Interactive effects of land use, grazing and environment on frogs in an agricultural landscape
- Pulsford, Stephanie, Barton, Philip, Driscoll, Don, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Pulsford, Stephanie , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, Don , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment Vol. 281, no. (2019), p. 25-34
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Improved management of human-modified landscapes must be part of global efforts to combat biodiversity loss. We aimed to identify which land management types and environmental factors influenced the use of grazing landscapes by frogs. We surveyed frog assemblages in remnant vegetation, four different paddock types (pasture, linear planting, coarse woody debris addition and fence), and two grazing regimes (continuous and rotational). Frogs were surveyed using pitfall and funnel traps in twelve grazing farms in south-eastern Australia. We found that grazed agricultural landscapes provide important habitats for a variety of species of frogs and that frog assemblages were influenced by both farm management type and environmental variables, and their interactions. Total frog abundance increased with proximity to water more strongly in remnants compared to paddocks. This difference in response may be due to different traits and behaviours of frogs in remnants compared to frogs in open paddocks. Rare frog species richness and abundance of a common species (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis) increased with taller ground cover in remnants but no such relationship occurred in paddocks. Different types of predation risk in remnants compared to paddocks may result in greater ground cover shelter requirements in remnants, as vegetation structure can strongly influence predation. Total frog species richness increased more rapidly with higher rainfall in continuously grazed versus rotationally grazed farms. Higher rainfall was associated with taller ground cover. Continuously grazed farms had shorter average ground cover than rotationally grazed farms and the increased ground cover height associated with more rain may bring ground cover to a height better able to provide shelter and reduce desiccation risk for frogs. Our study highlights the importance of both land management practices and environmental conditions and their interaction in shaping frog assemblages. Improved frog biodiversity conservation may be achieved in grazing landscapes by retaining patches of remnant vegetation, maintaining water bodies such as farm dams, and maintaining tall ground cover within vegetation remnants. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.
Remnant vegetation, plantings and fences are beneficial for reptiles in agricultural landscapes
- Pulsford, Stephanie, Driscoll, Don, Barton, Philip, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Pulsford, Stephanie , Driscoll, Don , Barton, Philip , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Applied Ecology Vol. 54, no. 6 (2017), p. 1710-1719
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation is increasingly difficult as land use is modified or intensified for production. Finding ways to mitigate the negative effects of agriculture on biodiversity is therefore critical. We asked the question: How do remnant patches, paddock types and grazing regimes influence reptile assemblages in a grazing landscape? At 12 sites, we surveyed reptiles and environmental covariates in remnant woodland patches and in four paddock types: (i) grazed pasture, (ii) linear plantings, (iii) coarse woody debris (CWD) added to grazed pasture and (iv) fences between grazed pasture. Each site was either continuously or rotationally grazed. Remnant vegetation and other vegetation attributes such as tree cover and leaf litter greatly influenced reptiles. We recorded higher reptile abundance and species richness in areas with more tree cover and leaf litter. For rare species (captured in ≤4 sites <70 captures), there were 5·7 more animals and 2·6 more species in sites with 50% woody cover within 3 km compared to 5% woody cover. The abundance and richness of rare species, and one common species differed between paddock types and were higher in linear plantings and fence transects compared to CWD and pasture transects. Synthesis and applications. Grazed paddocks, particularly those with key features such as fences and plantings can provide habitat for reptiles. This suggests that discrete differentiation between patch and matrix does not apply for reptiles in these systems. Management to promote reptile conservation in agricultural landscapes should involve protecting existing remnant vegetation, regardless of amount; and promote key habitat features of trees, leaf litter and shrubs. Establishing plantings and fences is important as they support high numbers of less common reptiles and may facilitate reptiles to move through and use greater amounts of the landscape. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Ecology © 2017 British Ecological Society
- Authors: Pulsford, Stephanie , Driscoll, Don , Barton, Philip , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Applied Ecology Vol. 54, no. 6 (2017), p. 1710-1719
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation is increasingly difficult as land use is modified or intensified for production. Finding ways to mitigate the negative effects of agriculture on biodiversity is therefore critical. We asked the question: How do remnant patches, paddock types and grazing regimes influence reptile assemblages in a grazing landscape? At 12 sites, we surveyed reptiles and environmental covariates in remnant woodland patches and in four paddock types: (i) grazed pasture, (ii) linear plantings, (iii) coarse woody debris (CWD) added to grazed pasture and (iv) fences between grazed pasture. Each site was either continuously or rotationally grazed. Remnant vegetation and other vegetation attributes such as tree cover and leaf litter greatly influenced reptiles. We recorded higher reptile abundance and species richness in areas with more tree cover and leaf litter. For rare species (captured in ≤4 sites <70 captures), there were 5·7 more animals and 2·6 more species in sites with 50% woody cover within 3 km compared to 5% woody cover. The abundance and richness of rare species, and one common species differed between paddock types and were higher in linear plantings and fence transects compared to CWD and pasture transects. Synthesis and applications. Grazed paddocks, particularly those with key features such as fences and plantings can provide habitat for reptiles. This suggests that discrete differentiation between patch and matrix does not apply for reptiles in these systems. Management to promote reptile conservation in agricultural landscapes should involve protecting existing remnant vegetation, regardless of amount; and promote key habitat features of trees, leaf litter and shrubs. Establishing plantings and fences is important as they support high numbers of less common reptiles and may facilitate reptiles to move through and use greater amounts of the landscape. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Ecology © 2017 British Ecological Society
