes is an ideal resource for land managers and farmers interested in integrating farming and environmental values and anyone interested in biodiversity in woodlands and agricultural zones. Recipient of a 2017 Whitley Awards Certificate of Commendation for Conservation in Action
Do temporal changes in vegetation structure additional to time since fire predict changes in bird occurrence?
- Lindenmayer, David, Candy, Steven, MacGregor, Christopher, Banks, Sam, Barton, Philip
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Candy, Steven , MacGregor, Christopher , Banks, Sam , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Applications Vol. 26, no. 7 (2016), p. 2267-2279
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Fire is a major ecological process in ecosystems globally. Its impacts on fauna can be both direct (e.g., mortality) and indirect (e.g., altered habitat), resulting in population recovery being driven by several possible mechanisms. Separating direct from indirect impacts of fire on faunal population recovery can be valuable in guiding management of biodiversity in fire-prone environments. However, resolving the influence of direct and indirect processes remains a key challenge because many processes affecting fauna can change concomitantly with time since fire. We explore the mechanisms influencing bird response to fire by posing the question, can temporal changes in vegetation structure predict changes in bird occurrence on sites, and can these be separated from other temporal changes using the surrogate of time since fire? We conducted a 12-yr study of bird and vegetation responses to fire at 124 sites across six vegetation classes in Booderee National Park, Australia. Approximately half of these sites, established in 2002, were burned by a large (>3000 ha) wildfire in 2003. To disentangle collinear effects of temporal changes in vegetation and direct demographic effects on population recovery that are subsumed by time since fire, we incorporated both longitudinal and cross-sectional vegetation effects in addition to time since fire within logistic structural equation models. We identified temporal changes in vegetation structure and richness of plant and bird species that characterized burned and unburned sites in all vegetation classes. For nine bird species, a significant component of the year trend was driven by temporal trends in one of three vegetation variables (number of understory or midstory plant species, or midstory cover). By contrast, we could not separate temporal effects between time since fire and vegetation attributes for bird species richness, reporting rate, and the occurrence of 11 other bird species. Our findings help identify species for which indirect effects of vegetation dominate recovery and thus may benefit from vegetation management where conservation actions are required and, conversely, those species for which direct effects of time since fire drive recovery, where simply leaving a system to recover following the last disturbance will be sufficient. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Candy, Steven , MacGregor, Christopher , Banks, Sam , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Applications Vol. 26, no. 7 (2016), p. 2267-2279
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Fire is a major ecological process in ecosystems globally. Its impacts on fauna can be both direct (e.g., mortality) and indirect (e.g., altered habitat), resulting in population recovery being driven by several possible mechanisms. Separating direct from indirect impacts of fire on faunal population recovery can be valuable in guiding management of biodiversity in fire-prone environments. However, resolving the influence of direct and indirect processes remains a key challenge because many processes affecting fauna can change concomitantly with time since fire. We explore the mechanisms influencing bird response to fire by posing the question, can temporal changes in vegetation structure predict changes in bird occurrence on sites, and can these be separated from other temporal changes using the surrogate of time since fire? We conducted a 12-yr study of bird and vegetation responses to fire at 124 sites across six vegetation classes in Booderee National Park, Australia. Approximately half of these sites, established in 2002, were burned by a large (>3000 ha) wildfire in 2003. To disentangle collinear effects of temporal changes in vegetation and direct demographic effects on population recovery that are subsumed by time since fire, we incorporated both longitudinal and cross-sectional vegetation effects in addition to time since fire within logistic structural equation models. We identified temporal changes in vegetation structure and richness of plant and bird species that characterized burned and unburned sites in all vegetation classes. For nine bird species, a significant component of the year trend was driven by temporal trends in one of three vegetation variables (number of understory or midstory plant species, or midstory cover). By contrast, we could not separate temporal effects between time since fire and vegetation attributes for bird species richness, reporting rate, and the occurrence of 11 other bird species. Our findings help identify species for which indirect effects of vegetation dominate recovery and thus may benefit from vegetation management where conservation actions are required and, conversely, those species for which direct effects of time since fire drive recovery, where simply leaving a system to recover following the last disturbance will be sufficient. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.
