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A severe predator-induced population decline predicted for endangered, migratory swift parrots (Lathamus discolor)
Citation
Heinsohn, R and Webb, M and Lacy, R and Terauds, A and Alderman, RL and Stojanovic, D, A severe predator-induced population decline predicted for endangered, migratory swift parrots (Lathamus discolor), Biological Conservation, 186 pp. 75-82. ISSN 0006-3207 (2015) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.03.006
Abstract
Identifying the impact of introduced predators on endangered prey populations is critical for conservation
management. Population viability analysis (PVA) becomes a valuable tool for quantifying such
impacts when high quality life history data are available but, surprisingly, predictions from PVA of future
population decline have seldom been used directly to assess conservation status. Here we synthesise new
research on the unusual life history of the endangered swift parrot Lathamus discolor, an austral migrant
that breeds in Tasmania, Australia. Swift parrots are challenging to monitor because (1) spatio-temporal
fluctuation in food availability causes them to select entirely different breeding sites each year over a
10,000 km2 range, and (2) they suffer high but variable rates of predation from introduced sugar gliders
Petaurus breviceps depending on where they breed. 50.9% of nesting females on the main island of
Tasmania were killed by sugar gliders while incubating eggs, but there was no predation from this source
on offshore islands. Over four years 16.5% (0–29%) of the population bred on offshore islands. We use
PVAs to examine the likely extent of future population decrease due to sugar glider predation, and
demonstrate that the remaining swift parrot population is likely to decrease by 78.8–94.7% (mean over
four models = 86.9%) over only three generations (12–18 years). Our models offer a rare example of
the use of PVAs for assessing impending population decline and conservation status in species that are
challenging to monitor. In this case they support a change of status for swift parrots from
‘‘Endangered’’ to ‘Critically Endangered’ under IUCN criteria.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | population viability analysis, conservation status, critically endangered, introduced predator, Lathamus discolor |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Population Ecology |
| Objective Division: | Environment |
| Objective Group: | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity |
| Objective Field: | Forest and Woodlands Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity |
| UTAS Author: | Alderman, RL (Ms Rachael Alderman) |
| ID Code: | 105755 |
| Year Published: | 2015 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 21 |
| Deposited By: | Zoology |
| Deposited On: | 2016-01-14 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-10-31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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