Dynamic soil nutrient and moisture changes under decomposing vertebrate carcasses
- Quaggiotto, Maria, Evans, Maldwyn, Higgins, Andrew, Strong, Craig, Barton, Philip
- Authors: Quaggiotto, Maria , Evans, Maldwyn , Higgins, Andrew , Strong, Craig , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biogeochemistry Vol. 146, no. 1 (2019), p. 71-82
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The decomposition of animal carcasses contributes to nutrient recycling in ecosystems worldwide, including by delivering nutrients to soil. Although several studies have characterised changes in soil chemistry occurring under carcasses, many ecological studies have occurred over extended post-mortem intervals and fine-scale temporal changes in physicochemical conditions are poorly understood. We examined changes in a suite of soil physicochemical properties occurring under decomposing rabbit carcasses during summer in a grassland ecosystem. We found that carcasses lost over 90% of their starting mass and reached dry decay and skeletonization after 20 days of decomposition. Carcass temperatures were up to 15 °C higher than ambient temperatures during the active decay stage (days 3 and 5) of decomposition. Soil moisture also increased by day 4, and this was matched with a simultaneous increase in total nitrogen and ammonium, as well increases in pH and electrical conductivity. Whereas these measures remained relatively stable as decay progressed, we found total phosphorus and phosphate continued to increase to day 20. The contrasting dynamics of N and P reflect the initial nutrient and fluid input during the rapid decay of soft tissues and intense activity of fly larvae, and the subsequent dry decay and exposure of skeletal components. Our study provides new information about the fine-scale timing of nutrient inputs and moisture and temperature changes occurring at the carcass/soil interface. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Seal carrion is a predictable resource for coastal ecosystems
- Quaggiotto, Maria-Martina, Barton, Philip, Morris, Christopher, Moss, Simon, Pomeroy, Patrick
- Authors: Quaggiotto, Maria-Martina , Barton, Philip , Morris, Christopher , Moss, Simon , Pomeroy, Patrick
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Acta Oecologica Vol. 88, no. (2018), p. 41-51
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The timing, magnitude, and spatial distribution of resource inputs can have large effects on dependent organisms. Few studies have examined the predictability of such resources and no standard ecological measure of predictability exists. We examined the potential predictability of carrion resources provided by one of the UK's largest grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) colonies, on the Isle of May, Scotland. We used aerial (11 years) and ground surveys (3 years) to quantify the variability in time, space, quantity (kg), and quality (MJ) of seal carrion during the seal pupping season. We then compared the potential predictability of seal carrion to other periodic changes in food availability in nature. An average of 6893 kg of carrion ∙yr−1 corresponding to 110.5 × 103 MJ yr−1 was released for potential scavengers as placentae and dead animals. A fifth of the total biomass from dead seals was consumed by the end of the pupping season, mostly by avian scavengers. The spatial distribution of carcasses was similar across years, and 28% of the area containing >10 carcasses ha−1 was shared among all years. Relative standard errors (RSE) in space, time, quantity, and quality of carrion were all below 34%. This is similar to other allochthonous-dependent ecosystems, such as those affected by migratory salmon, and indicates high predictability of seal carrion as a resource. Our study illustrates how to quantify predictability in carrion, which is of general relevance to ecosystems that are dependent on this resource. We also highlight the importance of carrion to marine coastal ecosystems, where it sustains avian scavengers thus affecting ecosystem structure and function. © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. **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: Quaggiotto, Maria-Martina , Barton, Philip , Morris, Christopher , Moss, Simon , Pomeroy, Patrick
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Acta Oecologica Vol. 88, no. (2018), p. 41-51
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The timing, magnitude, and spatial distribution of resource inputs can have large effects on dependent organisms. Few studies have examined the predictability of such resources and no standard ecological measure of predictability exists. We examined the potential predictability of carrion resources provided by one of the UK's largest grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) colonies, on the Isle of May, Scotland. We used aerial (11 years) and ground surveys (3 years) to quantify the variability in time, space, quantity (kg), and quality (MJ) of seal carrion during the seal pupping season. We then compared the potential predictability of seal carrion to other periodic changes in food availability in nature. An average of 6893 kg of carrion ∙yr−1 corresponding to 110.5 × 103 MJ yr−1 was released for potential scavengers as placentae and dead animals. A fifth of the total biomass from dead seals was consumed by the end of the pupping season, mostly by avian scavengers. The spatial distribution of carcasses was similar across years, and 28% of the area containing >10 carcasses ha−1 was shared among all years. Relative standard errors (RSE) in space, time, quantity, and quality of carrion were all below 34%. This is similar to other allochthonous-dependent ecosystems, such as those affected by migratory salmon, and indicates high predictability of seal carrion as a resource. Our study illustrates how to quantify predictability in carrion, which is of general relevance to ecosystems that are dependent on this resource. We also highlight the importance of carrion to marine coastal ecosystems, where it sustains avian scavengers thus affecting ecosystem structure and function. © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. **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**
Effects of digging by a native and introduced ecosystem engineer on soil physical and chemical properties in temperate grassy woodland
- Ross, Catherine, Munro, Nicola, Barton, Philip, Evans, Maldwyn, Gillen, John
- Authors: Ross, Catherine , Munro, Nicola , Barton, Philip , Evans, Maldwyn , Gillen, John
