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Rarity of a top predator triggers continent-wide collapse of mammal prey: Dingoes and marsupials in Australia
Citation
Johnson, CN and Isaac, JL and Fisher, DO, Rarity of a top predator triggers continent-wide collapse of mammal prey: Dingoes and marsupials in Australia , Proceedings of The Royal Society : Biological Sciences, 274, (1608) pp. 341-346. ISSN 0962-8452 (2007) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2007 The Royal Society
DOI: doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.3711
Abstract
Top predators in terrestrial ecosystems may limit populations of smaller predators that could otherwise
become over abundant and cause declines and extinctions of some prey. It is therefore possible that top
predators indirectly protect many species of prey from excessive predation. This effect has been
demonstrated in some small-scale studies, but it is not known how general or important it is in maintaining
prey biodiversity. During the last 150 years, Australia has suffered the world’s highest rate of mammal decline
and extinction, and most evidence points to introduced mid-sized predators (the red fox and the feral cat) as
the cause. Here, we test the idea that the decline of Australia’s largest native predator, the dingo, played a role
in these extinctions. Dingoes were persecuted from the beginning of European settlement in Australia and
have been eliminated or made rare over large parts of the continent. We show a strong positive relationship
between the survival of marsupials and the geographical overlap with high-density dingo populations. Our
results suggest that the rarity of dingoes was a critical factor which allowed smaller predators to overwhelm
marsupial prey, triggering extinction over much of the continent. This is evidence of a crucial role of top
predators in maintaining prey biodiversity at large scales in terrestrial ecosystems and suggests that many
remaining Australian mammals would benefit from the positive management of dingoes.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Terrestrial Ecology |
| Objective Division: | Environment |
| Objective Group: | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity |
| Objective Field: | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity of environments not elsewhere classified |
| UTAS Author: | Johnson, CN (Professor Christopher Johnson) |
| ID Code: | 69609 |
| Year Published: | 2007 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 218 |
| Deposited By: | Zoology |
| Deposited On: | 2011-05-04 |
| Last Modified: | 2011-10-06 |
| Downloads: | 1 View Download Statistics |
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