Data from: Housework or vigilance? Bilbies alter burrowing activity under threat of predation by feral cats

<p>Behavioral adjustments to predation risk not only impose costs on prey species themselves but can also have cascading impacts on whole ecosystems. The greater bilby (<em>Macrotis lagotis</em>) is an important ecosystem engineer, modifying the physical environment through their digging activity, and supporting a diverse range of sympatric species that use its burrows for refuge and food resources. The bilby has experienced severe decline over the last 200 years, and the species is now restricted to approximately 20% of its former distribution. Introduced predators, such as the feral cat (<em>Felis catus</em>), have contributed to this decline. We used camera traps to monitor bilby burrows at four sites in Western Australia, where bilbies were exposed to varying levels of cat predation threat. We investigated the impact of feral cats on bilby behavior at burrows, particularly during highly vulnerable periods when they dig and clear away soil or debris from the burrow entrance as they perform burrow maintenance. There was little evidence that bilbies avoided burrows that were visited by a feral cat; however, bilbies reduced the time spent performing burrow maintenance in the days following a cat visit (p=0.010). We found the risk posed to bilbies varied over time, with twice the cat activity around full moon compared with dark nights. Bilby burrows are such valuable resources for ecosystem functioning that bilby predation by feral cats, as well as even indirect impacts on bilby behavioral responses to perceived predation risk, together may have a substantial ecosystem impact.</p>