Time-delayed influence of urban landscape change on the susceptibility of koalas to chlamydiosis

McAlpine, Clive; Brearley, Grant; Rhodes, Jonathan R.; Bradley, A. J.; Baxter, Greg; Seabrook, Leonie; Lunney, Daniel; Liu, Yan; Cottin, Manuelle; Smith, Andrew G.

doi:10.1007/s10980-016-0479-2

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…A new habitat may also result in contact with new species, who may act as either vectors for infectious disease or reservoirs for hitherto novel infectious diseases (Wobeser 2006). Even if dispersal is initially successful, the ultimate harm of dispersing to another habitat might not manifest until sometime later (McAlpine et al 2017).…”

Section: Evaluating the Harm That Land Clearing Causesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The invisible harm: land clearing is an issue of animal welfare

Finn

Stephens

2017

Wildl. Res.

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Link to the published version of this paper: http://www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR17018 If you require a copy for non-commercial purposes, you may request one from: h.finn@curtin. Link to the published version of this paper: http://www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR17018 If you require a copy for non-commercial purposes, you may request one from: h.finn@curtin.edu.au 2 Abstract 27Land clearing is a significant environmental issue in Australia and an area of active

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Section: Evaluating the Harm That Land Clearing Causesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The invisible harm: land clearing is an issue of animal welfare

Finn

Stephens

2017

Wildl. Res.

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“…In 2006, the koala population of the Liverpool Plains, north‐western New South Wales (NSW), Australia, was identified as one of the only koala populations in NSW to be increasing in occupancy (Lunney et al ., ). More recent surveys identified a declining koala population within this region (Predavec et al ., ) under the cumulative threats from climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation and chlamydiosis (Lunney et al ., ; McAlpine et al ., , ). Multiscale studies of koala presence in other regions have found that there is no single spatial scale at which landscape metrics have the strongest effect on koala presence (McAlpine et al ., 2006a,b, ; Januchowski et al ., ; Smith et al ., 2013a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The challenge for koala conservation on private land: koala habitat use varies with season on a fragmented rural landscape

Dargan

Moriyama

Mella

et al. 2019

Animal Conservation

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Land clearing for agriculture results in fragmented landscapes with diminished resources for wildlife. Habitat loss and fragmentation are widespread problems; however, their impacts are rarely assessed simultaneously at multiple spatial and temporal scales. We used a focal site, multiscale design to examine how landscape characteristics that affect the probability of koala Phascolarctos cinereus presence varies over multiple spatial and temporal scales in a fragmented rural landscape in north‐western New South Wales, Australia. We modelled the effect of variables representing landscape characteristics at three spatial extents – transect, patch and site – over three seasonal periods (mid‐spring, late‐spring and mid‐summer). Koala activity level (as determined by faecal pellets) varied between surveys, and identifies short‐term seasonal changes in habitat use. Koala presence had the strongest association with patch scale variables (habitat suitability, soil fertility and patch area). Temporal variation in the effect of tree and landscape characteristics on koala presence highlights the limitations of surveys at a single point in time, and emphasizes that further research is needed to advance our understanding of what drives temporal variation in koala habitat use at multiple spatial scales. Our results show that to arrest declining koala populations in rural agricultural landscapes, conservation and management plans must consider landscape scale processes over a variety of time scales, and engage stakeholders across multiple properties and tenures, to conserve both disturbed and suitable habitat on private land.

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“…In koalas, it is plausible that other factors leading to population decline, such as habitat loss and human encroachment on habitat, may precipitate reduced tolerance of infection (Melzer, Carrick, Menkhorst, Lunney, & St. John, 2000); increased clinical disease may therefore be correlated with population decline but not its cause. Recent analysis concluded that urbanization was linked with an increase in clinical disease in koala populations, but noted effects may be delayed until overt disease impacts the population (McAlpine et al, 2017). A noninvasive method of measuring physiological stress in koalas using fecal cortisol metabolites has been developed (Narayan, Webster, Nicolson, Mucci, & Hero, 2013) although its value has been questioned (Johnston et al, 2013).…”

Section: Do These Diseases Drive Population Dynamics?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the significance of endemic disease in conservation—koalas, chlamydia, and koala retrovirus as a case study

McCallum

Kerlin

Ellis

et al. 2017

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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It can be difficult to establish the conservation significance of endemic infectious diseases-those that are well established in a population-in contrast with infectious diseases that are still invading. This difficulty can have important implications for designing policy to address species declines. The infectious diseases of koalas provide an ideal case study to examine issues involved in identifying the role of endemic disease in conservation biology. Koala populations are in decline, amidst claims for many years that infectious diseases, particularly those with chlamydial etiology, play a key role in this loss. However, weak associations between prevalence of infection, clinical signs of disease, and population decline mean that it remains unclear whether infectious disease is a primary driver of koala population decline. There are multiple causes of koala decline including drought, habitat destruction, and disease. Welldesigned experiments, linked to appropriate models, are necessary to determine the true role of infectious disease in the current koala population declines and whether a focus on disease is likely to be a feasible, let alone the most cost-effective, means of preventing further declines.

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Time-delayed influence of urban landscape change on the susceptibility of koalas to chlamydiosis

Cited by 19 publications

References 81 publications

The invisible harm: land clearing is an issue of animal welfare

The invisible harm: land clearing is an issue of animal welfare

The challenge for koala conservation on private land: koala habitat use varies with season on a fragmented rural landscape

Assessing the significance of endemic disease in conservation—koalas, chlamydia, and koala retrovirus as a case study

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