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PeerJ Vol. 2019, no. 8 (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Temperate grasslands and woodlands are the focus of extensive restoration efforts worldwide. Reintroduction of locally extinct soil-foraging and burrowing animals has been suggested as a means to restore soil function in these ecosystems. Yet little is known about the physical and chemical effects of digging on soil over time and how these effects differ between species of digging animal, vegetation types or ecosystems. We compared foraging pits of a native reintroduced marsupial, the eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) and that of the exotic European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We simulated pits of these animals and measured pit dimensions and soil chemical properties over a period of 2 years. We showed that bettong and rabbit pits differed in their morphology and longevity, and that pits had a strong moderating effect on soil surface temperatures. Over 75% of the simulated pits were still visible after 2 years, and bettong pits infilled faster than rabbit pits. Bettong pits reduced diurnal temperature range by up to 25 ° C compared to the soil surface. We did not find any effects of digging on soil chemistry that were consistent across vegetation types, between bettong and rabbit pits, and with time since digging, which is contrary to studies conducted in arid biomes. Our findings show that animal foraging pits in temperate ecosystems cause physical alteration of the soil surface and microclimatic conditions rather than nutrient changes often observed in arid areas. © 2019 Ross et al. **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: Ross, Catherine , Munro, Nicola , Barton, Philip , Evans, Maldwyn , Gillen, John
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PeerJ Vol. 2019, no. 8 (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Temperate grasslands and woodlands are the focus of extensive restoration efforts worldwide. Reintroduction of locally extinct soil-foraging and burrowing animals has been suggested as a means to restore soil function in these ecosystems. Yet little is known about the physical and chemical effects of digging on soil over time and how these effects differ between species of digging animal, vegetation types or ecosystems. We compared foraging pits of a native reintroduced marsupial, the eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) and that of the exotic European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We simulated pits of these animals and measured pit dimensions and soil chemical properties over a period of 2 years. We showed that bettong and rabbit pits differed in their morphology and longevity, and that pits had a strong moderating effect on soil surface temperatures. Over 75% of the simulated pits were still visible after 2 years, and bettong pits infilled faster than rabbit pits. Bettong pits reduced diurnal temperature range by up to 25 ° C compared to the soil surface. We did not find any effects of digging on soil chemistry that were consistent across vegetation types, between bettong and rabbit pits, and with time since digging, which is contrary to studies conducted in arid biomes. Our findings show that animal foraging pits in temperate ecosystems cause physical alteration of the soil surface and microclimatic conditions rather than nutrient changes often observed in arid areas. © 2019 Ross et al. **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**
Fine-scale drivers of beetle diversity are affected by vegetation context and agricultural history
- Ross, Catherine, Barton, Philip, McIntyre, Sue, Cunningham, Saul, Manning, Adrian
- Authors: Ross, Catherine , Barton, Philip , McIntyre, Sue , Cunningham, Saul , Manning, Adrian
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Austral Ecology Vol. 42, no. 7 (2017), p. 831-843
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Environmental gradients have been shown to affect animal diversity, but knowledge of fine-scale drivers of insect diversity is, in many cases, poorly developed. We investigated the drivers of beetle diversity and composition at different microhabitats, and how this may be mediated by past agricultural activities. The study was undertaken in temperate eucalypt grassy woodland near Canberra, south-eastern Australia, with a 200-year history of pastoral land use. We sampled beetles using pitfall traps at three microhabitats (open grassland, logs and under trees). We analysed the effects of soil properties, vegetation structure, and plant composition on beetle composition, and compared beetle responses among the microhabitats. We found that microhabitat was a strong determinant of the way beetle communities responded to their environment. Soil nutrients (C, N and P) were the strongest drivers of beetle species richness, abundance and composition at open and log microhabitat, however vegetation structure (tree basal area) was more important for beetle richness, abundance and biomass under trees. We also found significant differences in beetle composition among distinct ground-layer plant communities at log and tree microhabitat. We show that prior agricultural land use, particularly fertilization, has altered soil and plant communities, and that these effects continue to flow through the system affecting beetle assemblages. These findings have implications for future management of microhabitat structures in temperate grassy woodlands with a history of agricultural use. © 2017 Ecological Society of Australia
The use and utility of surrogates in biodiversity monitoring programmes
- Sato, Chloe, Westgate, Martin, Barton, Philip, Foster, Claire, O'Loughlin, Luke
- Authors: Sato, Chloe , Westgate, Martin , Barton, Philip , Foster, Claire , O'Loughlin, Luke
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Applied Ecology Vol. 56, no. 6 (2019), p. 1304-1310
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: **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: Sato, Chloe , Westgate, Martin , Barton, Philip , Foster, Claire , O'Loughlin, Luke
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Applied Ecology Vol. 56, no. 6 (2019), p. 1304-1310
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: **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**
Limited understanding of bushfire impacts on Australian invertebrates
- Saunders, Manu, Barton, Philip, Bickerstaff, James, Frost, Lindsey, Umbers, Kate
- Authors: Saunders, Manu , Barton, Philip , Bickerstaff, James , Frost, Lindsey , Umbers, Kate
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Insect Conservation and Diversity Vol. 14, no. 3 (2021), p. 285-293
