Austral Ecology

Pink-tailed Worm-lizards (Aprasia parapulchella) are most abundant at sites where vegetation is characteristic of low levels of agricultural modification. There is the potential to use knowledge about habitat preferences to inform survey, management and restoration efforts.

Mitchell’s water monitors (Varanus mitchelli) are a small to medium-sized (<1 m TL) Australian varanid lizard endemic to northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory, extending just into north-western Queensland, which have suffered dramatic declines following the arrival of cane toads. Here, we present observations of V. mitchelli from previously unreported saline and brackish habitats, as well as information on the cryptic behaviour and seasonal activity of this threatened species in Darwin, Northern Territory, and discuss the conservation implications of these natural history observations.

This study aimed to quantify invasion degree by alien plants species in Reunion Island using three different sources of data : data from field survey, expert knowledge and model.

We investigated patterns and drivers of plant flowering and flower insect visitor communities in a chronosequence of patches from three different time-since-fire categories in Southern Brazilian grasslands. Pollinator insects were benefited by floral resource aggregation in freshly-burnt (FB) patches, increasing in abundance (bees and butterflies) and species richness (bees). Furthermore, plant species flowering and bee species composition varied between FB and old-burnt (OB), but did not differ from intermediate-burnt (IB) grasslands. Altogether, these results indicate the importance FB patches to sustain pollination services, and support that a mosaic of grasslands from different times-since-fire should be considered for grassland conservation.

While an inverse relationship between egg and clutch sizes has been found repeatedly across animal groups, few studies have investigated this relationship in the context of other variables. We use a comparative phylogenetic approach to look at the influence of environmental selection pressures and life history traits on the trade-off between egg and clutch sizes among the Australian amphibians. We show that the shift towards producing larger eggs in smaller clutches is associated with the transition away from the ancestral amphibian reproductive pattern, providing a framework for future examinations of this trade-off among anurans.

Conserving habitats crucial for threatened koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations requires rating habitat quality from a fine spatial scale to patches, landscapes and then regions.

We tested the effectiveness of plastic mesh for protecting simulated freshwater turtle nests from invasive foxes. We used the design to also determine whether nest protection drove foxes to ‘give up’ foraging on nests, following aspects of optimal foraging theory. The mesh proved ineffective, but this may be because foxes in this area have learned to defeat plastic mesh since it has been used to protect real turtle nests for several years.

Movement and dispersal of the threatened Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) in fragmented landscapes is critical for their survival. We used GPS telemetry to collect movement data and found that movement patterns were significantly influenced by breeding status, the size of the native vegetation patch and environmental factors. Malleefowl movement may be limited by patch size and decreases during hot, dry periods, possibly affecting breeding success, but improved habitat continuity may facilitate dispersal and persistence.

Australian brush-turkeys may act as an ecosystem engineer due to their turnover of soil and leaf litter when building their incubation mounds. We measured leaf litter decomposition rates around brush-turkey mounds in urban reserves using mesh litter bags. Decomposition rates were higher adjacent to mounds during the brush-turkey breeding season.

The freshwater turtle fauna in Australia, mainly consisting of species in the family Chelidae, is characterized by distinct lineages that have survived from a more diverse past. Conservation efforts face challenges due to habitat fragmentation, water resource development, invasive predators like foxes and feral pigs, altered land use, and the impact of invasive species and pathogens. This article discusses the process of listing turtles under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, highlights key threats and knowledge gaps, and explores the inclusion of First Nations Knowledge and the engagement of Indigenous communities in conservation initiatives.

Flowers of the Tasmanian endemic shrub Richea dracophylla are covered with a calyptra which is removed by birds before insect pollination can occur. Nocturnal ants Notoncus hickmani were active on flowers in large numbers at temperatures down to 2.5°C.