From threatened to threatening: Impacts of a reintroduced predator on reintroduced prey
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(Published version)
Date
2025
Authors
Stepkovitch, B.
Neave, G.
Jensen, M.A.
Tuft, K.
Moseby, K.E.
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Animal Conservation, 2025; 28(1):5-18
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B. Stepkovitch, G. Neave, M. A. Jensen, K. Tuft, K. E. Moseby
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Abstract
Despite the recent global increase in projects utilizing conservation fencing, reintroductions of predators to fenced conservation reserves are rare. Reintroducing threatened predators into closed ecosystems raises potential issues of overabundance, population viability and inbreeding. In particular, impacts to resident prey species are not well studied across predator reintroductions worldwide, in part due to the difficulties in measuring predator impacts without adequate control areas. Over the 4 years following release, we used multiple lines of evidence and a paired treatment and control area to assess the potential impact of a reintroduced threatened predator, the western quoll, on four reintroduced threatened mammal species in a fenced reserve. Diet analysis, radio-tracking and direct observation suggested that quolls killed and consumed all four reintroduced threatened native prey species, but two of these prey species (bettongs and bandicoots) were preferred prey. Abundance indices of these two prey species declined in parts of the reserve where quolls were present relative to control areas, yet local extinction did not occur. Quoll hunting behaviour suggested that these preferences may be driven, in part, by differences in the detectability and accessibility of similar-sized prey. Dietary selection for threatened prey was reduced at times when native rodents, a highly preferred prey species, were in high abundance. The presence of rodents, coupled with the quoll-exclusion control area and carcass dumps, may have protected reintroduced threatened prey from local extinction. Predator reintroductions to fenced reserves may help maintain ecosystem balance; however, predators may be incompatible with conservation of some threatened prey species unless alternative common prey are present or intensive management actions are implemented.
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First published: 14 November 2023
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© 2023 The Authors. Animal Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.