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opencc-by-4.0Aug 2020View details →

Fig. 1 in Comparison of the modified agglutination test and real-time PCR for detection of Toxoplasma gondii exposure in feral cats from Phillip Island, Australia, and risk factors associated with infection

Fig. 1. Location and Toxoplasma gondii infection status, as detected by real-time PCR (qPCR), of feral cats trapped on Phillip Island (Victoria) from July 2016 to December 2017. Map shows the distribution of different location types (Park, Agricultural, Residential) used in multivariable regression analysis. A circular spread of points around a location marked with 'x' indicates multiple animals were sampled at the same site (i.e. same GPS coordinates). Red = T. gondii qPCR positive, white = T. gondii qPCR negative. Map created using Quantum GIS, version 3.8. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2023View details →

Fig. 1 in Presence of IgG antibodies is not a reliable marker of Toxoplasma gondii infection in feral mice

Fig. 1. Frequency distribution of body weight in Toxoplasma gondii B1 PCRnegative (in green) and positive mice (in red). (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2022View details →

Fig. 1 in Are feral goats intermediate hosts for Linguatula (Pentastomida) in Australia?

Fig. 1. Anterior end of infective nymph of Linguatula sp. removed from capsule within mesenteric lymph node of a feral goat examined in this study. Lateral view. Note capsule wall on left side of photograph. ah, anterior hook; as, annular spine; bc, buccal capsule; dap, dorsal accessory piece; ph, posterior hook. Scale bar 50 μm.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2024View details →

Fig. 3 in The first finding of Dictyocaulus cervi and Dictyocaulus skrjabini (Nematoda) in feral fallow deer (Dama dama) in Australia

Fig. 3. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees of cox1 (A), 18S rRNA (B), and ITS2 (C) Dictyocaulus sequences. Sequences from this study are indicated in bold. Square brackets indicate GenBank accessions. Coloured boxes indicate putative Dictyocaulus species groups.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2024View details →

Fig. 2. A in The first finding of Dictyocaulus cervi and Dictyocaulus skrjabini (Nematoda) in feral fallow deer (Dama dama) in Australia

Fig. 2. A. Posterior end of a male specimen of Dictyocaulus cervi collected from a fallow deer from Bega (NSW), ventral view. B. Posterior end of a male specimen of Dictyocaulus skjrabini collected from a fallow deer from Bega (NSW), lateral view. Scale bar: 50 μm.

dryad40/100

Feral pig (Sus scrofa) disturbance facilitates establishment of resource-acquisitive species in Hawaiian forest understories

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publicDec 2023View details →

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Do introduced apex predators suppress introduced mesopredators? A multiscale spatiotemporal study of dingoes and feral cats in Australia suggests not

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publicJan 2020View details →

opencc-zeroNov 2023View details →

Genomic regions associated with pseudorabies virus infection status in naturally infected feral swine (Sus scrofa)

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) – the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease – was eliminated from commercial pig production herds in the United States (US) in 2004; however, PRV remains endemic among invasive feral swine (Sus scrofa). The circulation of PRV among abundant, widespread feral swine populations poses a sustained risk for disease spillover to production herds. Risk–based surveillance has been successfully implemented for PRV in feral swine populations in the US. However, understanding the role of host genetics in infection status may offer new insights into the epidemiology and disease dynamics of PRV that can be applied to management strategies. Genetic mechanisms underlying host susceptibility to PRV are relatively unknown; therefore, we sought to identify genomic regions associated with PRV infection status among naturally infected feral swine using genome–wide association studies (GWAS) and gene set enrichment analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism data (GSEA–SNP). Paired serological and genotypic data were collected from 6,081 feral swine distributed across the invaded range within the contiguous US. Three complementary study populations were developed for GWAS: 1) comprehensive population consisting of feral swine throughout the invaded range within the contiguous US; 2) population of feral swine under high, but temporally variable PRV infection pressure; and 3) population of feral swine under temporally stable, high PRV infection pressure. We identified one intronic SNP associated with PRV infection status within candidate gene AKAP6 on autosome 7. Various gene sets linked to metabolic pathways were enriched in the GSEA–SNP. Ultimately, improving disease surveillance efforts in feral swine will be critical to further understanding of the role host genetics play in PRV infection status, helping secure the health of commercial pork production.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2024View details →

