Compounding and complementary carnivores: Australian bird species eaten by the introduced European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
JOHN C.Z. WOINARSKI ◽  
ALYSON M. STOBO-WILSON ◽  
HEATHER M. CRAWFORD ◽  
STUART J. DAWSON ◽  
CHRIS R. DICKMAN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Australian Birds ◽  
Bird Fauna

Abstract Two introduced carnivores, the European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus, have had extensive impacts on Australian biodiversity. In this study, we collate information on consumption of Australian birds by the fox, paralleling a recent study reporting on birds consumed by cats. We found records of consumption by foxes on 128 native bird species (18% of the non-vagrant bird fauna and 25% of those species within the fox’s range), a smaller tally than for cats (343 species, including 297 within the fox’s Australian range, a subset of that of the cat). Most (81%) bird species eaten by foxes are also eaten by cats, suggesting that predation impacts are compounded. As with consumption by cats, birds that nest or forage on the ground are most likely to be consumed by foxes. However, there is also some partitioning, with records of consumption by foxes but not cats for 25 bird species, indicating that impacts of the two predators may also be complementary. Bird species ≥3.4 kg were more likely to be eaten by foxes, and those <3.4 kg by cats. Our compilation provides an inventory and describes characteristics of Australian bird species known to be consumed by foxes, but we acknowledge that records of predation do not imply population-level impacts. Nonetheless, there is sufficient information from other studies to demonstrate that fox predation has significant impacts on the population viability of some Australian birds, especially larger birds, and those that nest or forage on the ground.

Degrees of population-level susceptibility of Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species to predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus)

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 645 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Q. Radford ◽  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Sarah Legge ◽  
Marcus Baseler ◽  
Joss Bentley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Mammal Fauna ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Introduced Predators

Context Over the last 230 years, the Australian terrestrial mammal fauna has suffered a very high rate of decline and extinction relative to other continents. Predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus) is implicated in many of these extinctions, and in the ongoing decline of many extant species. Aims To assess the degree to which Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species are susceptible at the population level to predation by the red fox and feral cat, and to allocate each species to a category of predator susceptibility. Methods We collated the available evidence and complemented this with expert opinion to categorise each Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (extinct and extant) into one of four classes of population-level susceptibility to introduced predators (i.e. ‘extreme’, ‘high’, ‘low’ or ‘not susceptible’). We then compared predator susceptibility with conservation status, body size and extent of arboreality; and assessed changes in the occurrence of species in different predator-susceptibility categories between 1788 and 2017. Key results Of 246 Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (including extinct species), we conclude that 37 species are (or were) extremely predator-susceptible; 52 species are highly predator-susceptible; 112 species are of low susceptibility; and 42 species are not susceptible to predators. Confidence in assigning species to predator-susceptibility categories was strongest for extant threatened mammal species and for extremely predator-susceptible species. Extinct and threatened mammal species are more likely to be predator-susceptible than Least Concern species; arboreal species are less predator-susceptible than ground-dwelling species; and medium-sized species (35 g–3.5kg) are more predator-susceptible than smaller or larger species. Conclusions The effective control of foxes and cats over large areas is likely to assist the population-level recovery of ~63 species – the number of extant species with extreme or high predator susceptibility – which represents ~29% of the extant Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal fauna. Implications Categorisation of predator susceptibility is an important tool for conservation management, because the persistence of species with extreme susceptibility will require intensive management (e.g. predator-proof exclosures or predator-free islands), whereas species of lower predator susceptibility can be managed through effective landscape-level suppression of introduced predators.

The good, the bad, and the ugly: space use and intraguild interactions among three opportunistic predators—cat (Felis catus), dog (Canis lupus familiaris), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes)—under human pressure

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (12) ◽  
pp. 1402-1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Krauze-Gryz ◽  
J.B. Gryz ◽  
J. Goszczyński ◽  
P. Chylarecki ◽  
M. ̇Zmihorski
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Probability Of Detection ◽  
The Other ◽  
Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Intraguild Interactions

Examples of interspecific interactions have been described for mammalian predators, but less is known regarding disturbances of native predator guilds by domestic predators. We investigated intraguild interactions among three opportunistic predators (dog ( Canis lupus familiaris L., 1758), cat ( Felis catus L., 1758), and red fox ( Vulpes vulpes (L., 1758)) co-occurring in the extensive farmlands of central Poland. Their space use was monitored using tracking stations distributed in field and forest plots along a distance gradient from buildings and analyzed using the occupancy-modeling framework. For all three species occupancy decreased with increased distance from buildings, although for the fox the pattern was relatively weak. The occurrence of cats at the stations was higher in the forest than in the field; for fox and dog, there was a strong variation between study plots. For all three predators, the probability of detection was higher during the night than during the day and varied between the seasons; however, the exact patterns were species-specific. The presence of one predator was also linked to the presence of the other two species—generally, a given species was detected more frequently in the absence of the other two species. We recorded spatiotemporal niche segregation among the three species. We conclude that interspecific antagonistic interactions and differences in foraging ecology are the main drivers shaping co-occurrence of the three species in the agriculture landscape.