Temporal trends in mammal responses to fire reveals the complex effects of fire regime attributes
- Lindenmayer, David, Blanchard, Wade, MacGregor, Christopher, Barton, Philip, Banks, Sam
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Blanchard, Wade , MacGregor, Christopher , Barton, Philip , Banks, Sam
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Applications Vol. 26, no. 2 (2016), p. 557-573
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Fire is a major ecological process in many ecosystems worldwide. We sought to identify which attributes of fire regimes affect temporal change in the presence and abundance of Australian native mammals. Our detailed study was underpinned by time series data on 11 mammal species at 97 long-term sites in southeastern Australia between 2003 and 2013. We explored how temporal aspects of fire regimes influenced the presence and conditional abundance of species. The key fire regime components examined were: (1) severity of a major fire in 2003, (2) interval between the last major fire (2003) and the fire prior to that, and (3) number of past fires. Our long-term data set enabled quantification of the interactions between survey year and each fire regime variable: an ecological relationship missing from temporally restricted studies. We found no evidence of any appreciable departures from the assumption of independence of the sites. Multiple aspects of fire regimes influenced temporal variation in the presence and abundance of mammals. The best models indicated that six of the 11 species responded to two or more fire regime variables, with two species influenced by all three fire regime attributes. Almost all species responded to time since fire, either as an interaction with survey year or as a main effect. Fire severity or its interaction with survey year was important for most terrestrial rodents. The number of fires at a site was significant for terrestrial rodents and several other species. Our findings contain evidence of the effects on native mammals of heterogeneity in fire regimes. Temporal response patterns of mammal species were influenced by multiple fire regime attributes, often in conjunction with survey year. This underscores the critical importance of long-term studies of biota that are coupled with data sets characterized by carefully documented fire history, severity, and frequency. Long-term studies are essential to predict animal responses to fires and guide management of when and where (prescribed) fire or, conversely, long-unburned vegetation is needed. The complexity of observed responses highlights the need for large reserves in which patterns of heterogeneity in fire regimes can be sustained in space and over time. © 2015 by the Ecological Society of America. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Blanchard, Wade , MacGregor, Christopher , Barton, Philip , Banks, Sam
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Applications Vol. 26, no. 2 (2016), p. 557-573
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Fire is a major ecological process in many ecosystems worldwide. We sought to identify which attributes of fire regimes affect temporal change in the presence and abundance of Australian native mammals. Our detailed study was underpinned by time series data on 11 mammal species at 97 long-term sites in southeastern Australia between 2003 and 2013. We explored how temporal aspects of fire regimes influenced the presence and conditional abundance of species. The key fire regime components examined were: (1) severity of a major fire in 2003, (2) interval between the last major fire (2003) and the fire prior to that, and (3) number of past fires. Our long-term data set enabled quantification of the interactions between survey year and each fire regime variable: an ecological relationship missing from temporally restricted studies. We found no evidence of any appreciable departures from the assumption of independence of the sites. Multiple aspects of fire regimes influenced temporal variation in the presence and abundance of mammals. The best models indicated that six of the 11 species responded to two or more fire regime variables, with two species influenced by all three fire regime attributes. Almost all species responded to time since fire, either as an interaction with survey year or as a main effect. Fire severity or its interaction with survey year was important for most terrestrial rodents. The number of fires at a site was significant for terrestrial rodents and several other species. Our findings contain evidence of the effects on native mammals of heterogeneity in fire regimes. Temporal response patterns of mammal species were influenced by multiple fire regime attributes, often in conjunction with survey year. This underscores the critical importance of long-term studies of biota that are coupled with data sets characterized by carefully documented fire history, severity, and frequency. Long-term studies are essential to predict animal responses to fires and guide management of when and where (prescribed) fire or, conversely, long-unburned vegetation is needed. The complexity of observed responses highlights the need for large reserves in which patterns of heterogeneity in fire regimes can be sustained in space and over time. © 2015 by the Ecological Society of America. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
Novel bird responses to successive, large-scale, landscape transformations
- Lindenmayer, David, Blanchard, Wade, Westgate, Martin, Foster, Claire, Barton, Philip
