Last Glacial Maximum habitat change and its effects on the grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus Temminck 1825)

Luly, Jon; Blair, David; Parsons, Jennifer G.; Fox, Samantha; VanDerWal, Jeremy

doi:10.22459/ta32.11.2010.06

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…In particular, Australian palaeo-fire research has established that persistent ecosystem changes and fixed ecosystem boundaries have occurred where human actions have increased landscape flammability (McWethy et al, 2013; Mooney et al, 2011), creating an omnipresent risk of such events. At specific sites, palaeo-ecology has disentangled the influences on unusual landscapes such as the cause of grassy balds in the Bunya Mountains of Queensland (Moravek et al, 2013) and the impact of long-term rainforest dynamics on threatened species such as grey-headed fruit bats (Luly et al, 2010).…”

Section: Palaeo-science Contributions To Ecosystem Services Implementationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the understanding and use of natural archives of ecosystem services, resilience and thresholds to improve policy, science and practice

et al. 2014

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Despite the great potential of palaeo-environmental information to strengthen natural resource policy, science and practical outcomes naturally occurring archives of palaeo-environmental and ecosystem service information have not been fully recognised or utilised to inform the development of environmental policy. In this paper, we describe how Australian palaeo-environmental science is improving environmental understanding through local studies and regional syntheses that inform us about past conditions, extreme conditions and altered ecosystem states. Australian innovations in ecosystem services research and palaeo-environmental science contribute in five important contexts: discussions about environmental understanding and management objectives, improving access to information, improved knowledge about the dynamics of ecosystem services, increasing understanding of environmental processes and resource availability, and engaging interdisciplinary approaches to manage ecosystem services. Knowledge of the past is an important starting point for setting present and future resource management objectives, anticipating consequences of trade-offs, sharing risk and evaluating and monitoring the ongoing availability of ecosystem services. Palaeo-environmental information helps reframe discussions about desirable futures and collaborative efforts between scientists, planners, managers and communities. However, further steps are needed to translate the ecosystem services concept into ecosystem services policy and tangible management objectives and actions that are useful, feasible and encompass the range of benefits to people from ecosystems. We argue that increased incorporation of palaeo-environmental information into policy and decision-making is needed for evidence-based adaptive management to enhance sustainability of ecosystem functions and reduce long-term risks.

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Section: Palaeo-science Contributions To Ecosystem Services Implementationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the understanding and use of natural archives of ecosystem services, resilience and thresholds to improve policy, science and practice

et al. 2014

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“…P. poliocephalus may have some potential to respond to climate change by rapid shifts in distribution owing to its generalist diet and great potential for long-distance dispersal. Indeed a range of historical data shows that this and other species have survived previous climate induced bottlenecks during the last glacial maximum (Hof et al, 2011;Luly et al, 2010). However, this was in the absence of other anthropogenic threats such as land clearing and urbanisation which further complicate species' ability to move through the landscape (Parris and Hazell, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…At high temperatures they are susceptible to heat stress due to their inability to sweat and must employ behavioural strategies to maintain homeostasis including moving into the shade, panting, wing-fanning and licking fur and wing membranes (Bartholomew et al, 1964). Females are known to reject their young when climatic conditions are unfavourable (Luly et al, 2010). A recent paper reported mass deaths of P. poliocephalus and Pteropus alecto across a number of roosts during an extreme heat event (Welbergen et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nursing females are more prone to heat stress: Demography matters when managing flying-foxes for climate change

Snoyman

Munich

Brown

2012

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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Determining the underlying mechanisms responsible for species-specific responses to climate change is important from a species management perspective. The grey-headed flying-fox, Pteropus poliocephalus, is listed as vulnerable but it also a significant pest species for orchardists and thereby presents an interesting management conundrum. Over the last century, the abundance of the grey-headed flying-fox, P. poliocephalus, in Australia has decreased due to a variety of threatening processes but has increased in abundance in urban areas. These flying-foxes are highly susceptible to extreme heat events which are predicted to increase in the future under climate change scenarios. Exceptionally hot days result in many deaths, the majority of whom are females with dependent young. This study examined the behavioural responses of roosting P. poliocephalus to temperature during the summer in their daytime roosts. Bats spent about 30% of their time resting at low temperatures, however, as temperature increased, fanning displaced resting as the predominant behaviour as bats attempted to cool themselves. Females with nursing young fanned significantly more often (P = 0.001) and at a higher rate with rising temperature (P < 0.001) than males and females without young (average proportion of time fanning 27%, 19% and 16%, and 4.6, 2.8 and 2.5 for gradient respectively). As a consequence, nursing females also rested less with rising temperature than the other demographic groups (P < 0.001). These behavioural indicators suggest that nursing mothers are more vulnerable to heat stress than any other demographic category studied. The data highlight a clear need to monitor the most vulnerable demographic units as part of any species management program.

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“…So after my first year, I chose to move to Australia, and a smaller town and campus -James Cook University in Townsville. I spent 12 years there, finishing my undergraduate degree, doing an Honours year (on mate choice in Gouldian finches: Fox et al 2002), spending 3 years working as a research assistant in the Wet Tropics on everything from frogs, to birds to mammals (Williams et al 2003(Williams et al , 2010, and then finally completing a PhD on a vulnerable species of flying fox, the spectacled flying fox (Fox et al 2007(Fox et al , 2008a(Fox et al , 2008b(Fox et al , 2012Richards et al 2008;Luly et al 2010).…”

Section: Dr Samantha Fox -Team Leader Wild Devil Management and Monimentioning

confidence: 99%

Devil women

Fox¹,

Hogg

Grueber

et al. 2018

Pac. Conserv. Biol.

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Abstract. The Tasmanian devil, an iconic carnivorous marsupial, is at risk of extinction due to a contagious cancer called devil facial tumour disease. Saving any species from extinction requires strong partnerships between government agencies, zoo bodies and academia. The Devil Tools & Tech project brought these groups together under a single banner to achieve a common goal. The project has strong leadership from women. Here we tell our personal stories as to how we came to be involved in saving the devil and emphasise the importance of strong networks for women to reach their full potential.

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Last Glacial Maximum habitat change and its effects on the grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus Temminck 1825)

Cited by 5 publications

References 69 publications

Increasing the understanding and use of natural archives of ecosystem services, resilience and thresholds to improve policy, science and practice

Increasing the understanding and use of natural archives of ecosystem services, resilience and thresholds to improve policy, science and practice

Nursing females are more prone to heat stress: Demography matters when managing flying-foxes for climate change

Devil women

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