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26 results for “Feral cat”
Data from: Do introduced apex predators suppress introduced mesopredators? A multiscale spatiotemporal study of dingoes and feral cats in Australia suggests not
<p>1. The role of apex predators in structuring ecosystems through the suppression of mesopredator activity and abundance is receiving increasing attention, largely due to the potential benefits for biodiversity conservation. In Australia, invasive mesopredators such as feral cats (Felis catus) have been identified as major contributors to Australia's mass mammal extinctions since European arrival. The introduced dingo (Canis familiaris) has been proposed as a novel way to suppress the impacts of feral cats, however scientific evidence of the dingo's suppressive role is equivocal. 2. We used camera traps to investigate whether a large introduced predator (dingo) suppresses the activity of an established introduced mesopredator (feral cat) across a national park site conserving endangered species, and an agricultural site supporting cattle grazing enterprises. 3. Feral cats and dingoes exhibited marked overlap in both temporal and spatial activity, indicating coexistence. Some temporal separation was evident at the agricultural site, however this reflected higher diurnal activity by dingoes, not a responsive shift in cat activity. Cat activity times were unrelated to dingo presence and did not differ between areas occupied by dingoes and dingo-free areas. There was no evidence of dingoes excluding cats from patches at either site, nor was there evidence of within-night fine-scale spatiotemporal avoidance of dingoes by cats. 4. Species co-occurrence models revealed dingoes had no negative effect on the probability of cat presence. The probability of detecting a cat on the national park was significantly higher in areas with dingoes than in dingo-free areas, while on agricultural land, cat detectability did not differ between areas with and without dingoes. Cats remained active, abundant and widespread across both sites, with evidence of cats hunting and breeding successfully in areas occupied by dingoes. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our findings indicate that feral cats can coexist with dingoes, without apparent suppression of cat activity, abundance, or fitness. Proposals to reintroduce or restore dingoes and other large predators to suppress invasive mesopredators and conserve biodiversity should be carefully evaluated on a site-by-site basis, as their ability to suppress cats and protect species of conservation significance will likely be context dependent.</p>
Fig. 3 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. 3. Predicted lines of fit for the multivariable logistic regression model plotted as probability of Toxoplasma gondii qPCR positivity in feral cats on Phillip Island (Victoria) versus body weight for each season. Dashed lines show 95% confidence intervals.
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.)
Do introduced apex predators suppress introduced mesopredators? A multiscale spatiotemporal study of dingoes and feral cats in Australia suggests not
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Laying low: Rugged lowland rainforest preferred by feral cats in the Australian wet tropics
<p>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.</p>
Data from: Mesopredator release among invasive predators: controlling red foxes can increase feral cat density and alter their behaviour
<p>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.</p> <p>We used replicated experimental designs and spatially-explicit models to examine whether mesopredator release of the feral cat <em>Felis catus</em> occurs in response to targeted control of the introduced red fox <em>Vulpes vulpes</em>. 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.</p> <p>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 m<sup>2</sup>), 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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p><em>Synthesis and applications.</em> 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.</p>
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>
Laying low: Rugged lowland rainforest preferred by feral cats in the Australian wet tropics
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Data from: Mesopredator release among invasive predators: controlling red foxes can increase feral cat density and alter their behaviour
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Detections of feral cats on Matuwa between 2018 and 2021
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Data from: Housework or vigilance? Bilbies alter burrowing activity under threat of predation by feral cats
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Data from: The population origins and expansion of feral cats in Australia
The historical literature suggests that in Australia, the domestic cat (Felis catus) had a European origin [~200 years before present (ybp)], but it is unclear if cats arrived from across the Asian land bridge contemporaneously with the dingo (4000 ybp), or perhaps immigrated ~40000 ybp in association with Aboriginal settlement from Asia. The origin of cats in Australia is important because the continent has a complex and ancient faunal assemblage that is dominated by endemic rodents and marsupials and lacks the large placental carnivores found on other large continents. Cats are now ubiquitous across the entire Australian continent and have been implicit in the range contraction or extinction of its small to medium sized (<3.5kg) mammals. We analyzed the population structure of 830 cats using 15 short tandem repeat (STR) genomic markers. Their origin appears to come exclusively from European founders. Feral cats in continental Australia exhibit high genetic diversity in comparison with the low diversity found in populations of feral cats living on islands. The genetic structure is consistent with a rapid westerly expansion from eastern Australia and a limited expansion in coastal Western Australia. Australian cats show modest if any population structure and a close genetic alignment with European feral cats as compared to cats from Asia, the Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Indian Ocean), and European wildcats (F. silvestris silvestris).
