Katherine E. Moseby

UNSW Sydney | UNSW · School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES)

Prey naiveté has been implicated in the global decline and reintroduction failure of many threatened species. A number of tools have been developed to combat prey naiveté including in situ predator exposure using live predators. However, determining the effectiveness and persistence of these interventions can be difficult, and requires comparisons...

Context Many vertebrate studies report predation from pit co-occupants as a source of mortality during pitfall surveys. Aims This study aims to assess the use of false-floors in pitfall traps to reduce the opportunistic predation of small reptiles by small mammals caught within the same pit. Methods Small-vertebrate surveys were conducted using p...

Landscape productivity and resource dispersion are key drivers of the movement patterns of many species. In less productive environments, home ranges are generally larger as individuals travel further to access resources. The greater bilby ( Macrotis lagotis ) has been reintroduced to several feral predator exclosures to reduce their extinction ris...

Neophobia is an ecologically relevant personality trait that manifests as aversion to new or unfamiliar stimuli. Fear and subsequent avoidance of novel stimuli represents a challenge for pest management programs, as control tools that induce a neophobic response will reduce their effectiveness. Additionally, neophobia can be a plastic trait induced...

In Australia, most threatened species translocations conducted into areas where feral predators are present fail to establish viable, self‐sustaining populations despite intensive predator control. These translocations are occurring amidst a lack of understanding regarding the conditions required for native species to survive, including predator de...

Context. Animal-borne devices can affect animal survival, reproduction, and behaviour through both the addition of weight and bulk and the direct effects of initial and subsequent capture. Researchers commonly employ a general rule of thumb that weight of the device must be less than 5% of bodyweight for terrestrial animals; however, this threshold...

Prey naivety occurs when an animal does not recognize or is unable to respond effectively to the threat of a predator. Many animals lose their anti‐predator responses if they become isolated from predators, becoming vulnerable to increased predation rates if released into areas where native or introduced predators are present. In situ exposure to i...

Context The distribution of the threatened greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) has significantly contracted since the introduction of feral cats and foxes. To counteract these threats, bilbies have been reintroduced to multiple feral predator exclosures and offshore islands across Australia. Aims The aims of this study were to monitor the reintroducti...

The availability of invasive prey often plays an important role in regulating co- introduced invasive predator populations. As predators have been shown to respond rapidly to declines in prey populations, our objective was to experimentally test how local population reduction of an invasive prey species, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus),...

The density and abundance of arid‐dwelling taxa often change significantly in response to precipitation fluctuations and the abundance of their predators. The survival and density of burrowing arthropods and their burrows in arid environments following prolonged dry periods and subsequent rains is poorly understood, as is the potential influence of...

Information on the movement ecology of species can assist with identifying barriers to dispersal and appropriate management actions. We focus on the threatened Malleefowl ( Leipoa ocellata ) whose ability to move and disperse within fragmented landscapes is critical for their survival. We also investigate the possible effects of climate change on M...

Monitoring trends in animal populations in arid regions is challenging due to remoteness and low population densities. However, detecting species' tracks or signs is an effective survey technique for monitoring population trends across large spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we developed a simulation framework to evaluate the performance...

Reintroduction programs can face issues maintaining genetic diversity due to founder effects, and subsequent bottlenecks related to mortality and reproductive skews in the first generations after release. We assessed genetic diversity and undertook a pedigree analysis of 12 founders and 23 first-generation western quolls (Dasyurus geoffroii) at a r...

Predator naivety negatively affects reintroduction success, and this threat is exacerbated when prey encounters predators with which they have had no evolutionary experience. While methods have been developed to inculcate fear into such predator-naïve individuals, none have been uniformly successful. Exposing ontogenetically- and evolutionary-naïve...

Initial translocations are inherently risky due to uncertainty around species-specific responses to novel environments. Incorporating a range of release protocols can minimise risks of translocation failure. We identified post-translocation hyperdispersal as a risk to the first translocation of the crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda), an...

Carnivore conservation translocations are assumed to provide numerous ecological benefits, including conservation of the translocated carnivores, regulation of prey species and restoration of ecosystems. Reviews of mammalian carnivore conservation translocations and resultant ecosystem effects have focussed on large carnivores. We reviewed global t...

