Discovery of a novel predator reveals extreme but highly variable mortality for an endangered migratory bird

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dc.contributor.authorStojanovic, Dejan
dc.contributor.authorWebb, Matthew
dc.contributor.authorAlderman, Rachael
dc.contributor.authorPorfirio, Luciana
dc.contributor.authorHeinsohn, Robert
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-10T23:19:42Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.date.updated2015-12-10T10:16:45Z
dc.description.abstractAim: Introduced predators are a global driver of species decline, but their impact on highly mobile species is poorly understood. We report the severe impact of a previously undocumented introduced predator on the endangered, migratory swift parrot (Lathamus discolor). Sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps), a supposedly benign introduced species, were detected acting as a major opportunistic predator of cavity-nesting birds. We assessed the intensity and geographical extent of sugar glider predation and investigated whether habitat loss exacerbated predation risk to swift parrots. Location: Tasmania, Australia. Methods: We monitored nests of swift parrots for 3 years with motion-activated cameras. We used bioclimatic modelling to predict the potential distribution of introduced sugar gliders across the study area and assessed the predation risk to swift parrots and other threatened birds in the region using nest-survival analysis. Results: Daily survival of nests in areas where sugar gliders occurred was mean 0.97, which equated to a true likelihood of 0.17 for a nest to survive the 60-day nesting period. No nests failed on an offshore island where sugar gliders were shown to be absent. Most cases (83.3%) of glider predation resulted in the death of the adult female parrot. On the Tasmanian mainland, there was a positive relationship between nest survival and increasing mature forest cover at the landscape scale. Main conclusions: Predation risk varied dramatically across the breeding range of swift parrots, depending on the presence of sugar gliders. Offshore islands are an important refuge for swift parrots because sugar gliders are absent. However, islands are vulnerable, and our bioclimatic model shows that they are bioclimatically suitable for sugar gliders. Synergistic interactions between predation and habitat loss combine with low breeding-site philopatry to expose swift parrots to dramatic variation in predation risk depending on nesting location.
dc.identifier.issn1366-9516
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/66009
dc.publisherBlackwell Publishing Ltd
dc.sourceDiversity and Distributions
dc.titleDiscovery of a novel predator reveals extreme but highly variable mortality for an endangered migratory bird
dc.typeJournal article
local.bibliographicCitation.issue10
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage1207
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage1200
local.contributor.affiliationStojanovic, Dejan, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationWebb, Matthew, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationAlderman, Rachael, TAS Department of Primary Industries and Water
local.contributor.affiliationPorfirio, Luciana, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationHeinsohn, Robert, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.authoremailu4799452@anu.edu.au
local.contributor.authoruidStojanovic, Dejan, u4799452
local.contributor.authoruidWebb, Matthew, u4949208
local.contributor.authoruidPorfirio, Luciana, u4341830
local.contributor.authoruidHeinsohn, Robert, u8406391
local.description.embargo2037-12-31
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.absfor050104 - Landscape Ecology
local.identifier.absfor050103 - Invasive Species Ecology
local.identifier.absfor060207 - Population Ecology
local.identifier.absseo960505 - Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Forest and Woodlands Environments
local.identifier.absseo960806 - Forest and Woodlands Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity
local.identifier.ariespublicationu4279067xPUB1200
local.identifier.citationvolume20
local.identifier.doi10.1111/ddi.12214
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-84899044416
local.identifier.thomsonID000343865300008
local.identifier.uidSubmittedByu4279067
local.type.statusPublished Version

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