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Blanchard, Wade , Westgate, Martin , Foster, Claire , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Monographs Vol. 89, no. 3 (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Transformation of intact vegetation into new kinds and configurations of human-modified habitats is a well-established driver of biodiversity loss. Following initial conversion, many human-dominated landscapes are then subject to further large-scale changes in land use. The impacts on biodiversity of repeated changes in land use remain poorly known, particularly how changes in the matrix interact with initial patterns of vegetation clearing. We used an 18-yr study of birds in remnant patches of endangered temperate woodland in south-eastern Australia to quantify the spatial and temporal effects of successive land use transformation in the surrounding landscape. We examined bird response to (1) initial patterns of landscape modification (creating semi-cleared grazing land dominated by pastures that surrounded remnant woodland patches), (2) subsequent establishment and maturation of exotic tree plantations on the pastures surrounding woodland patches, and (3) additive and interactive effects of both types of landscape transformation. The majority of the 57 bird species modeled responded to conversion of grazing land to exotic plantations, either independently from initial patterns of landscape transformation (20 species), or interactively (18 species) or additively (15 species) with initial landscape transformation. The occurrence of only one species (the Common Bronzewing) was related to patterns of initial transformation but not subsequent transformation due to plantation establishment. Thus, despite many characteristics of the woodland patches within the plantation remaining largely unaltered throughout our 18-yr investigation, the matrix had a profound effect on the kinds of species inhabiting them, with such impacts often magnified over time as the matrix continued to change. Plantation establishment triggered new regional-level spatial processes with effects on birds detected in woodland patches up to 2 km away from the plantation. Matrix conversion selected for species with different traits (size, diet and movement patterns) compared to the initial transformation, suggesting it is acting as a different filter on the bird community. New kinds of landscape transformation (such as plantation establishment on previously cleared land) can radically affect the species that have persisted for many decades in previously modified landscapes. This highlights the challenges, but also opportunities, for conserving taxa in ever changing human-dominated environments. © 2019 by the Ecological Society of America. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Lindenmayer, David , Blanchard, Wade , Westgate, Martin , Foster, Claire , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Monographs Vol. 89, no. 3 (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Transformation of intact vegetation into new kinds and configurations of human-modified habitats is a well-established driver of biodiversity loss. Following initial conversion, many human-dominated landscapes are then subject to further large-scale changes in land use. The impacts on biodiversity of repeated changes in land use remain poorly known, particularly how changes in the matrix interact with initial patterns of vegetation clearing. We used an 18-yr study of birds in remnant patches of endangered temperate woodland in south-eastern Australia to quantify the spatial and temporal effects of successive land use transformation in the surrounding landscape. We examined bird response to (1) initial patterns of landscape modification (creating semi-cleared grazing land dominated by pastures that surrounded remnant woodland patches), (2) subsequent establishment and maturation of exotic tree plantations on the pastures surrounding woodland patches, and (3) additive and interactive effects of both types of landscape transformation. The majority of the 57 bird species modeled responded to conversion of grazing land to exotic plantations, either independently from initial patterns of landscape transformation (20 species), or interactively (18 species) or additively (15 species) with initial landscape transformation. The occurrence of only one species (the Common Bronzewing) was related to patterns of initial transformation but not subsequent transformation due to plantation establishment. Thus, despite many characteristics of the woodland patches within the plantation remaining largely unaltered throughout our 18-yr investigation, the matrix had a profound effect on the kinds of species inhabiting them, with such impacts often magnified over time as the matrix continued to change. Plantation establishment triggered new regional-level spatial processes with effects on birds detected in woodland patches up to 2 km away from the plantation. Matrix conversion selected for species with different traits (size, diet and movement patterns) compared to the initial transformation, suggesting it is acting as a different filter on the bird community. New kinds of landscape transformation (such as plantation establishment on previously cleared land) can radically affect the species that have persisted for many decades in previously modified landscapes. This highlights the challenges, but also opportunities, for conserving taxa in ever changing human-dominated environments. © 2019 by the Ecological Society of America. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
- Neilan, Wendy, Barton, Philip, McAlpine, Clive, Wood, Jeffrey, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Neilan, Wendy , Barton, Philip , McAlpine, Clive , Wood, Jeffrey , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecography Vol. 42, no. 1 (2019), p. 173-186
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Habitat loss and fragmentation are key processes causing biodiversity loss in human-modified landscapes. Knowledge of these processes has largely been derived from measuring biodiversity at the scale of ‘within-habitat’ fragments with the surrounding landscape considered as matrix. Yet, the loss of variation in species assemblages ‘among’ habitat fragments (landscape-scale) may be as important a driver of biodiversity loss as the loss of diversity ‘within’ habitat fragments (local-scale). We tested the hypothesis that heterogeneity in vegetation cover is important for maintaining alpha and beta diversity in human-modified landscapes. We surveyed bird assemblages in eighty 300-m-long transects nested within twenty 1-km 2 vegetation ‘mosaics’, with mosaics assigned to four categories defined by the cover extent and configuration of native eucalypt forest and exotic pine plantation. We examined bird assemblages at two spatial scales: 1) within and among transects, and 2) within and among mosaics. Alpha diversity was the mean species diversity within-transects or within-mosaics and beta diversity quantified the effective number of compositionally distinct transects or mosaics. We found that within-transect alpha diversity was highest in vegetation mosaics defined by continuous eucalypt forest, lowest in mosaics of continuous pine plantation, and at intermediate levels in mosaics containing eucalypt patches in a pine matrix. We found that eucalypt mosaics had lower beta diversity than other mosaic types when ignoring relative abundances, but had similar or higher beta diversity when weighting with species abundances. Mosaics containing both pine and eucalypt forest differed in their bird compositional variation among transects, despite sharing a similar suite of species. This configuration effect at the mosaic scale reflected differences in vegetation composition among transects. Maintaining heterogeneity in vegetation cover could help to maintain variation among bird assemblages across landscapes, thus partially offsetting local-scale diversity losses due to fragmentation. Critical to this is the retention of remnant native vegetation. © 2018 The Authors