Introduced predators are a significant threat to global biodiversity and are responsible for most of all modern bird, reptile, and mammal extinctions. In Australia, the introduced feral cat (Felis catus) kills 459 million mammals annually and leaves many species facing extinction. Attempted reintroductions of threatened mammal species often fail du...

Microchip-reading devices provide an inexpensive and efficient means of passively detecting and monitoring wildlife reintroductions, particularly where intensive methods such as trapping and radio-tracking may be difficult or pose risk to animal welfare. We trialled the use of microchip-reading antennas for post-release monitoring of the survival o...

Translocation is becoming an increasingly important approach to threatened species conservation. Coupled with the knowledge that maximizing genetic diversity aids population establishment, the growing use of translocations can place unsustainable harvesting pressure on critical and vulnerable source populations. However, adaptive, genetically infor...

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan transmitted by felids and infection, morbidity, and mortality occur in numerous marsupial species. This study explores the relationship between cat exposure and Toxoplasma in burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) in the Arid Recovery Reserve (ARR), South Australia. We estimated seroprevalence, using a mo...

The Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) is a threatened megapode bird that persists on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia—an area that has undergone substantial clearance of native vegetation over the past 200 years. Habitat loss and fragmentation can negatively affect long-term conservation status by creating small and isolated subpopulations that lea...

Climate change is expected to significantly impact bird species through changes to breeding and survival. Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) are threatened mound-building birds that persist in uncleared mallee and shrubland vegetation in semi-arid parts of southern Australia. Our aim was to understand the relationship between environmental factors and mo...

Context. Continued miniaturisation of tracking technology increases its utility in animal applications. However, species morphology often dictates the type of animal-borne device (ABD) that can be used, and how it is attached. The morphology of species within Peramelemorphia preclude them from the standard collar attachment of ABDs for terrestrial...

Within-species morphological variation is often observed across spatial and climatic gradients. Understanding this variation is important to conservation planning, as specialised adaptations may influence a population’s persistence following translocation. However, knowing whether local adaptations are prevalent within a species can be challenging...

Introduced predators are one of the leading causes of decline in island vertebrates. Understanding how they hunt and kill threatened prey can help improve management activities. Although broadscale features are known to influence predator movement patterns, factors influencing fine scale movement are often overlooked. In particular, the influence o...

Predator diet can be influenced by competition and intraguild predation, leading to resource partitioning and/or avoidance. For sympatric, endemic predators, these processes form as predator species coevolve, facilitating coexistence. However, when novel predator interactions occur, significant dietary overlap could create acute levels of competiti...

Movements that extend beyond the usual space use of an animal have been documented in a range of species and are particularly prevalent in arid areas. We present long-distance movement data on five feral cats (Felis catus) GPS/VHF-collared during two different research projects in arid and semi-arid Australia. We compare these movements with data f...

Kangaroo populations have increased significantly across Australia’s arid rangelands where the Dingo (Canis dingo) is excluded, with some of the highest concentrations in western New South Wales. Novel adaptive management tools are needed to conserve kangaroo (Macropus and Osphranter spp.) populations and avoid negative impacts to biodiversity, agr...

This Statement on improving kangaroo management originates from the shared experience of many peak bodies and stakeholders that existing policy and practices related to kangaroo management cause perverse outcomes for animal welfare, conservation, productivity, waste, drought resilience, climate, and the health, culture and wellbeing of Australians....

Herbivory can threaten the persistence of palatable plant species and the fauna communities dependent upon diverse and structurally complex post‐fire regeneration. This study compared the introduction success of the nationally Endangered Chalky Wattle (Acacia cretacea) in the South Australian mallee under different fire and browsing treatments. Rec...

Dispersal behaviour and sociality are significant factors influencing survival at both the individual and population levels. In translocation and breeding programmes, social structure and sex‐biased philopatry and dispersal should be considered in order to maximise population viability and conservation outcomes. Here, we use the greater stick‐nest...

Conservation practitioners implement management interventions for the protection of threatened species, but the benefits are rarely measured. We investigated the efficacy of aerial poison baiting for feral cats, a species identified as a threat to reintroduced populations of two Australian mammals. We measured individual survival, short‐term change...

Conservation genetics has informed threatened species management for several decades. With the advent of advanced DNA sequencing technologies in recent years, it is now possible to monitor and manage threatened populations with even greater precision. Climate change presents a number of threats and challenges, but new genomics data and analytical a...