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Understanding how increasing risk of frequent and severe fires affects biodiversity and ecosystem function is important for effective conservation and recovery, but large knowledge gaps exist for many taxa in many parts of the world, especially invertebrates. After Australia's 2019–2020 catastrophic bushfire disaster, estimates of biodiversity loss and government priorities for post-fire conservation activities were focused on vertebrates and plants because of lack of knowledge about invertebrates. Our synthesis of published evidence reveals a fragmented and ambiguous body of literature on invertebrate responses to fire in Australian ecosystems, limiting the capacity of evidence to inform effective conservation policy in response to extreme fire events. Peer-reviewed studies are available for only six of the more than 30 invertebrate phyla and 88% were on arthropods, predominantly ants. Nearly all studies (94%) were conducted in terrestrial habitats, with only four studies measuring impacts in freshwater habitats and no studies of impacts on marine invertebrates. The high variation in study designs and treatment categories, as well as the absence of key methodological details in many older observational studies, means that there is substantial opportunity to improve our approach to collating meaningful estimates of general fire effects. To understand the full ecological effects of catastrophic fire events, and design effective policies that support recovery of ecosystems now and in future, it is critical that we improve understanding of how fire regimes affect invertebrates. We list key priorities for research and policy to support invertebrate conservation and ecosystem recovery in the face of increasing fire risk. © 2021 Royal Entomological Society. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Kate Umbers” is provided in this record**
Managing uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions
- Smith, Annabel, Kujala, Heini, Lahoz-Monfort, José, Guja, Lydia, Barton, Philip
- Authors: Smith, Annabel , Kujala, Heini , Lahoz-Monfort, José , Guja, Lydia , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Conservation Letters Vol. 12, no. 3 (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Species’ movements affect their response to environmental change but movement knowledge is often highly uncertain. We now have well-established methods to inte-grate movement knowledge into conservation practice but still lack a framework to deal with uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions. We provide a framework that distinguishes two dimensions of species’ movement that are heavily influenced by uncertainty: knowledge about movement and relevance of movement to environmental decisions. Management decisions can be informed by their position in this knowledge-relevance space. We then outline a framework to support decisions around (1) increasing understanding of the relevance of movement knowledge, (2) increasing robustness of decisions to uncertainties and (3) improving knowledge on species’ movement. Our decision-support framework provides guid-ance for managing movement-related uncertainty in systematic conservation plan-ning, agri-environment schemes, habitat restoration and international biodiversity policy. It caters to different resource levels (time and funding) so that species’ movement knowledge can be more effectively integrated into environmental decisions. © 2018 The Authors. Conservation Letters published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
- Authors: Smith, Annabel , Kujala, Heini , Lahoz-Monfort, José , Guja, Lydia , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Conservation Letters Vol. 12, no. 3 (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Species’ movements affect their response to environmental change but movement knowledge is often highly uncertain. We now have well-established methods to inte-grate movement knowledge into conservation practice but still lack a framework to deal with uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions. We provide a framework that distinguishes two dimensions of species’ movement that are heavily influenced by uncertainty: knowledge about movement and relevance of movement to environmental decisions. Management decisions can be informed by their position in this knowledge-relevance space. We then outline a framework to support decisions around (1) increasing understanding of the relevance of movement knowledge, (2) increasing robustness of decisions to uncertainties and (3) improving knowledge on species’ movement. Our decision-support framework provides guid-ance for managing movement-related uncertainty in systematic conservation plan-ning, agri-environment schemes, habitat restoration and international biodiversity policy. It caters to different resource levels (time and funding) so that species’ movement knowledge can be more effectively integrated into environmental decisions. © 2018 The Authors. Conservation Letters published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Invasive European wasps alter scavenging dynamics around carrion
- Spencer, Emma, Barton, Philip, Ripple, William, Newsome, Thomas
- Authors: Spencer, Emma , Barton, Philip , Ripple, William , Newsome, Thomas
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Food Webs Vol. 24, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: European wasps (Vespula germanica) have invaded parts of North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. They are opportunistic predators and scavengers that can disrupt food webs and species interactions, but their role in food webs associated with carrion is poorly understood. In this study we examined wasp abundance at 20 vertebrate carcasses in south-eastern Australia. We also collected data on the abundance of blowflies and the occurrence and behavior of vertebrate scavengers at the same carcasses. Wasps arrived within minutes of deploying fresh carcasses and were approximately 4.3 times more abundant in forest compared with grassland habitats. Wasps killed and mutilated native blowflies and may have prevented them from ovipositing on carcasses, as we subsequently found that these carcasses were devoid of fly larvae. European wasps also appeared to interfere with dingoes (Canis dingo) feeding on carcasses, based on observations from cameras showing dingoes snapping their heads in the air and then retreating from the carcasses suddenly. The other major vertebrate scavenger in the system, feral pigs (Sus scrofa), did not show similar behavioral responses. Although we observed European wasps feeding on carcasses, carcass mass loss was slow. This could be a direct result of European wasps suppressing flies and potentially excluding dingoes from accessing carcasses. We conclude that European wasps may alter the way energy flows through scavenging food webs, which could have cascading impacts on ecosystem dynamics and services, although manipulative experiments would help to further evaluate these possibilities. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.