Monitoring the dead as an ecosystem indicator
- Newsome, Thomas, Barton, Brandon, Buck, Julia, DeBruyn, Jennifer, Barton, Philip
- Authors: Newsome, Thomas , Barton, Brandon , Buck, Julia , DeBruyn, Jennifer , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecology and Evolution Vol. 11, no. 11 (2021), p. 5844-5856
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Dead animal biomass (carrion) is present in all terrestrial ecosystems, and its consumption, decomposition, and dispersal can have measurable effects on vertebrates, invertebrates, microbes, parasites, plants, and soil. But despite the number of studies examining the influence of carrion on food webs, there has been no attempt to identify how general ecological processes around carrion might be used as an ecosystem indicator. We suggest that knowledge of scavenging and decomposition rates, scavenger diversity, abundance, and behavior around carrion, along with assessments of vegetation, soil, microbe, and parasite presence, can be used individually or in combination to understand food web dynamics. Monitoring carrion could also assist comparisons of ecosystem processes among terrestrial landscapes and biomes. Although there is outstanding research needed to fully integrate carrion ecology and monitoring into ecosystem management, we see great potential in using carrion as an ecosystem indicator of an intact and functional food web. © 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton" is provided in this record**
- Authors: Newsome, Thomas , Barton, Brandon , Buck, Julia , DeBruyn, Jennifer , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecology and Evolution Vol. 11, no. 11 (2021), p. 5844-5856
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Dead animal biomass (carrion) is present in all terrestrial ecosystems, and its consumption, decomposition, and dispersal can have measurable effects on vertebrates, invertebrates, microbes, parasites, plants, and soil. But despite the number of studies examining the influence of carrion on food webs, there has been no attempt to identify how general ecological processes around carrion might be used as an ecosystem indicator. We suggest that knowledge of scavenging and decomposition rates, scavenger diversity, abundance, and behavior around carrion, along with assessments of vegetation, soil, microbe, and parasite presence, can be used individually or in combination to understand food web dynamics. Monitoring carrion could also assist comparisons of ecosystem processes among terrestrial landscapes and biomes. Although there is outstanding research needed to fully integrate carrion ecology and monitoring into ecosystem management, we see great potential in using carrion as an ecosystem indicator of an intact and functional food web. © 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton" is provided in this record**
Disentangling the effects of farmland use, habitat edges, and vegetation structure on ground beetle morphological traits
- Ng, Katherina, Barton, Philip, Blanchard, Wade, Evans, Maldwyn, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , Barton, Philip , Blanchard, Wade , Evans, Maldwyn , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Oecologia Vol. 188, no. 3 (2018), p. 645-657
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Land-use change due to agriculture has a major influence on arthropod biodiversity, and may influence species differently depending on their traits. It is unclear how species traits vary across different land uses and their edges, with most studies focussing on single habitat types and overlooking edge effects. We examined variation in morphological traits of carabid beetles (Coleoptera:Carabidae) on both sides of edges between woodlands and four adjoining, but contrasting farmland uses in an agricultural landscape. We asked: (1) how do traits differ between woodlands and different adjoining farmland uses (crop, fallow, restoration planting, and woody debris applied over crop), and do effects depend on increasing distances from the farmland–woodland edge? (2) Does vegetation structure explain observed effects of adjoining farmland use and edge effects on these traits? We found that carabid communities varied in body size and shape, including traits associated with diet, robustness, and visual ability. Smaller sized species were associated with woodlands and larger sized species with farmlands. Farmland use further influenced these associations, where woodlands adjoining plantings supported smaller species, while fallows and crops supported larger species. Vegetation structure significantly influenced body size, flying ability, and body shape, and helped explain the effects of farmland use and distance from edges on body size. We highlight the important role of vegetation structure, farmland use, and edge effects in filtering the morphological traits of carabid assemblages across a highly modified agricultural landscape. Our findings suggest that farmland management can influence body size and dispersal-related traits in farmland and adjacent native vegetation. © 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , Barton, Philip , Blanchard, Wade , Evans, Maldwyn , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Oecologia Vol. 188, no. 3 (2018), p. 645-657