Reintroductions of threatened species can fail due to a lack of site fidelity and dispersal of individuals away from the release site. Delayed-release techniques are commonly used in reintroduction programmes to acclimatise animals to novel sites to improve site fidelity and survival following release. However, some studies have found negative or l...

Predator-protected populations of threatened fauna are important for species conservation, although these animals can quickly become predator naïve and can lack appropriate antipredator behaviour to enable them to persist once released. Controlled predator exposure can improve predator recognition and encourage avoidance behaviour, but little is kn...

Translocation—moving individuals for release in different locations—is among the most important conservation interventions for increasing or re-establishing populations of threatened species. However, translocations often fail. To improve their effectiveness, we need to understand the features that distinguish successful from failed translocations....

Successful fauna reintroductions occur when the original causes of decline are addressed. When these causes are unclear, intensive post-release monitoring could help identify unknown threats and new management actions. We present an Australian case study involving a reintroduction of the threatened western quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii), a species whos...

Predation is a key factor contributing to the failure of reintroductions of vertebrates but there is variation in predation risk between individuals. Understanding the traits that render some animals less susceptible to predation, and selecting for these traits, may help improve reintroduction success. Here, we test whether prior exposure to predat...

Effective monitoring of mammal species is critical to their management. Thermal cameras may enable more accurate detection of nocturnal mammals than visual observation with the aid of spotlights. We aimed to measure improvements in detection provided by thermal cameras, and to determine how these improvements depended on ambient temperatures and ma...

Translocation is an increasingly common component of species conservation efforts. However, translocated populations often suffer from loss of genetic diversity and increased inbreeding, and thus may require active management to establish gene flow across isolated populations. Assisted gene flow can be laborious and costly, so recipient and source...

Arid rangelands are degraded worldwide, suffering vegetation transformation, soil erosion, introductions, and extinctions. Wild deserts is restoring a desert ecosystem in Sturt National Park, New South Wales, Australia (35,000 ha), eradicating or controlling introduced animals, managing native herbivores, and reintroducing regionally extinct mammal...

Context: Feral goats (Capra hircus) are a significant pest species throughout southern Australia. They threaten rare plants, contribute to soil erosion, compete with domestic stock, and are implicated in the decline of several native herbivores. Feral goats are a declared pest and control is often implemented. Aims: We fitted feral goats with GPS...

Globally, wildlife managers often control predator populations to protect biodiversity, livestock or other valued resources. Most assume that the predation impact of each individual predator is the same and that removing any individual predator produces a benefit to the target species. However, research suggests predation efficacy can vary within a...

The “life-dinner principle” posits that there is greater selection pressure on the species that have more to lose in an interaction. Thus, based on the asymmetry within predator-prey interactions, there is an advantage for prey to learn quickly, especially in response to novel, introduced predators. Here, we test the “learned recognition” hypothesi...

The spinifex hopping mouse (Notomys alexis) is an Australian arid zone rodent that undergoes boom and bust population cycles in its natural environment. Most populations studied to date have been sympatric with exotic predators and introduced herbivores, likely affecting their population dynamics. Therefore, it is unclear whether high‐density popul...

Understanding the conditions under which small native Australian mammals can persist in the presence of introduced predators remains a key challenge to conservation ecologists. Bettong‐specific one‐way gates were used at a predator‐free reserve in South Australia to allow the burrowing bettong (Bettongia lesueur ) – a small potoroid, listed as ‘vul...

An important component of reintroduction is acclimatization to the release site. Movement parameters and breeding are common metrics used to infer the end of the acclimatization period, but the time taken to locate preferred food items is another important measure. We studied the diet of a reintroduced population of brushtail possums Trichosurus vu...

Habitat degradation contributes to species decline, and habitat quality is an important factor influencing reintroduction success globally. Habitat quality can include a range of physical resources such as nest sites and food resources but also anything that can restrict the use of these resources such as predation risk or competition. In arid Aust...

The impacts of invasive predators can be amplified by high densities of invasive prey species. In Australia, hyper abundant rabbit populations lead to high densities of feral cats and correspondingly high impact of cats on native species, especially small mammals. Therefore, it would be expected reducing rabbits could also reduce abundance of cats,...

ContextFeral cats pose a significant threat to wildlife in Australia and internationally. Controlling feral cats can be problematic because of their tendency to hunt live prey rather than be attracted to food-based lures. The Felixer grooming trap was developed as a targeted and automated poisoning device that sprays poison onto the fur of a passin...