Responses of necrophilous beetles to animal mass mortality in the Australian Alps
- Stone, Rebecca, Bonat, Stefanie, Newsome, Thomas, Barton, Philip
- Authors: Stone, Rebecca , Bonat, Stefanie , Newsome, Thomas , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Insect Conservation Vol. 27, no. 6 (2023), p. 865-877
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A diversity of insects can be found at the remains of dead animals (carrion) and they play a vital role in its decomposition and recycling. An emerging global problem with carrion is animal mass mortality events – the sudden, rapid die-off of many animals resulting in a large increase to the localised carrion resource pool. Yet, little is known about how insects respond to sudden and large inputs of carrion. We conducted an experiment in a mountainous alpine region of south-eastern Australia and compared beetle assemblages found at single carcass and mass mortality sites. We also examined the effects of vertebrate exclusion, and decomposition stage on beetles. We found 4,774 beetles representing 146 different species/morphospecies from 17 families. The most abundant species was Saprinus cyaneus cyaneus (Histeridae), and species of Staphylinidae and Silphidae also dominated the fauna, which is typical for necrophilous beetles in Australia. We also found a clear temporal change in beetle assemblages, with abundance and richness peaking during the active decay stage. We found that beetle abundance was greater at single carcasses than mass mortality sites, possibly as an artifact of sampling, and that species richness was similar among these two carcass treatment types. We found no significant effect of vertebrate exclusion on beetles, suggesting that large scavengers in the study system may not influence necrophilous insect communities around carrion. Implications for insect conservation: Our study highlights the diversity of beetles that can be found at carrion and their similar composition to the fauna found in other areas in the south-east of the Australian continent. Beetles may have reduced abundance at mass mortality sites which could affect their ability to contribute to carrion removal relative to smaller carrion quantities. Further research is required to quantify the role of other insects in carrion removal under a range of natural and mass mortality scenarios. © 2023, The Author(s).
- Authors: Stone, Rebecca , Bonat, Stefanie , Newsome, Thomas , Barton, Philip
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Insect Conservation Vol. 27, no. 6 (2023), p. 865-877
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A diversity of insects can be found at the remains of dead animals (carrion) and they play a vital role in its decomposition and recycling. An emerging global problem with carrion is animal mass mortality events – the sudden, rapid die-off of many animals resulting in a large increase to the localised carrion resource pool. Yet, little is known about how insects respond to sudden and large inputs of carrion. We conducted an experiment in a mountainous alpine region of south-eastern Australia and compared beetle assemblages found at single carcass and mass mortality sites. We also examined the effects of vertebrate exclusion, and decomposition stage on beetles. We found 4,774 beetles representing 146 different species/morphospecies from 17 families. The most abundant species was Saprinus cyaneus cyaneus (Histeridae), and species of Staphylinidae and Silphidae also dominated the fauna, which is typical for necrophilous beetles in Australia. We also found a clear temporal change in beetle assemblages, with abundance and richness peaking during the active decay stage. We found that beetle abundance was greater at single carcasses than mass mortality sites, possibly as an artifact of sampling, and that species richness was similar among these two carcass treatment types. We found no significant effect of vertebrate exclusion on beetles, suggesting that large scavengers in the study system may not influence necrophilous insect communities around carrion. Implications for insect conservation: Our study highlights the diversity of beetles that can be found at carrion and their similar composition to the fauna found in other areas in the south-east of the Australian continent. Beetles may have reduced abundance at mass mortality sites which could affect their ability to contribute to carrion removal relative to smaller carrion quantities. Further research is required to quantify the role of other insects in carrion removal under a range of natural and mass mortality scenarios. © 2023, The Author(s).
Quantifying shifts in topic popularity over 44 years of austral ecology
- Westgate, Martin, Barton, Philip, Lindenmayer, David, Andrew, Nigel
- Authors: Westgate, Martin , Barton, Philip , Lindenmayer, David , Andrew, Nigel
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Austral Ecology Vol. 45, no. 6 (2020), p. 663-671
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Ecological Society of Australia was founded in 1959, and the society’s journal was first published in 1976. To examine how research published in the society’s journal has changed over this time, we used text mining to quantify themes and trends in the body of work published by the Australian Journal of Ecology and Austral Ecology from 1976 to 2019. We used topic models to identify 30 ‘topics’ within 2778 full-text articles in 246 issues of the journal, followed by mixed modelling to identify topics with above-average or below-average popularity in terms of the number of publications or citations that they contain. We found high inter-decadal turnover in research topics, with an early emphasis on highly specific ecosystems or processes giving way to a modern emphasis on community, spatial and fire ecology, invasive species and statistical modelling. Despite an early focus on Australian research, papers discussing South American ecosystems are now among the fastest-growing and most frequently cited topics in the journal. Topics that were growing fastest in publication rates were not always the same as those with high citation rates. Our results provide a systematic breakdown of the topics that Austral Ecology authors and editors have chosen to research, publish and cite through time, providing a valuable window into the historical and emerging foci of the journal. © 2020 Ecological Society of Australia
- Authors: Westgate, Martin , Barton, Philip , Lindenmayer, David , Andrew, Nigel
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Austral Ecology Vol. 45, no. 6 (2020), p. 663-671