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Land-use change due to agriculture has a major influence on arthropod biodiversity, and may influence species differently depending on their traits. It is unclear how species traits vary across different land uses and their edges, with most studies focussing on single habitat types and overlooking edge effects. We examined variation in morphological traits of carabid beetles (Coleoptera:Carabidae) on both sides of edges between woodlands and four adjoining, but contrasting farmland uses in an agricultural landscape. We asked: (1) how do traits differ between woodlands and different adjoining farmland uses (crop, fallow, restoration planting, and woody debris applied over crop), and do effects depend on increasing distances from the farmland–woodland edge? (2) Does vegetation structure explain observed effects of adjoining farmland use and edge effects on these traits? We found that carabid communities varied in body size and shape, including traits associated with diet, robustness, and visual ability. Smaller sized species were associated with woodlands and larger sized species with farmlands. Farmland use further influenced these associations, where woodlands adjoining plantings supported smaller species, while fallows and crops supported larger species. Vegetation structure significantly influenced body size, flying ability, and body shape, and helped explain the effects of farmland use and distance from edges on body size. We highlight the important role of vegetation structure, farmland use, and edge effects in filtering the morphological traits of carabid assemblages across a highly modified agricultural landscape. Our findings suggest that farmland management can influence body size and dispersal-related traits in farmland and adjacent native vegetation. © 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record**
Dynamic effects of ground-layer plant communities on beetles in a fragmented farming landscape
- Ng, Katherina, McIntyre, Sue, Macfadyen, Sarina, Barton, Philip, Driscoll, Don, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , McIntyre, Sue , Macfadyen, Sarina , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, Don , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biodiversity and Conservation Vol. 27, no. 9 (2018), p. 2131-2153
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Vegetation effects on arthropods are well recognized, but it is unclear how different vegetation attributes might influence arthropod assemblages across mixed-agricultural landscapes. Understanding how plant communities influence arthropods under different habitat and seasonal contexts can identify vegetation management options for arthropod biodiversity. We examined relationships between vegetation structure, plant species richness and plant species composition, and the diversity and composition of beetles in different habitats and time periods. We asked: (1) What is the relative importance of plant species richness, vegetation structure and plant composition in explaining beetle species richness, activity-density and composition? (2) How do plant-beetle relationships vary between different habitats over time? We sampled beetles using pitfall traps and surveyed vegetation in three habitats (woodland, farmland, their edges) during peak crop growth in spring and post-harvest in summer. Plant composition better predicted beetle composition than vegetation structure. Both plant richness and vegetation structure significantly and positively affected beetle activity-density. The influence of all vegetation attributes often varied in strength and direction between habitats and seasons for all trophic groups. The variable nature of plant-beetle relationships suggests that vegetation management could be targeted at specific habitats and time periods to maximize positive outcomes for beetle diversity. In particular, management that promotes plant richness at edges, and promotes herbaceous cover during summer, can support beetle diversity. Conserving ground cover in all habitats may improve activity-density of all beetle trophic groups. The impacts of existing weed control strategies in Australian crop margins on arthropod biodiversity require further study. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature.
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , McIntyre, Sue , Macfadyen, Sarina , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, Don , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biodiversity and Conservation Vol. 27, no. 9 (2018), p. 2131-2153
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Vegetation effects on arthropods are well recognized, but it is unclear how different vegetation attributes might influence arthropod assemblages across mixed-agricultural landscapes. Understanding how plant communities influence arthropods under different habitat and seasonal contexts can identify vegetation management options for arthropod biodiversity. We examined relationships between vegetation structure, plant species richness and plant species composition, and the diversity and composition of beetles in different habitats and time periods. We asked: (1) What is the relative importance of plant species richness, vegetation structure and plant composition in explaining beetle species richness, activity-density and composition? (2) How do plant-beetle relationships vary between different habitats over time? We sampled beetles using pitfall traps and surveyed vegetation in three habitats (woodland, farmland, their edges) during peak crop growth in spring and post-harvest in summer. Plant composition better predicted beetle composition than vegetation structure. Both plant richness and vegetation structure significantly and positively affected beetle activity-density. The influence of all vegetation attributes often varied in strength and direction between habitats and seasons for all trophic groups. The variable nature of plant-beetle relationships suggests that vegetation management could be targeted at specific habitats and time periods to maximize positive outcomes for beetle diversity. In particular, management that promotes plant richness at edges, and promotes herbaceous cover during summer, can support beetle diversity. Conserving ground cover in all habitats may improve activity-density of all beetle trophic groups. The impacts of existing weed control strategies in Australian crop margins on arthropod biodiversity require further study. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature.