South-east Australian Feral Pig SNPs

Methods: During feral pig control programs, either tissue or blood samples were collected from culled pigs for genetic analysis. Tissue biopsies were collected in tissue sampling unit (TSU) buffer (Allflex) or 80% ethanol. Blood sampling was undertaken using the GenoTube swab system (Thermo Fisher). Samples were extracted using the sbeadex Livestock DNA Purification Kit (Biosearch Technologies) on the Kingfisher Flex Purification System (ThermoFisher) under manufacturer’s instructions for tissue or blood extractions. SNP genotyping was conducted using the Porcine SNP60 BeadChip (v2 and v3, Illumina) containing 61,565 (v2) or 75,753 (v3) SNPs, according to the manufacturer’s protocol. After genotyping, individuals were filtered to exclude samples with less than a 99% call rate. SNPs were filtered to exclude sites with a call-rate of less than 99% (which also excluded SNPs that were only found on the v3 BeadChip), minor allele frequency of < 0.01, all unmapped SNPs and those on sex chromosomes.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Data from: Targeted genome-wide SNP genotyping in feral horses using non-invasive fecal swabs

The development of high-throughput sequencing has prompted a transition in wildlife genetics from using microsatellites toward sets of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). However, genotyping large numbers of targeted SNPs using non-invasive samples remains challenging due to relatively large DNA input requirements. Recently, target enrichment has emerged as a promising approach requiring little template DNA. We assessed the efficacy of Tecan Genomics' Allegro Targeted Genotyping (ATG) for generating genome-wide SNP data in feral horses using DNA isolated from fecal swabs. Total and host-specific DNA were quantified for 989 samples collected as part of a long-term individual-based study of feral horses on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, using dsDNA fluorescence and a host-specific qPCR assay, respectively. Forty-eight samples representing 44 individuals containing at least 10ng of host DNA (ATG's recommended minimum input) were genotyped using a custom multiplex panel targeting 279 SNPs. Genotyping accuracy and consistency were assessed by contrasting ATG genotypes with those obtained from the same individuals with SNP microarrays, and from multiple samples from the same horse, respectively. 62% of swabs yielded the minimum recommended amount of host DNA for ATG. Ignoring samples that failed to amplify, ATG recovered an average of 86.7% targeted sites per sample, while genotype concordance between ATG and SNP microarrays was 98.5%. The repeatability of genotypes from the same individual approached unity with an average of 99.9%. This study demonstrates the suitability of ATG for genome-wide, non-invasive targeted SNP genotyping, and will facilitate further ecological and conservation genetics research in equids and related species.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

A novel trophic cascade between cougars and feral donkeys shapes desert wetlands

Introduced large herbivores have partly filled ecological gaps formed in the late Pleistocene, when many of the Earth's megafauna were driven extinct. However, extant predators are generally considered incapable of exerting top-down influences on introduced megafauna, leading to unusually strong disturbance and herbivory relative to native herbivores. We report on the first documented predation of juvenile feral donkeys (Equus africanus asinus) by cougars (Puma concolor) in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of North America. We then investigated how cougar predation corresponds with differences in feral donkey behavior and associated effects on desert wetlands. Focusing on a feral donkey population in Death Valley National Park, we compared donkey activity patterns and impacts between wetlands with and without cougar predation. Donkeys were primarily diurnal at wetlands with cougar predation, thereby avoiding cougars. However, donkeys were active throughout the day and night at sites without predation. Donkeys were ~87% less active (measured as hours of activity a day) at wetlands with predation (p<0.0001). Sites with predation had reduced donkey disturbance and herbivory, including ~46% fewer access trails, 43% less trampled bare ground, and 192% more canopy cover (PERMANOVA, R2 = 0.22, p=0.0003). Our study is the first to reveal a trophic cascade involving cougars, feral equids, and vegetation. Cougar predation appears to rewire an ancient food web, with diverse implications for modern ecosystems. Our results suggest that protecting apex predators could have important implications for the ecological effects of introduced megafauna.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Laying low: Rugged lowland rainforest preferred by feral cats in the Australian wet tropics

Invasive mesopredators are responsible for the decline of many species of native mammals worldwide. Feral cats have been causally linked to multiple extinctions of Australian mammals since European colonisation. While feral cats are found throughout Australia, most research has been undertaken in arid habitats, thus there is a limited understanding of feral cat distribution, abundance, and ecology in Australian tropical rainforests. We carried out camera-trapping surveys at 108 locations across seven study sites, spanning 200 km in the Australian Wet Tropics. Single-species occupancy analysis was implemented to investigate how environmental factors influence feral cat distribution. Feral cats were detected at a rate of 5.09 photographs/100 days, 11 times higher than previously recorded in the Australian Wet Tropics. The main environmental factors influencing feral cat occupancy were a positive association with terrain ruggedness, a negative association with elevation, and a higher affinity for rainforest than eucalypt forest. These findings were consistent with other studies on feral cat ecology but differed from similar surveys in Australia. Increasingly harsh and consistently wet weather conditions at higher elevations, and improved shelter in topographically complex habitats may drive cat preference for lowland rainforest. Feral cats were positively associated with roads, supporting the theory that roads facilitate access and colonisation of feral cats within more remote parts of the rainforest. Higher elevation rainforests with no roads could act as refugia for native prey species within the critical weight range. Regular monitoring of existing roads should be implemented to monitor feral cats, and new linear infrastructure should be limited to prevent encroachment into these areas. This is pertinent as climate change modelling suggests that habitats at higher elevations will become similar to lower elevations, potentially making the environment more suitable for feral cat populations.