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Ecological Society of Australia was founded in 1959, and the society’s journal was first published in 1976. To examine how research published in the society’s journal has changed over this time, we used text mining to quantify themes and trends in the body of work published by the Australian Journal of Ecology and Austral Ecology from 1976 to 2019. We used topic models to identify 30 ‘topics’ within 2778 full-text articles in 246 issues of the journal, followed by mixed modelling to identify topics with above-average or below-average popularity in terms of the number of publications or citations that they contain. We found high inter-decadal turnover in research topics, with an early emphasis on highly specific ecosystems or processes giving way to a modern emphasis on community, spatial and fire ecology, invasive species and statistical modelling. Despite an early focus on Australian research, papers discussing South American ecosystems are now among the fastest-growing and most frequently cited topics in the journal. Topics that were growing fastest in publication rates were not always the same as those with high citation rates. Our results provide a systematic breakdown of the topics that Austral Ecology authors and editors have chosen to research, publish and cite through time, providing a valuable window into the historical and emerging foci of the journal. © 2020 Ecological Society of Australia
Optimal taxonomic groups for biodiversity assessment: a meta-analytic approach
- Westgate, Martin, Tulloch, Ayesha, Barton, Philip, Pierson, Jennifer, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Westgate, Martin , Tulloch, Ayesha , Barton, Philip , Pierson, Jennifer , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecography Vol. 40, no. 4 (2017), p. 539-548
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A fundamental decision in biodiversity assessment is the selection of one or more study taxa, a choice that is often made using qualitative criteria such as historical precedent, ease of detection, or available technical or taxonomic expertise. A more robust approach would involve selecting taxa based on the a priori expectation that they will provide the best possible information on unmeasured groups, but data to inform such hypotheses are often lacking. Using a global meta-analysis, we quantified the proportion of variability that each of 12 taxonomic groups (at the Order level or above) explained in the richness or composition of other taxa. We then applied optimization to matrices of pairwise congruency to identify the best set of complementary surrogate groups. We found that no single taxon was an optimal surrogate for both the richness and composition of unmeasured taxa if we used simple methods to aggregate congruence data between studies. In contrast, statistical methods that accounted for well-known drivers of cross-taxon congruence (spatial extent, grain size, and latitude) lead to the prioritization of similar surrogates for both species richness and composition. Advanced statistical methods were also more effective at describing known ecological relationships between taxa than simple methods, and show that congruence is typically highest between taxonomically and functionally dissimilar taxa. Birds and vascular plants were most frequently selected by our algorithm as surrogates for other taxonomic groups, but the extent to which any one taxon was the ‘optimal’ choice of surrogate for other biodiversity was highly context-dependent. In the absence of other information – such as in data-poor areas of the globe, and under limited budgets for monitoring or assessment – ecologists can use our results to assess which taxa are most likely to reflect the distribution of the richness or composition of ‘total’ biodiversity. © 2016 The Authors
- Authors: Westgate, Martin , Tulloch, Ayesha , Barton, Philip , Pierson, Jennifer , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecography Vol. 40, no. 4 (2017), p. 539-548
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A fundamental decision in biodiversity assessment is the selection of one or more study taxa, a choice that is often made using qualitative criteria such as historical precedent, ease of detection, or available technical or taxonomic expertise. A more robust approach would involve selecting taxa based on the a priori expectation that they will provide the best possible information on unmeasured groups, but data to inform such hypotheses are often lacking. Using a global meta-analysis, we quantified the proportion of variability that each of 12 taxonomic groups (at the Order level or above) explained in the richness or composition of other taxa. We then applied optimization to matrices of pairwise congruency to identify the best set of complementary surrogate groups. We found that no single taxon was an optimal surrogate for both the richness and composition of unmeasured taxa if we used simple methods to aggregate congruence data between studies. In contrast, statistical methods that accounted for well-known drivers of cross-taxon congruence (spatial extent, grain size, and latitude) lead to the prioritization of similar surrogates for both species richness and composition. Advanced statistical methods were also more effective at describing known ecological relationships between taxa than simple methods, and show that congruence is typically highest between taxonomically and functionally dissimilar taxa. Birds and vascular plants were most frequently selected by our algorithm as surrogates for other taxonomic groups, but the extent to which any one taxon was the ‘optimal’ choice of surrogate for other biodiversity was highly context-dependent. In the absence of other information – such as in data-poor areas of the globe, and under limited budgets for monitoring or assessment – ecologists can use our results to assess which taxa are most likely to reflect the distribution of the richness or composition of ‘total’ biodiversity. © 2016 The Authors
Cross-taxonomic surrogates for biodiversity conservation in human-modified landscapes – A multi-taxa approach
- Yong, Ding, Barton, Philip, Ikin, Karen, Evans, Maldwyn, Crane, Mason
- Authors: Yong, Ding , Barton, Philip , Ikin, Karen , Evans, Maldwyn , Crane, Mason
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biological Conservation Vol. 224, no. (2018), p. 336-346