Contrasting beetle assemblage responses to cultivated farmlands and native woodlands in a dynamic agricultural landscape
- Ng, Katherina, Driscoll, Don, MacFadyen, Sarina, Barton, Philip, McIntyre, Sue, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , Driscoll, Don , MacFadyen, Sarina , Barton, Philip , McIntyre, Sue , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 8, no. 12 (2017), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: There is an urgent need to identify ways of managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation without reducing food production. Farming practices that consider spatiooral heterogeneity of farm fields may be a feasible alternative to large-scale revegetation of farmlands for maintaining arthropod biodiversity and their important ecological function. We examined seasonal differences in beetle assemblages in woodland remnants and four adjoining farmland uses in a highly modified agricultural landscape in southeastern Australia. The farmland uses were crops, fallows, and two restoration treatments (fine woody debris applied over harvested crop fields, and restoration plantings). Unexpectedly, overall species richness was significantly lower in remnants than in adjacent farmlands. Remnants and farmlands supported significantly different assemblages, with a third of species found in both habitats. Abundance responses were taxon-specific and influenced by interactions between land use and season. In particular, predator abundance was significantly higher in plantings and fallows during spring compared to summer. Detritivore abundance was significantly higher in the woody debris compared to the adjacent remnants. Herbivore abundance did not differ between remnants and farmlands over time. Complex responses provide strong support for a mosaic of land uses to effectively conserve different beetle groups. Species richness results suggest that further agricultural intensification, in farm fields and through the removal of remnant vegetation, risks reducing beetle diversity in this region. Maintaining farmland heterogeneity with a mix of low-intensity land uses, such as conservation tillage, crop-fallow rotation, restoration plantings, and the novel application of fine woody debris over cultivated fields, may provide seasonal refuge and resources for beetles. © 2017 Ng et al.
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , Driscoll, Don , MacFadyen, Sarina , Barton, Philip , McIntyre, Sue , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 8, no. 12 (2017), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: There is an urgent need to identify ways of managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation without reducing food production. Farming practices that consider spatiooral heterogeneity of farm fields may be a feasible alternative to large-scale revegetation of farmlands for maintaining arthropod biodiversity and their important ecological function. We examined seasonal differences in beetle assemblages in woodland remnants and four adjoining farmland uses in a highly modified agricultural landscape in southeastern Australia. The farmland uses were crops, fallows, and two restoration treatments (fine woody debris applied over harvested crop fields, and restoration plantings). Unexpectedly, overall species richness was significantly lower in remnants than in adjacent farmlands. Remnants and farmlands supported significantly different assemblages, with a third of species found in both habitats. Abundance responses were taxon-specific and influenced by interactions between land use and season. In particular, predator abundance was significantly higher in plantings and fallows during spring compared to summer. Detritivore abundance was significantly higher in the woody debris compared to the adjacent remnants. Herbivore abundance did not differ between remnants and farmlands over time. Complex responses provide strong support for a mosaic of land uses to effectively conserve different beetle groups. Species richness results suggest that further agricultural intensification, in farm fields and through the removal of remnant vegetation, risks reducing beetle diversity in this region. Maintaining farmland heterogeneity with a mix of low-intensity land uses, such as conservation tillage, crop-fallow rotation, restoration plantings, and the novel application of fine woody debris over cultivated fields, may provide seasonal refuge and resources for beetles. © 2017 Ng et al.