ContextFenced reserves from which invasive predators are removed are increasingly used as a conservation management tool, because they provide safe havens for susceptible threatened species, and create dense populations of native wildlife that could act as a source population for recolonising the surrounding landscape. However, the latter effect mi...

Reintroduction has become an increasingly important conservation tool in Australia, yet the effects of stress on species during reintroduction programs have received little attention. The use of enzyme immunoassays to measure faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) is a useful non-invasive technique to monitor adrenal activity but requires validati...

Spillover effects are an expansion of conservation benefits beyond protected areas through dispersal of species that reside within. They have been well documented in marine but not terrestrial systems. To understand the effects on wildlife created by conservation fences, we explored the internal and external gradients of activity in mammal, reptile...

Mammals comprise the bulk of the diet of free‐ranging domestic cats Felis catus (defined as including outdoor pet cats, strays, and feral cats) in most parts of their global range. In Australia, predation by introduced feral cats has been implicated in the extinction of many mammal species, and in the ongoing decline of many extant species. Here, w...

Many translocations and introductions to recover threatened populations fail because predators kill prey soon after release; a problem exacerbated for predator-naive prey. While pre-release training has been shown to work in some situations, it is time consuming and relies on using inferred predator cues and treating small groups. We review a relat...

Compassionate conservation focuses on 4 tenets: first, do no harm; individuals matter; inclusivity of individual animals; and peaceful coexistence between humans and animals. Recently, compassionate conservation has been promoted as an alternative to conventional conservation philosophy. We believe examples presented by compassionate conservationis...

With ongoing introductions into Australia since the 1700s, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has become one of the most widely distributed and abundant vertebrate pests, adversely impacting Australia's biodiversity and agroeconomy. To understand the population and range dynamics of the species and its impacts better, occurrence and abunda...

Inappropriate anti‐predator responses (naiveté) towards introduced predators is a key factor contributing to the extinction and endangerment of prey species world‐wide and the failure of wildlife reintroductions. Here, we test the idea that success of reintroduction can be improved by exposing a predator naïve prey species to introduced predators u...

Ecosystem engineers are species that have a role in creating and maintaining certain habitat traits that are important for other species. Burrowing species do this by creating subterranean refugia from predation and thermal extremes, but also providing foraging opportunities through soil movement and by increasing local landscape heterogeneity. In...

Monitoring programmes are intended to inform effective biodiversity conservation and management (Legge et al. 2018). Well‐designed programmes can establish baseline conditions, determine trends in threatened species populations, quantify the effects of management, and provide warning of ecosystem changes (Magurran et al. 2010). For these reasons, b...

The taxonomic status and systematic nomenclature of the Australian dingo remain contentious, resulting in decades of inconsistent applications in the scientific literature and in policy. Prompted by a recent publication calling for dingoes to be considered taxonomically as domestic dogs (Jackson et al. 2017, Zootaxa 4317, 201-224), we review the is...

Recent studies suggest that apex predators play a pivotal role in maintaining healthy, balanced ecosystems. However, a criticism of studies investigating the ecological role of apex predators is that understanding does not come from manipulative experiments. Here, we use a before-after-control-impact-paired design to test predictions generated from...

Maintaining mammal populations on havens – whether they are naturally occurring or translocated – has helped to prevent further mammal extinctions, and consolidated protection for other species. These havens fall under the management of many organisations, ranging from local councils, community groups and small private organisations to large non-go...

Many Australian mammal species are highly susceptible to predation by introduced cats and foxes. At least 34 Australian endemic mammal species have been made extinct since 1788, about 10% of Australia's terrestrial fauna, and predation by cats and foxes was a major contribution to most of those extinctions. Maintaining mammal populations on havens...

Natal dispersal is influenced by many environmental and biological factors and can be a time of elevated mortality risk. We aimed to understand how physical, behavioral, and demographic traits of mothers and juveniles influenced natal dispersal by studying a population of brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) reintroduced to their former range....

Felixer grooming “traps” provide a novel technique for controlling invasive red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cats (Felis catus) by ejecting a dose of poison onto the fur of a target animal, which is subsequently ingested through grooming. The Felixer achieves target specificity through a discriminatory sensor arrangement and algorithm as well as...