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Cross-taxonomic surrogates are often used in conservation planning because inventorying large suites of taxa is either not feasible or too costly. However, cross-taxonomic surrogates are seldom tested rigorously using both correlational and representation-based approaches at the spatial scales at which conservation management occurs. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of five ecologically contrasting taxa (birds, herpetofauna, wild bees, beetles, trees) as cross-taxonomic surrogates in native woodland patches within a heavily modified, farming and plantation-dominated landscape. We first compared species richness and compositional heterogeneity across taxa before testing for cross-taxonomic congruence using a correlative approach. We then quantified how well each taxon incidentally represented other taxa in their best patch sets, and the costs of doing so using a complementarity-based approach. We found significant pairwise associations between some taxa (birds, bees), but no single taxon was strongly correlated with all other taxa. Woodland patch sets prioritised for beetles represented other taxa best, followed by birds, but were the costliest and required the largest amount of woodland. This contrasted with patch sets prioritised for wild bees or herpetofauna, which achieved higher representation of other taxa at lower costs. Our study highlighted the influence of taxon-specific patterns of diversity and heterogeneity on how remnant vegetation patches should be prioritised for conservation, a consideration not immediately obvious in correlative analyses of surrogacy. Second, taxa that are not the most speciose (e.g. wild bees) can be efficient surrogates, achieving higher incidental representation for other taxa at lower costs. Thus, while species-rich taxa are ideal as surrogates for prioritising conservation, conservation planners should not overlook the potential of less speciose taxa such as bees, while considering the cost-effectiveness of surveying multiple different taxa. © 2018. **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: Yong, Ding , Barton, Philip , Ikin, Karen , Evans, Maldwyn , Crane, Mason
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biological Conservation Vol. 224, no. (2018), p. 336-346
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Cross-taxonomic surrogates are often used in conservation planning because inventorying large suites of taxa is either not feasible or too costly. However, cross-taxonomic surrogates are seldom tested rigorously using both correlational and representation-based approaches at the spatial scales at which conservation management occurs. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of five ecologically contrasting taxa (birds, herpetofauna, wild bees, beetles, trees) as cross-taxonomic surrogates in native woodland patches within a heavily modified, farming and plantation-dominated landscape. We first compared species richness and compositional heterogeneity across taxa before testing for cross-taxonomic congruence using a correlative approach. We then quantified how well each taxon incidentally represented other taxa in their best patch sets, and the costs of doing so using a complementarity-based approach. We found significant pairwise associations between some taxa (birds, bees), but no single taxon was strongly correlated with all other taxa. Woodland patch sets prioritised for beetles represented other taxa best, followed by birds, but were the costliest and required the largest amount of woodland. This contrasted with patch sets prioritised for wild bees or herpetofauna, which achieved higher representation of other taxa at lower costs. Our study highlighted the influence of taxon-specific patterns of diversity and heterogeneity on how remnant vegetation patches should be prioritised for conservation, a consideration not immediately obvious in correlative analyses of surrogacy. Second, taxa that are not the most speciose (e.g. wild bees) can be efficient surrogates, achieving higher incidental representation for other taxa at lower costs. Thus, while species-rich taxa are ideal as surrogates for prioritising conservation, conservation planners should not overlook the potential of less speciose taxa such as bees, while considering the cost-effectiveness of surveying multiple different taxa. © 2018. **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**
Birds as surrogates for mammals and reptiles: Are patterns of cross-taxonomic associations stable over time in a human-modified landscape?
- Yong, Ding, Barton, Philip, Okada, Sachiko, Crane, Mason, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Yong, Ding , Barton, Philip , Okada, Sachiko , Crane, Mason , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Indicators Vol. 69, no. (2016), p. 152-164
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Cross-taxonomic surrogates can be feasible alternatives to direct measurements of biodiversity in conservation if validated with robust data and used with explicit goals. However, few studies of cross-taxonomic surrogates have examined how temporal changes in composition or richness in one taxon can drive variation in concordant patterns of diversity in another taxon, particularly in a dynamic and heavily modified landscape. We examined this problem by assessing changes in cross-taxonomic associations over time between the surrogate (birds) and target vertebrate taxa (mammals, reptiles) that demand high sampling effort, in a heterogeneous mosaic landscape comprising pine monoculture, eucalypt woodland remnants and agricultural land. Focussing on four study years (1999, 2001, 2011, 2013) from a dataset collected over 15 years, we: (1) investigated temporal changes in cross-taxonomic congruency among three animal taxa (2) explored how temporal variation in composition and species richness of each taxon might account for variation in cross-taxonomic congruency, and (3) identified habitat structural variables that are strongly correlated with species composition of each taxon. We found the strength of cross-taxonomic congruency varied between taxa in response to both landscape context and over time. Among the three taxa, overall correlations were weak but were consistently positive and strongest between birds and mammals, while correlations involving reptiles were usually weak and negative. We also found that stronger species richness and composition correlations between birds and mammals were not only more prevalent in woodland remnants in the agricultural matrix, but they also increased in strength over time. Temporal shifts in species composition differed in rate and extent among the taxa even though these shifts were significant over time, while important habitat structural correlates were seldom shared across taxa. Our study highlights the role of the landscape matrix and time in shaping animal communities and the resulting cross-taxonomic associations in the woodland remnants, especially after a major perturbation event (i.e. plantation establishment). In such dynamic landscapes, differing and taxon-specific shifts in species diversity over time can influence the strength, direction and consistency of cross-taxonomic correlations, therefore posing a 'temporal' problem for the use of surrogates like birds in monitoring and assessment of biodiversity, and conservation management practices in general. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Yong, Ding , Barton, Philip , Okada, Sachiko , Crane, Mason , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Indicators Vol. 69, no. (2016), p. 152-164