Data from: Effects of feral cats on the evolution of anti-predator behaviours in island reptiles: insights from an ancient introduction
Exotic predators have been the driving force behind the extinction of many island endemic species. We examined impacts of feral cats (Felis catus) on the abundance and anti-predator behaviors of Aegean wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii) in the Cyclades (Greece), where cats were introduced thousands of years ago. We compared populations with high and low cat density on Naxos and populations on surrounding islets with no cats. Results show that cats have strong negative effects on wall lizard populations, and lizards cope with current threat from cats using plastic defenses that likely existed before the ancient introduction. Lizards facing greater risk from cats stayed closer to refugia, and were more likely to shed their tails in a standardized assay. Flight initiation distance from a surveyor or a mounted cat decoy in the lab correlated closely with risk from cats. All populations showed phenotypic plasticity in flight initiation distance suggesting that this plasticity is ancient and could have helped wall lizards survive the initial introduction of cats to the region. Lizards from islets sought shelter less often and often initially approached the cat decoy. These differences reflect a change since the introduction and could render islet lizards strongly susceptible to cat predation.
Data from: Estimating feral cat densities using distance sampling in an urban environment
1. Estimating feral cat population densities in urban environments can be difficult due to lack of public space and human interference. The purpose of this study was to use distance sampling in a citywide landscape to determine population size and areas of high abundance to inform trap-neuter-release management programs. 2. Line transect distance sampling was used to estimate density of the feral cat population in Windsor, Ontario from June to July 2014. Windsor has a human population of 217,188 and is about 146 km2 in size. Most transects were placed along local roads. 3. Density was estimated at about 13.3 (95% CI 9.7 – 18.1) cats per km2, and an estimated population size of 1858 cats (95% CI 1361 – 2537) with the highest relative density occurring in West and Central Windsor. 4. Urban wildlife managers could utilize these methods to monitor feral cat populations and evaluate the effectiveness of trap-neuter-release programs.
Data from: Linking genetic diversity and temporal fluctuations in population abundance of the introduced feral cat (Felis silvestris catus) on the Kerguelen Archipelago.
Linking temporal variations of genetic diversity, including allelic richness and heterozygosity, and spatio-temporal fluctuations in population abundance has emerged as an important tool for understanding demographic and evolutionary processes in natural populations. This so-called 'genetic monitoring' was conducted across 12 consecutive years (1996-2007) at three sites for the feral cat, introduced onto the Kerguelen Archipelago fifty years ago. Temporal changes in allelic richness and heterozygosity at 18 microsatellite DNA loci were compared to temporal changes in the adult population abundance index, obtained by typical demographic monitoring. No association was found at the island spatial scale but we observed an association between genetic diversity and adult population indices from year to year within each study site. More particularly, the magnitude of successive increases or decreases in the adult population abundance index appeared to be the major factor linking the trajectories of genetic diversity and adult population abundance indices. Natal dispersal and/or local recruitment, both facilitated by high juvenile survival when the adult population size is small, are proposed as the major demographic processes contributing to such an observed pattern. Finally, we suggested avoiding the use of the harmonic mean as an estimator of long-term population size to study the relationships between demographic fluctuations and heterozygosity in populations characterized by strong multi-annual density fluctuations.
Data from: Feral cats are better killers in open habitats, revealed by animal-borne video
One of the key gaps in understanding the impacts of predation by small mammalian predators on prey is how habitat structure affects the hunting success of small predators, such as feral cats. These effects are poorly understood due to the difficulty of observing actual hunting behaviours. We attached collar-mounted video cameras to feral cats living in a tropical savanna environment in northern Australia, and measured variation in hunting success among different microhabitats (open areas, dense grass and complex rocks). From 89 hours of footage, we recorded 101 hunting events, of which 32 were successful. Of these kills, 28% were not eaten. Hunting success was highly dependent on microhabitat structure surrounding prey, increasing from 17% in habitats with dense grass or complex rocks to 70% in open areas. This research shows that habitat structure has a profound influence on the impacts of small predators on their prey. This has broad implications for management of vegetation and disturbance processes (like fire and grazing) in areas where feral cats threaten native fauna. Maintaining complex vegetation cover can reduce predation rates of small prey species from feral cat predation.
Data from: The population origins and expansion of feral cats in Australia
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Data from: Feral cats are better killers in open habitats, revealed by animal-borne video
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Data from: Linking genetic diversity and temporal fluctuations in population abundance of the introduced feral cat (Felis silvestris catus) on the Kerguelen Archipelago.
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Data from: Mesopredator management: effects of red fox control on the abundance, diet and use of space by feral cats
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