Devil declines and catastrophic cascades: is mesopredator release of feral cats inhibiting recovery of the eastern quoll?

PloS One
Bronwyn A FancourtStewart C Nicol

Abstract

The eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized Australian marsupial carnivore that has recently undergone a rapid and severe population decline over the 10 years to 2009, with no sign of recovery. This decline has been linked to a period of unfavourable weather, but subsequent improved weather conditions have not been matched by quoll recovery. A recent study suggested another mechanism: that declines in Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) populations, due to the spread of the fatal Devil Facial Tumour Disease, have released feral cats (Felis catus) from competitive suppression, with eastern quoll declines linked to a subsequent increase in cat sightings. Yet current evidence of intraguild suppression among devils, cats and quolls is scant and equivocal. We therefore assessed the influences of top-down effects on abundance and activity patterns among devils, feral cats and eastern quolls. Between 2011 and 2013, we monitored four carnivore populations using longitudinal trapping and camera surveys, and performed camera surveys at 12 additional sites throughout the eastern quoll's range. We did not find evidence of a negative relationship between devil and cat abundance, nor of higher cat abundance in areas where de...Continue Reading

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Citations

Dec 15, 2015·Veterinary Pathology·R J PyeA Kreiss
Mar 10, 2018·Scientific Reports·Marcus A LashleyChris E Moorman
Jul 16, 2020·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Anthony SévêqueAntonio Uzal
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Apr 27, 2021·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·B T LazenbyC R Dickman

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