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Cross-taxonomic surrogates can be feasible alternatives to direct measurements of biodiversity in conservation if validated with robust data and used with explicit goals. However, few studies of cross-taxonomic surrogates have examined how temporal changes in composition or richness in one taxon can drive variation in concordant patterns of diversity in another taxon, particularly in a dynamic and heavily modified landscape. We examined this problem by assessing changes in cross-taxonomic associations over time between the surrogate (birds) and target vertebrate taxa (mammals, reptiles) that demand high sampling effort, in a heterogeneous mosaic landscape comprising pine monoculture, eucalypt woodland remnants and agricultural land. Focussing on four study years (1999, 2001, 2011, 2013) from a dataset collected over 15 years, we: (1) investigated temporal changes in cross-taxonomic congruency among three animal taxa (2) explored how temporal variation in composition and species richness of each taxon might account for variation in cross-taxonomic congruency, and (3) identified habitat structural variables that are strongly correlated with species composition of each taxon. We found the strength of cross-taxonomic congruency varied between taxa in response to both landscape context and over time. Among the three taxa, overall correlations were weak but were consistently positive and strongest between birds and mammals, while correlations involving reptiles were usually weak and negative. We also found that stronger species richness and composition correlations between birds and mammals were not only more prevalent in woodland remnants in the agricultural matrix, but they also increased in strength over time. Temporal shifts in species composition differed in rate and extent among the taxa even though these shifts were significant over time, while important habitat structural correlates were seldom shared across taxa. Our study highlights the role of the landscape matrix and time in shaping animal communities and the resulting cross-taxonomic associations in the woodland remnants, especially after a major perturbation event (i.e. plantation establishment). In such dynamic landscapes, differing and taxon-specific shifts in species diversity over time can influence the strength, direction and consistency of cross-taxonomic correlations, therefore posing a 'temporal' problem for the use of surrogates like birds in monitoring and assessment of biodiversity, and conservation management practices in general. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Conserving focal insect groups in woodland remnants : the role of landscape context and habitat structure on cross-taxonomic congruence
- Yong, Ding, Barton, Philip, Okada, Sachiko, Crane, Mason, Cunningham, Saul, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Yong, Ding , Barton, Philip , Okada, Sachiko , Crane, Mason , Cunningham, Saul , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Indicators Vol. 115, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Determining the shared responses of different taxa to landscape modification is a key step for identifying which groups of species are good surrogates for other groups. Yet, surprisingly little is known about the spatial processes that drive cross-taxonomic congruence of diversity and how this knowledge can be used to improve the management of modified landscapes for biodiversity, especially insects. We investigated how assemblages of two ecologically important insect groups, wild bees and beetles, respond to different landscape contexts and habitat structure in an Australian agricultural landscape, and how this, in turn, influenced either group's potential as a surrogate for the other. Bee and ground-active beetle assemblages were sampled in remnant woodland patches in two landscape contexts: woodland patches surrounded by pine plantation and woodland patches surrounded by open grazing land. Bee species richness, and the richness of functionally-defined bee groups did not differ between landscape contexts, in contrast to beetles. We found that landscape context exerted a stronger effect on species composition than species richness of both groups. Although some landscape and habitat variables were useful in predicting the diversity of both insect groups, few were shared. Our findings showed that bee and beetles are poor surrogates for each other in landscapes that are highly modified. Our study highlighted the need to consider: (1) taxon-specific responses to landscape context, (2) the influence of different metrics of cross-taxonomic surrogacy and, (3) dissimilar ecological attributes among insect taxa when selecting insects as biodiversity surrogates. It should not be assumed that agricultural landscapes managed to conserve specific insects (e.g. bees) will necessarily benefit other insects. © 2020
- Authors: Yong, Ding , Barton, Philip , Okada, Sachiko , Crane, Mason , Cunningham, Saul , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Indicators Vol. 115, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Determining the shared responses of different taxa to landscape modification is a key step for identifying which groups of species are good surrogates for other groups. Yet, surprisingly little is known about the spatial processes that drive cross-taxonomic congruence of diversity and how this knowledge can be used to improve the management of modified landscapes for biodiversity, especially insects. We investigated how assemblages of two ecologically important insect groups, wild bees and beetles, respond to different landscape contexts and habitat structure in an Australian agricultural landscape, and how this, in turn, influenced either group's potential as a surrogate for the other. Bee and ground-active beetle assemblages were sampled in remnant woodland patches in two landscape contexts: woodland patches surrounded by pine plantation and woodland patches surrounded by open grazing land. Bee species richness, and the richness of functionally-defined bee groups did not differ between landscape contexts, in contrast to beetles. We found that landscape context exerted a stronger effect on species composition than species richness of both groups. Although some landscape and habitat variables were useful in predicting the diversity of both insect groups, few were shared. Our findings showed that bee and beetles are poor surrogates for each other in landscapes that are highly modified. Our study highlighted the need to consider: (1) taxon-specific responses to landscape context, (2) the influence of different metrics of cross-taxonomic surrogacy and, (3) dissimilar ecological attributes among insect taxa when selecting insects as biodiversity surrogates. It should not be assumed that agricultural landscapes managed to conserve specific insects (e.g. bees) will necessarily benefit other insects. © 2020