Skye F. Cameron

• PhD BSc (Hons)
• Regional Ecologist at Australian Wildlife Conservancy

One of the more intuitive viability costs that can result from the possession of exaggerated sexually selected traits is increased predation pressure due to reduced locomotor capacity. Despite mixed empirical support for such locomotor costs, recent studies suggest such costs may be masked by compensatory traits that effectively offset any detrimen...

Neuromotor deficits are an important sign of manganese (Mn) toxicity in humans and laboratory animals. However, the impacts of Mn exposure on the motor function of wild animals remains largely unknown. Here, we assessed the impact of chronic exposure to Mn from active mining operations on Groote Eylandt, Australia on the motor function of the semi-...

Context Feral cats are a significant threat to native wildlife and broad-scale control is required to reduce their impacts. Two toxic baits developed for feral cats, Curiosity® and Hisstory®, have been designed to reduce the risk of baiting to certain non-target species. These baits involve encapsulating the toxin within a hard-shelled delivery veh...

Studies of sexual selection primarily focus on morphological traits such as body size and secondary trait dimorphism, with less attention been given to the functional differences between the sexes and even more so their thermal performance capacities. Each sex may benefit from possessing different thermal performance capacities that would allow the...

Mining is fundamental to the Australian economy, yet little is known about how potential contaminants bioaccumulate and affect wildlife living near active mining sites. Here, we show using air sampling that fine manganese dust within the respirable size range is found at levels exceeding international recommendations even 20 km from manganese extra...

The activities that define survival and reproductive success in animals depend on their physical performances. However, performance is a complex trait, and organisms must balance competing demands of multiple underlying factors every time they undertake an activity. For example, the morphology that increases bite force (i.e., increased head size)—i...

In our present age of extinction, conservation managers must use limited resources efficiently to conserve species and the genetic diversity within them. To conserve intraspecific variation, we must understand the geographic distribution of the variation and plan management actions that will cost-effectively maximise its retention. Here, we use a g...

The Northern Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) has experienced widespread range contractions and local extinction across Northern Australia, primarily driven by the invasive cane toad (Rhinella marina). The capacity of quoll populations to persist and recover post toad arrival, however, is poorly understood. There are few long-term, intensive studies tha...

Using genetic information to develop and implement conservation programs is vital for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. Evaluation of the genetic variability within and among remnant populations can inform management of both natural and translocated populations to maximise species’ adaptive potential, mitigate negative impacts of i...

Reproductive costs must be balanced with survival to maximise lifetime reproductive rates; however, some organisms invest in a single, suicidal bout of breeding known as semelparity. The northern quoll ( Dasyurus hallucatus ) is an endangered marsupial in which males, but not females, are semelparous. Northern quolls living near mining sites on Gro...

Climate change is driving changes in fire frequency and intensity, making it more urgent for conservation managers to understand how species and ecosystems respond. In tropical monsoonal savannas—Earth's most fire‐prone landscapes—ecological fire management aims to prevent intense wildfires late in the dry season through prescribed low‐intensity bu...

Yampi Sound and surrounds in the west Kimberley region of northwest Australia was recently identified as a Priority Place under the Threatened Species Action Plan 2022–2023. Yampi Sound and surrounds is an area of high biodiversity reflecting the areas complex geology and location at the intersection of three bioregions. An understanding of the fau...

Unmanaged wildfires are contributing to biodiversity declines across northern Australia’s fire-prone savanna landscapes. In response, recent decades have seen a transformation of fire management through extensive prescribed burning in the early dry season (EDS) to prevent extensive, high-intensity wildfires in the late dry season (LDS). While this...

Climate change is driving changes in fire frequency and intensity, making it more urgent for conservation managers to understand how species and ecosystems respond to fire. In tropical monsoonal savannas – Earth’s most fire-prone landscapes – ecological fire management aims to prevent intense wildfires late in the dry season through prescribed low-...

Abstract Mammal declines across northern Australia are one of the major biodiversity loss events occurring globally. There has been no regional assessment of the implications of these species declines for genomic diversity. To address this, we conducted a species‐wide assessment of genomic diversity in the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), an E...

Context Understanding what constitutes high-quality habitat for threatened species is critical for conservation management planning. The endangered northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) has experienced an uneven range contraction among habitat types. Once common across multiple habitats of northern mainland Australia, declining populations have now...

The biogeographic distribution of diversity among populations of threatened mammalian species is generally investigated using population genetics. However, intraspecific phenotypic diversity is rarely assessed beyond taxonomy‐focused linear measurements or qualitative descriptions. Here, we use a technique widely used in the evolutionary sciences—g...

Introduced predators combined with habitat loss and modification are threatening biodiversity worldwide, particularly the ‘critical weight range’ (CWR) mammals of Australia. In order to mitigate the impacts of invasive predators on native species in different landscapes, we must understand how the prey’s morphology and performance determine their s...

Context Australia has experienced the highest number of mammal extinctions of any continent over the past two centuries. Understanding the demography and spatial requirements of populations before declines occur is fundamental to confirm species trajectory, elucidate causes of decline and develop effective management strategies. Aims We evaluated...

With the current rate of decline and extinction of Australian mammals, identifying factors that affect an individual's survival are of utmost importance. Once common across the top end of Australia, northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) have undergone severe population declines and range contraction. How an animal utilizes energy can affect both sh...

Characterisation of an organism's performance in different habitats provides insight into the conditions that allow it to survive and reproduce. In recent years, Northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus)—a medium-sized semi-arboreal marsupial native to northern Australia—have undergone significant population declines within open forest, woodland and ri...

A daily challenge for any animal is balancing the necessities of foraging against the costs of detection by predators. Individuals consistently differ in their threshold of accepting predation risk versus energy gains - more risk-prone (“bolder”) individuals will spend more time foraging away from perceived cover, which increases their predation ri...

Characterisation of an organisms' performance in different habitats provides insight into the conditions that allow it to survive and reproduce. In recent years, Northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus), a medium-sized semi-arboreal marsupial native to northern Australia, have undergone significant population declines within open forest, woodland and...

Animal movement is multidimensional and complex, and to understand the motor system of wild animals in the context of their natural ecology, we must analyse how suites of performance traits both mutualistically and antagonistically affect function—a necessity highlighted by previous work on performance trade‐offs. Evidence from some studies of huma...

A central challenge in mining conservation is identifying how to protect the greatest biodiversity at the lowest cost, but the same plan cannot be used to protect every species because species vary in key factors such as diet, development, habitat use, longevity and body size. Therefore, researchers and managers are now using biological traits as t...

TBA

Effective approaches for the management and conservation of wildlife require a comprehensive knowledge of population demographics. Historically, population density estimates have been primarily obtained through costly and labour intensive mark-recapture programs. However, wildlife monitoring technology is advancing rapidly and the use of remote sen...

Manganese (Mn) is an element vital for normal cellular processing in all living organisms but deleterious in elevated concentrations. Accumulation of high levels of Mn in the brain can lead to condition known as ‘manganism’, a neurodegerative disorder characterized by a range of motor deficiencies, psychiatric disturbances and cognitive problems. H...

When temperatures surpass a certain upper threshold, performance capacities drop sharply, and will ultimately be fatal if high temperatures persist. However, in aquatic environments, organisms face the additional challenge of plummeting oxygen levels with increasing temperatures. In these instances, is temperature really the limiting factor for per...

Sexual variation in phenotypes in form and function is ubiquitous in nature, and its extent varies widely, within closely related groups and even species. Understanding patterns and the circumstances under which sexually divergent phenotypes evolve requires an understanding of both the proximate and evolutionary mechanisms involved. Latitudinal pat...