opencc-by-4.0May 2024View details →

Data for: Love thy neighbour: feral buffalo show greater space use, resource overlap and encounters during the wet season in the Northern Territory

The code, data, and R objects in this repository accompany a paper titled 'Love thy neighbour: feral buffalo show greater space use, resource overlap and encounters during the wet season in the Northern Territory'. In this paper we used spatially explicit movement models to understand buffalo movement and social behaviour to provide decision support to wildlife managers. We used continuous time movement models to produce autocorrelated kernel density estimates of buffalo home ranges and encounter space from 126,567 locations from 17 buffalo GPS tracked from November 2018 to April 2019. We compared the movement, space use and social behaviour of buffalo between the wet and dry season of the Djelk area, when resource availability is vastly different in the wetland areas of the Northern Territory. Results from these models can be used by land holders, traditional owners, and wildlife managers to make evidence-based decisions to optimize buffalo management in respect to disease risk, sustainable harvest, and damage to environmental and cultural assets. The R Markdown, and accompanying data detail the modelling process from data pre-processing, fitting home ranges, comparing home range overalp and estimating social encounter area for the buffalo over three seasonal periods. Estimating home ranges can be computationally taxing and re-creating home range estimates for each buffalo can take several hours depending on the computing power of the user so intermediate outputs have also been included.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2024View details →

Fig. 1 in The first finding of Dictyocaulus cervi and Dictyocaulus skrjabini (Nematoda) in feral fallow deer (Dama dama) in Australia

Fig. 1. Map of collection locations for feral deer examined in this study.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2024View details →

Flight initiation distance differs among eumelanin-based color morphs in feral pigeons

The table lists the variable and factors used in the article: “Flight initiation distance differs among eumelanin-based color morphs in feral pigeons” - “Individual” is an individual number to differentiate individiual feral pigeons - “Location” is the name of the location in Paris where the FID of the individual was measured - “Date” is the date when the FID of the individual was measured - “ColorMorph” is the eumelanin-based color morph of the individual - “Latitude” and “Longitude” are the spatial coordinates of the site in Paris where the FID of the individual was measured - "FID" is the Flight Initiation Distance measured - columns from “Urbanisation300” to “Urbanisation1000” are the Urbanization rates determined within increasing radius from 300 to 1000m around each individual - columns from “PedestrianTraffic300PropNiv1” to “PedestrianTraffic900PropNiv1” are the proportion of streets of level 1 intensity, measured within increasing radius from 300 to 900m - columns from “PedestrianTraffic300PropNiv2” to “PedestrianTraffic900PropNiv2” are the proportion of streets of level 2 intensity, measured within increasing radius from 300 to 900m - columns from “PedestrianTraffic300PropNiv3” to “PedestrianTraffic900PropNiv2” are the proportion of streets of level 3 intensity, measured within increasing radius from 300 to 900m

opencc-zeroFeb 2023View details →

Data from: Mesopredator release among invasive predators: controlling red foxes can increase feral cat density and alter their behaviour

The mesopredator release theory predicts that the density of subordinate predators will increase as dominant predators decline. Persistent debate around mesopredator release in part reflects the lack of robust, replicated experiments to test this theory, and the use of population indices which confound changes in mesopredator density and detectability. This uncertainty has immediate impacts for conservationists who are faced with managing sympatric invasive predators. We used replicated experimental designs and spatially-explicit models to examine whether mesopredator release of the feral cat Felis catus occurs in response to targeted control of the introduced red fox Vulpes vulpes. We surveyed three Control-Impact paired landscapes in a region with long-term fox control (1080 poison baiting), and conducted a Before-After Control-Impact Paired-Series experiment in another region. We used fox occurrence as a simple metric of fox populations and estimated feral cat density with spatial mark-resight models. Lethal fox control had varying effects on fox occurrence, consistent with variation in the duration and intensity of poison baiting. Correspondingly, responses in feral cat density ranged from negligible to a 3.7-fold higher density in fox-baited landscapes. At a fine spatial scale (200 m2), feral cat density was negatively associated with fox occurrence probability across both regions. These results were consistent with mesopredator release, although uncertainty was high in the region where fox control had only recently commenced. Feral cat detectability also varied across the (artificially-manipulated) gradients of fox occurrence probability. In one region, nonlinear models indicated that feral cats had lower detection and increased movement rates when foxes were uncommon, giving way to density suppression at high fox occurrence probabilities. Synthesis and applications. Our study provides replicated, experimental evidence that dominant predator suppression can be associated with a higher mesopredator density. Mesopredator release can manifest as changes in both behaviour and density, distorting inference if these processes are not distinguished. Our results may help explain why fox control does not consistently improve native prey persistence, suggesting integrated pest management may be necessary to improve conservation outcomes.