- Ng, Katherine, Barton, Philip, Macfadyen, Sarina, Lindenmayer, David, Driscoll, Don
- Authors: Ng, Katherine , Barton, Philip , Macfadyen, Sarina , Lindenmayer, David , Driscoll, Don
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Landscape Ecology Vol. 33, no. 1 (2018), p. 109-125
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Context: Farming practices influence the degree of contrast between adjoining habitats, with consequences for biodiversity and species movement. Little is known, however, on insect community responses to different kinds of edges over time, and the extent of cross-habitat movement in agricultural landscapes. Objective: To determine temporal changes in beetle responses to different farmland-woodland edges, and document cross-habitat movement. Methods: We examined species richness, abundance, and movement across edges between remnant woodlands and four farmland uses (plantings, fallow, annual crops, woody debris applied over crops post-harvest) in southeastern Australia. We used directional pitfall traps to infer movement, and sampled at edges, and 20 and 200 m on both sides of edges, during spring and summer. Results: Detritivore and predator abundance varied between seasons across the edge between woodlands and all farmlands, but seasonal differences were weaker for fallow-woodland and woody debris-woodland edges. Detritivores moved from farmlands towards woodlands, but not across fallow-woodlands and woody debris-woodlands edges during summer. During summer, predators showed short-range movement towards edges from all farmlands except plantings, and towards woody debris from woodlands. Edges showed temporally stable predator richness and higher herbivore richness than adjoining habitats. Conclusions: Farmland use and season interactively affect beetle abundance across farmland-woodland edges. Woody debris can reduce seasonal fluctuations in beetle edge responses and increase permeability for cross-habitat movement, while plantings provide habitat during summer. Edges provide important resources for beetles in adjoining habitats, however, seasonal movement of predators specifically into edges may affect prey assemblages—a link requiring further study. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Ant community responses to farmland use and revegetation in a fragmented agricultural landscape
- Ng, Katherine, Nowrouzi, Somayeh, Staunton, Kyran, Barton, Philip, Driscoll, Don
- Authors: Ng, Katherine , Nowrouzi, Somayeh , Staunton, Kyran , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, Don
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment Vol. 311, no. (May 2021), p. 8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Recent alarming losses of insects from agricultural landscapes in multiple countries around the world have brought into sharp focus the urgent need to identify ways to manage these landscapes to avoid further biodiversity decline. Identifying the drivers of insect declines, such as land use change, is critical to this effort. We examined ant communities at the interface between remnant vegetation patches and three adjoining farmland types (wheat crop, rested from cropping and restoration plantings) in a fragmented landscape in temperate Australia. We asked: do ant communities and occurrence of individual species differ between remnant patches and farmlands with more intensive farmland use (restoration plantings < rested farmlands < wheat crop)? We recorded 13,283 ants belonging to 102 species from 30 genera. Excluding 21 singletons, 27 species only occurred in remnant patches compared to ten species found only in farmlands. Ant community composition in wheat crop and rested farmlands significantly differed from their adjacent remnant patches and were more homogeneous. In contrast, ant communities from restoration plantings in farmland were not significantly different in composition from those in the adjacent remnant patch. The large, aggressive Australian meat ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus) showed significantly higher occurrence in the remnant patch than all farmland types, and we suggest that the absence of this strongly interacting species from farmlands may have contributed to biotic homogenisation. Our findings show that native vegetation provides crucial habitat resources for many ant species that are not provided by farmlands, and native plantings can, in some cases, ameliorate negative effects of farmland clearing over relatively short time scales (<7 years). Agricultural intensification that involves loss of remnant native vegetation or reduced revegetation will contribute to ongoing losses and changes to ant biodiversity in farming landscapes. However, replanting native vegetation can lead to rapid restoration, signifying a possible simple remedy to insect declines.
- Authors: Ng, Katherine , Nowrouzi, Somayeh , Staunton, Kyran , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, Don
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment Vol. 311, no. (May 2021), p. 8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Recent alarming losses of insects from agricultural landscapes in multiple countries around the world have brought into sharp focus the urgent need to identify ways to manage these landscapes to avoid further biodiversity decline. Identifying the drivers of insect declines, such as land use change, is critical to this effort. We examined ant communities at the interface between remnant vegetation patches and three adjoining farmland types (wheat crop, rested from cropping and restoration plantings) in a fragmented landscape in temperate Australia. We asked: do ant communities and occurrence of individual species differ between remnant patches and farmlands with more intensive farmland use (restoration plantings < rested farmlands < wheat crop)? We recorded 13,283 ants belonging to 102 species from 30 genera. Excluding 21 singletons, 27 species only occurred in remnant patches compared to ten species found only in farmlands. Ant community composition in wheat crop and rested farmlands significantly differed from their adjacent remnant patches and were more homogeneous. In contrast, ant communities from restoration plantings in farmland were not significantly different in composition from those in the adjacent remnant patch. The large, aggressive Australian meat ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus) showed significantly higher occurrence in the remnant patch than all farmland types, and we suggest that the absence of this strongly interacting species from farmlands may have contributed to biotic homogenisation. Our findings show that native vegetation provides crucial habitat resources for many ant species that are not provided by farmlands, and native plantings can, in some cases, ameliorate negative effects of farmland clearing over relatively short time scales (<7 years). Agricultural intensification that involves loss of remnant native vegetation or reduced revegetation will contribute to ongoing losses and changes to ant biodiversity in farming landscapes. However, replanting native vegetation can lead to rapid restoration, signifying a possible simple remedy to insect declines.
