Bakker Alice H, Patterson Charlotte R, Mifsud Greg, Reside April E, Fuller Susan, Baker Andrew M
Faculty of Science, School of Biology and Environmental Science Queensland University of Technology Brisbane Queensland Australia.
Centre for Data Science Queensland University of Technology Brisbane Queensland Australia.
Ecol Evol. 2024 Jul 2;14(7):e11674. doi: 10.1002/ece3.11674. eCollection 2024 Jul.
Globally, hundreds of mammal species face the threat of extinction in the coming decades, and in many cases, their ecology remains poorly understood. Fundamental ecological knowledge is crucial for effective conservation management of these species, but it is particularly lacking for small, cryptic mammals. The Julia Creek dunnart (), a threatened, cryptic carnivorous marsupial that occurs in scattered populations in the central west of Queensland, Australia, was once so poorly studied that it was believed extinct. Sporadic research since its rediscovery in the early 1990s has revealed that is distributed across land at risk from many threats. Fundamental knowledge of population density is urgently required to inform conservation management at key sites, yet the species has historically proven hard to detect. Indeed, the status of the largest known population of , in Bladensburg National Park, is unknown. Here, we conducted a population study on at two sites within Bladensburg National Park via live mark-recapture surveys during 2022 and 2023. From likelihood-based spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) modelling we provide the first estimates of density and population size for . Live trapping resulted in captures of 49 individual (with 83 captures total, including recaptures). We estimated to occur at a density of 0.38 individuals ha (0.25-0.58) at one site and 0.16 individuals ha (0.09-0.27) at another site, with an estimated mean population size in suitable habitat at Bladensburg National Park of 1211 individuals (776-1646). Our density estimates were similar to that reported for other threatened small mammals in Australia. We also found evidence of extreme population fluctuations over time at Bladensburg National Park, which is of concern for its future conservation. Our study has provided the first estimate of density for , a threatened dasyurid species from the Mitchell Grass Downs of central western Queensland, Australia. Our research provides crucial population data to assist the management of this poorly studied species. We demonstrate a method that can be applied to species with low detection probability to ultimately help address the mammal extinction crisis faced by Australia and the rest of the world.
在全球范围内，数百种哺乳动物物种在未来几十年面临灭绝威胁，而且在许多情况下，它们的生态状况仍知之甚少。基础生态知识对于这些物种的有效保护管理至关重要，但对于小型、隐秘的哺乳动物来说尤其缺乏。朱莉娅溪袋鼬（）是一种濒危的、隐秘的食肉有袋动物，分布于澳大利亚昆士兰州中西部的零散区域，曾经研究极少，以至于被认为已灭绝。自20世纪90年代初重新发现以来的零星研究表明，它分布在面临多种威胁的土地上。迫切需要关于其种群密度的基础知识，以便为关键地点的保护管理提供依据，但该物种历来难以被发现。事实上，已知最大种群位于布莱登斯堡国家公园，其状况不明。在此，我们于2022年和2023年在布莱登斯堡国家公园的两个地点通过活体标记重捕调查对朱莉娅溪袋鼬进行了种群研究。通过基于似然性的空间明确捕获重捕（SECR）模型，我们首次给出了朱莉娅溪袋鼬的密度和种群规模估计值。活体诱捕共捕获了49只个体朱莉娅溪袋鼬（包括重捕个体在内，总捕获量为83次）。我们估计在一个地点的密度为每公顷0.38只个体（0.25 - 0.58），在另一个地点为每公顷0.16只个体（0.09 - 0.27），布莱登斯堡国家公园适宜栖息地的估计平均种群规模为1211只个体（776 - 1646）。我们对朱莉娅溪袋鼬的密度估计与澳大利亚其他濒危小型哺乳动物的报告值相似。我们还发现有证据表明布莱登斯堡国家公园的朱莉娅溪袋鼬种群随时间存在极端波动，这对其未来保护构成担忧。我们的研究首次给出了来自澳大利亚昆士兰州中西部米切尔草原低地的濒危袋鼬科物种朱莉娅溪袋鼬的密度估计。我们的研究提供了关键的种群数据，以协助管理这种研究不足的物种。我们展示了一种可应用于检测概率低的物种的方法，最终有助于应对澳大利亚和世界其他地区面临的哺乳动物灭绝危机。