opencc-zeroApr 2023View details →

Data from: Feral pigeon roosting and nesting occurrences in MRT viaduct expansion gaps and measured variables in Singapore

The feral pigeon (Columba livia) is a globally commensal bird that can cause dis-amenities such as soiling and is a potential vector of various diseases. Aside to limiting food as a management strategy, reducing the availability of roosting and nesting sites can help regulate feral pigeon populations. Despite their prevalence, current knowledge of their roosting and nesting preferences is lacking. Feral pigeons commonly use railway viaduct expansion gaps in Singapore for roosting and nesting. These gaps provided an ideal experimental platform to examine feral pigeon roost and nest site selection while controlling for differing cavity sizes which can significantly affect their reproductive success and site selection decisions. We also conducted an in-situ experiment to test the efficacy of nest removal as a management option. Our nationwide surveys of 80.3km of railway viaducts and 6,048 gaps revealed that feral pigeon day roosting and nesting preferences are influenced by structural height and more importantly, their proximity to human food sources. There was a significantly higher probability of feral pigeon roosting in a gap if it had more pigeon feeding incidences in its vicinity and was higher. The probability of feral pigeon nesting in gap was higher if it was closer to a railway station, lower and further from water bodies. In our field experiment, we did not find any significant differences in the proportions of the abundances of feral pigeon to other urban commensal bird species at the gaps before and after nests were removed. Overall, our results suggest that a concerted effort to reduce anthropogenic food availability to feral pigeons is central in limiting their reproductive success and controlling their population.

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

Use of density-impact functions to inform and improve the environmental outcomes of feral horse management

The available science often demonstrates the need for feral horse population control but not the degree of control required to achieve environmental conservation objectives. To better manage the influence of feral horses, we must first understand the relationship between feral horse density and environmental impact. We recorded vegetation and soil disturbance, and the sign of potential causes of this impact in two parts of the Australian Alps, the Bogong High Plains (BHP) and the Eastern Victorian Alps (EVA). We calculated density-impact functions to assist managers with determining feral horse density targets for control programmes. Minimal sign of feral horse impact was detected on the BHP, with no impact of feral horses observed along 99% of the length of transects. In contrast, impacts assigned to feral horses were significantly higher in the EVA, where a larger, higher-density population of feral horses existed. However, greater than 83% of the walked transect length was still undisturbed by feral horses in the EVA. We detected a threshold of horse impact at ~250 horse faecal piles per ha. Above this threshold, a slight increase in horse density resulted in a disproportionately large increase in impact. In this context, a relatively small population control effort may substantially reduce direct horse impact. But where horse densities exist below this threshold, considerably more expense and control effort (resulting from the difficulties related to control at low density) is likely to make very little difference to an already low level of direct impact. The combined impacts associated with the sign of deer, feral pigs, fire and humans were large compared to that of feral horses. Management of feral horses to reduce their direct impact is unlikely to be beneficial without complementary management to reduce the effects of these other agents of impact.

opencc-zeroJun 2023View details →

Reduced parasite burden in feral honeybee colonies

Bee parasites are the main threat to apiculture and since many parasite taxa can spill over from honeybees (Apis mellifera) to other bee species, honeybee disease management is important for pollinator conservation in general. It is unknown whether honeybees that escaped from apiaries (i.e. feral colonies) benefit from natural parasite‐reducing mechanisms like swarming or suffer from high parasite pressure due to the lack of medical treatment. In the latter case, they could function as parasite reservoirs and pose a risk to the health of managed honeybees (spillback) and wild bees (spillover). We compared the occurrence of 18 microparasites among managed (N = 74) and feral (N = 64) honeybee colony samples from four regions in Germany using qPCR. We distinguished five colony types representing differences in colony age and management histories, two variables potentially modulating parasite prevalence. Besides strong regional variation in parasite communities, parasite burden was consistently lower in feral than in managed colonies. The overall number of detected parasite taxa per colony was 15% lower and Trypanosomatidae, chronic bee paralysis virus, and deformed wing viruses A and B were less prevalent and abundant in feral colonies than in managed colonies. Parasite burden was lowest in newly founded feral colonies, intermediate in overwintered feral colonies and managed nucleus colonies, and highest in overwintered managed colonies and hived swarms. Our study confirms the hypothesis that the natural mode of colony reproduction and dispersal by swarming temporally reduces parasite pressure in honeybees. We conclude that feral colonies are unlikely to contribute significantly to the spread of bee diseases. There is no conflict between the conservation of wild‐living honeybees and the management of diseases in apiculture.