Evaluating the effectiveness of overstory cover as a surrogate for bird community diversity and population trends
- Pierson, Jennifer, Mortelliti, Alessio, Barton, Philip, Lane, Peter, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Pierson, Jennifer , Mortelliti, Alessio , Barton, Philip , Lane, Peter , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Indicators Vol. 61, no. (2016), p. 790-798
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Landscape features are often used as surrogates for biodiversity. While landscape features may perform well as surrogates for coarse metrics of biodiversity such as species richness, their value for monitoring population trends in individual species is virtually unexplored. We compared the performance of a proposed habitat surrogate for birds, percentage cover of vegetation overstory, for two distinct aspects of bird assemblages: community diversity (i.e. species richness) and population trends. We used four different long-term studies of open woodland habitats to test the consistency of the relationship between overstory percentage cover and bird species richness across a large spatial extent (>1000 km) in Australia. We then identified twelve bird species with long-term time-series data to test the relationship between change in overstory cover and populations trends. We found percentage cover performed consistently as a surrogate for species richness in three of the four sites. However, there was no clear pattern in the performance of change in percentage cover as a surrogate for population trends. Four bird species exhibited a significant relationship with change in percentage overstory cover in one study, but this was not found across multiple studies. These results demonstrate a lack of consistency in the relationship between change in overstory cover and population trends among bird species, both within and between geographic regions. Our study demonstrates that biodiversity surrogates representing community-level metrics may be consistent across regions, but provide only limited information about individual species population trends. Understanding the limitations of the information provided by a biodiversity surrogate can inform the appropriate context for its application. Crown Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Pierson, Jennifer , Mortelliti, Alessio , Barton, Philip , Lane, Peter , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Indicators Vol. 61, no. (2016), p. 790-798
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Landscape features are often used as surrogates for biodiversity. While landscape features may perform well as surrogates for coarse metrics of biodiversity such as species richness, their value for monitoring population trends in individual species is virtually unexplored. We compared the performance of a proposed habitat surrogate for birds, percentage cover of vegetation overstory, for two distinct aspects of bird assemblages: community diversity (i.e. species richness) and population trends. We used four different long-term studies of open woodland habitats to test the consistency of the relationship between overstory percentage cover and bird species richness across a large spatial extent (>1000 km) in Australia. We then identified twelve bird species with long-term time-series data to test the relationship between change in overstory cover and populations trends. We found percentage cover performed consistently as a surrogate for species richness in three of the four sites. However, there was no clear pattern in the performance of change in percentage cover as a surrogate for population trends. Four bird species exhibited a significant relationship with change in percentage overstory cover in one study, but this was not found across multiple studies. These results demonstrate a lack of consistency in the relationship between change in overstory cover and population trends among bird species, both within and between geographic regions. Our study demonstrates that biodiversity surrogates representing community-level metrics may be consistent across regions, but provide only limited information about individual species population trends. Understanding the limitations of the information provided by a biodiversity surrogate can inform the appropriate context for its application. Crown Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Reptiles and frogs use most land cover types as habitat in a fine-grained agricultural landscape
- Pulsford, Stephanie, Barton, Philip, Driscoll, Don, Kay, Geoffrey, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Pulsford, Stephanie , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, Don , Kay, Geoffrey , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Austral Ecology Vol. 43, no. 5 (2018), p. 502-513
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Agricultural landscapes comprise much of the earth's terrestrial surface. However, knowledge about how animals use and move through these landscapes is limited, especially for small and cryptic taxa, such as reptiles and amphibians. We aimed to understand the influence of land use on reptile and frog movement in a fine-grained grazing landscape. We surveyed reptiles and frogs using pitfall and funnel traps in transects located in five land use types: 1) woodland remnants, 2) grazed pastures, 3) coarse woody debris added to grazed pastures, 4) fences in grazed pastures and 5) linear plantings within grazed pastures. We found that the different land cover types influenced the types and distances moved by different species and groups of species. Reptiles moved both within, and out of, grazed paddocks more than they did in woodland remnants. In contrast, frogs exhibited varying movement behaviours. The smooth toadlet (Uperoleia laevigata) moved more often and longer distances within remnants than within paddocks. The spotted marsh frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis) moved out of grazed pastures more than out of pastures with coarse woody debris added or fences and were never recaptured in plantings. We found that most recaptured reptiles and frogs (76.3%) did not move between trapping arrays, which added to evidence that they perceived most of the land cover types as habitat. We suggest that even simple fences may provide conduits for movement in the agricultural landscape for frogs. Otherwise, most reptile and frog species used all land cover types as habitat, though of varying quality. Reptiles appeared to perceive the woodland remnants as the highest quality habitat. This landscape is fine-grained which may facilitate movement and persistence due to high heterogeneity in vegetation cover over short distances. Therefore, intensification and increasing the size of human land use may have negative impacts on these taxa. © 2018 Ecological Society of Australia