Article
Ecology
Paul G. Story, Lyn A. Hinds, Steve Henry, Andrew C. Warden, Greg Dojchinov
Summary: This study investigated the sensitivity of the stripe-faced dunnart to the insecticide fipronil and found that the median lethal dose estimates were higher compared to other mammalian species. The implications for pesticide risk assessments in Australia were discussed.
Article
Biology
Laura E. Cook, Axel H. Newton, Christy A. Hipsley, Andrew J. Pask
Summary: In their study, Cook, Pask, and colleagues focus on the ossification of the skull and forelimbs in the developing postnatal fat-tailed dunnart, highlighting its potential as a model organism for studying jaw and forelimb development in mammals. Marsupials possess unique biological features that offer valuable insights into various aspects of mammalian development, with their distinctive reproduction mode, altricial birth stage, and associated heterochrony setting them apart from placental and monotreme mammals.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Joanna Riley, Jeff M. Turpin, Matt R. K. Zeale, Brynne Jayatilaka, Gareth Jones
Summary: Research on the sandhill dunnart in the Great Victoria Desert shows that they require long-unburned sheltering habitats with specific vegetation and shelter types, such as those with stable temperature ranges under mature shrubland. They tend to burrow, allowing them to survive in the extreme conditions of the desert environment.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Rosemary Hohnen, Brett P. Murphy, Sarah M. Legge, Chris R. Dickman, Pat Hodgens, Heidi Groffen, Robyn Molsher, Jody P. Gates, John C. Z. Woinarski
Summary: By building a species distribution model for the Endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart, this study found that rainfall and post-fire vegetation age are important predictors of the species' occurrence. It suggests that careful fire management could benefit the dunnart and notes that decreased rainfall may pose a long-term threat. Recent fires on Kangaroo Island highlight the current impact of climate-related threats.
AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Joanna Riley, Brian Heterick, Matt R. K. Zeale, Jeff M. Turpin, Brynne Jayatilaka, Gareth Jones
Summary: This study examined the nocturnal ecology of the endangered sandhill dunnart, focusing on home range, foraging preferences, and diet. The results showed that the sandhill dunnart preferred unburned foraging habitats and had a significant proportion of ants in its diet. This research provides new insights for the conservation management of this threatened marsupial.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Adam Brumm, Mietje Germonpre, Loukas Koungoulos
Summary: This paper proposes a hypothesis that there might have been a similar relationship between wild-living wolves and mobile groups of foragers in Late Pleistocene Eurasia as there was between Aboriginal foraging communities in Australia and free-ranging dingoes. Hunters would regularly raid wild wolf dens for pre-weaned pups, which were then socialized to humans and kept as companions. This relationship could have had a significant impact on the genetic variation of free-ranging wolves and played a role in the domestication of dogs.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Sam Pottie, Raul Bello, Giuseppe Donati
Summary: The key to successful establishment of reintroduced primates lies in the proportion of individuals within groups that relocate to the target area. The time research assistants and volunteers spend with the group within the first 3 months after release has a positive impact on establishment success. The presence of an already established group in the target area significantly enhances establishment success.
Article
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
Sho Kashiwagi, Hayato Nagai, Tomoyuki Furutani
Summary: This study explores the challenges faced by Japanese migrant VFR hosts in Australia when hosting friends and relatives from different cultural and language backgrounds. Qualitative analysis identified 12 challenges related to communication difficulties and social obligations. These challenges are rooted in language barriers and socio-cultural differences between the hosts and travelers.
JOURNAL OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Cheryl A. Lohr, Martin Dziminski, Judy Dunlop, Emily Miller, Keith Morris
Summary: The successful reintroduction of bilbies at the Matuwa Indigenous Protected Area is attributed to consistent landscape-scale control of feral predators. Surveys and analysis show an 88% increase in bilby occupancy area at Matuwa, with the reintroduced bilbies emigrating out of the area. Camera-traps and occupancy analysis confirmed widespread presence of bilbies across Matuwa and identified significant habitat correlates for their detection.
RANGELAND ECOLOGY & MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Loukas George Koungoulos, Jane Balme, Sue O'Connor
Summary: This article explores the history and cultural significance of raising and burying dingoes by Aboriginal people in Australia. The research suggests that dingoes were buried in a similar manner as humans, indicating the possibility of domestication and genetic continuity of dingoes before European colonization.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maldwyn J. Evans, Will G. Batson, Iain J. Gordon, Emily Belton, Tim Chaseling, Don Fletcher, Michael Harrison, Tom McElroy, Alison Mungoven, Jenny Newport, Jenny Pierson, Timothy Portas, Shelley Swain, Claire Wimpenny, Adrian D. Manning
Summary: This study examines the reintroduction of mammal species to the mainland and the potential for driving evolution of predator-resistant traits through exposure to low levels of predation. The research suggests that reducing predation can establish a 'Goldilocks Zone' that drives selection for individuals with predator-resistant characteristics, contributing to the broader field of evolutionary conservation biology.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Oncology
India R. R. Marks, Jenny O'Neill, Lynn Gillam, Maria C. C. McCarthy
Summary: This qualitative study investigated the ethical challenges faced by healthcare professionals in a large Australian pediatric oncology center during strict COVID-19 restrictions. Interviews with 21 healthcare professionals revealed challenges related to hospital restrictions, personal protective equipment, visitation policies, psychosocial and allied health services, and COVID-19 swabbing policies. Participants generally believed that the hospital restrictions were justified, but acknowledged the difficulties in delivering holistic patient care under these circumstances.
PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Katherine Kent, Sandra Murray, Beth Penrose, Stuart Auckland, Stephanie Godrich, Elizabeth Lester, Denis Visentin
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on food insecure households in Tasmania, Australia, affecting their food access, availability, and consumption. This study found that food insecure households were more likely to consume less fresh food, face difficulties in accessing shops, have less money available for food, experience food unavailability, and have insufficient food stored at home. The findings highlight the importance of addressing the specific challenges faced by food insecure households during the pandemic.
Article
Zoology
Peter J. McDonald, Dean J. Portelli, Andrew T. Schubert, Alistair J. Stewart, Anthony D. Griffiths
Summary: Australia's arid regions have experienced significant declines in mammal populations, resulting in the extinction of at least 14 species. The common brushtail possum, once widely distributed in the arid areas, has disappeared from much of the region. Surveys conducted in central Australia found evidence of possum presence in 2012, but subsequent surveys and camera-trap monitoring in 2016-22 failed to detect any possums. The contraction of possum populations to rugged refuges and the possible extirpation may be attributed to predation by mammalian predators and the impact of high temperatures.
AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kimberley H. Michael, Steven W. J. Leonard, Orsolya Decker, Simon J. Verdon, Heloise Gibb
Summary: The reintroduction of ecologically extinct mammals has significant impacts on plant assemblages, both through ecosystem engineering and herbivory. These impacts differ from those of contemporary mammal faunas, suggesting that pre-European Australian ecosystems were markedly different from contemporary ecosystems.