The diet of the feral cat (Felis catus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and dog (Canis familiaris) over a three-year period at Witchelina Reserve, in arid South Australia

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 204 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Sally L. South ◽  
Paul Drummond ◽  
Gregory R. Johnston ◽  
Alex Nankivell
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Significant Seasonal Variation ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
Pogona Vitticeps ◽  
First Time

Introduced predators have had, and continue to have, severe impacts on Australian biodiversity. At a recently established conservation reserve, Witchelina, in arid South Australia, we assessed the diet of feral cats (Felis catus) (404 samples), red fox (Vulpes vulpes) (51 samples) and dog (Canis familiaris) (11 samples) over a 3-year period. There was marked overlap (98.5%) in dietary composition between cats and foxes. Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) comprised a major dietary item for all three predators. Invertebrates contributed the largest number of prey items for foxes and cats, but mammals comprised the bulk, by weight, for all three predators. Birds and reptiles had a higher frequency of occurrence in the diet of cats than of foxes or dogs. The size of mammal prey taken was least for cats and greatest for dogs. The diets of cats and foxes showed significant seasonal variation, with reptiles and invertebrates being least common in the diet in winter. The threatened thick-billed grasswren (Amytornis modestus) was found for the first time in the diet of feral cats. Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) occurred in about one-third of cat and fox samples. This study contributes further to the evidence of biodiversity impacts of introduced predators, and the need for their strategic management.

Primary osteoblast culture from red fox (Vulpes Vulpes)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Pedro Perpetuo ◽  
Alessandro Felder ◽  
Andrew Pitsillides ◽  
Michael Doube ◽  
Isabel Orriss
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Primary Osteoblast ◽  
Osteoblast Culture

Die Brutvogelfauna eines Nadelwaldes der nördlichen Voralpen nach dem Sturm Lothar

2017 ◽  
Vol 168 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-66
Author(s):  
Pierre Mollet ◽  
René Hardegger ◽  
Res Altwegg ◽  
Pius Korner ◽  
Simon Birrer
Keyword(s):  
Forest Succession ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Mountain Forest ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
Federal Institute ◽  
Central Switzerland ◽  
Bird Fauna

Breeding bird fauna in a coniferous forest in the northern Prealps after storm Lothar In a 70-hectare large coniferous forest located on the northern edge of the Alps in central Switzerland, Canton of Obwalden, at an altitude of 1260 to 1550 metres above sea level, we surveyed the local breeding bird fauna in 2002 and 2013 by means of point counts as well as additional area searches for rare species. In December 1999, hurricane Lothar caused two large windthrow areas and several smaller areas with scattered throws in the survey range. We found a total of 48 breeding bird species, which is a very diverse species composition for a mountain forest. In the eleven years between surveys, a decline in distribution or abundance was recorded for four species, while seven species showed an increase; a further four species showed no change. For the remaining species, the data sets were too small to reliably estimate changes. A comparison with forest structure data provided by the Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL revealed that for five bird species, the changes in distribution or abundance could be explained at least partially by forest succession. In order to obtain realistic distribution and abundance values in this kind of breeding bird survey, it is essential to collect large enough samples and to consider the detection probability of each individual species using appropriate statistical methods.

Diet of the introduced red fox Vulpes vulpes in Australia: analysis of temporal and spatial patterns

Mammal Review ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Fleming ◽  
Heather M. Crawford ◽  
Alyson M. Stobo‐Wilson ◽  
Stuart J. Dawson ◽  
Christopher R. Dickman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Temporal And Spatial Patterns ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

Do prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) change their activity and space use in response to domestic cat (Felis catus) excreta?

Mammalia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Keane ◽  
Phillip J. Long ◽  
Yasmeen Fleifil ◽  
Nancy G. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Space Use ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Microtus Ochrogaster ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Prairie Voles ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Odor Cues ◽  
Risk Of Predation

AbstractBehavioral changes that reduce the risk of predation in response to predator-derived odor cues are widespread among mammalian taxa and have received a great deal of attention. Although voles of the genus Microtus are staples in the diet of many mammalian predators, including domestic cats (Felis catus), there are no previous studies on vole space utilization and activity levels in response to odor cues from domestic cats. Therefore, the objective of our study was to investigate responses of adult prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) living in semi-natural habitats to odor cues from domestic cat excreta. Contrary to expectations, neither adult males or females showed significant changes in space use or willingness to enter traps in response to cat odors. One hypothesis to explain our results are that prairie voles have not co-evolved with domestic cats long enough to respond to their odors. Other possible explanations include whether levels of odors in the environment were sufficient to trigger a response or that the perceived risk of predation from odor cues alone did not outweigh relative costs of changing space use and activity levels. Future studies should consider multiple factors when determining what cues are sufficient to elicit antipredatory behavior.

The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes ) as an Accumulator of Bones in Cave-like Environments

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Krajcarz ◽  
Maciej Tomasz Krajcarz
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox
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