In island ecosystems, biological invasions are one of the major threats to native biodiversity and to ecosystem functioning. Invasive ornamental plants such as the alien palm tree Pinanga coronata in the Fiji islands can form mono‐dominant stands in rainforests and displace native species. Using a functional trait‐based approach, we investigated the impact of P. coronata on both above and belowground

Understanding the role of environmental conditions and geographic space on species distributions is a major goal of ecological studies. Here, we investigate the effects of soil properties, a native bamboo (Actinocladum verticillatum (Nees) McClure ex Soderstr) ground cover and geographic distance on species richness and turnover in the Brazilian Cerrado. We established three transects along a forest–savanna

This study examined the effects of Solanum mauritianum Scopoli (bugweed) invasion on soil properties and vegetation diversity and cover on three paired invaded and uninvaded sites in Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, Limpopo Province of South Africa. Soils were analysed for pH, total P, C, N and exchangeable cations of Na, K, Ca and Mg. In addition, soil moisture content, penetration resistance levels and

Globally, cities and urban areas are expanding rapidly, leading to increased human–wildlife conflict. To reduce human–snake conflict in Australia, ‘snake catchers’ are employed to remove and relocate snakes detected by the public in urban or rural areas. Where records of human–snake interactions are being collected, these data can inform our understanding of human–snake conflict and, potentially, snake

Elevation gradients are drivers of species diversity, and, recently, studies have considered the evolutionary process in shaping community assembly patterns. Patterns of plant species richness across elevational gradients have been studied in different parts of the Atlantic Forest; however, little is known about plant phylogenetic diversity patterns. Thus, we aimed to analyse the phylogenetic diversity

Fires have a considerable impact on biological communities and ecosystems, within which the assessment of burned habitats requires consideration of indicator species or assemblages useful for monitoring. The short‐term effects of fires can be easily deduced from analysing assemblages of animals with short generation times and high fertility rates, such as rodents. Here, we evaluated the effect of fire

Invasive species are a major threat to biodiversity worldwide, causing many of the recent declines and extinctions of native species. Competition is a common mechanism through which invasive species impact the native biota. In particular, exploitative competition results when the invader outcompetes native species for essential resources, such as food and shelter sites. Despite being pervasive invaders

Thirty camera traps were deployed for a total of 4179 trap‐nights between January and June 2020 as part of a project assessing post‐fire recovery of pademelons (Thylogale spp.) in northern New South Wales. By chance, one camera documented a site that was highly productive for the ectomycorrhizal fungal genus Amanita. This camera provided a rare opportunity to document a diversity of co‐habitating vertebrates

Urban wildlife are regularly exposed to a variety of anthropogenic contaminants that have the potential to bioaccumulate in body tissues. As a consequence, developing embryos and offspring can be at risk from exposure to maternally accumulated contaminants, yet this has rarely been reported in reptiles. We opportunistically collected one pregnant Western tiger snake (Notechis scutatus occidentalis)

Global diversity gradients have been extensively investigated for several biological groups. However, little is known whether the diversity drivers of clades that underwent major environmental transition (e.g., from land to sea) are equivalent across these different environmental settings. Here, we ask if the pattern of diversity of marine elapid snakes is determined by factors analogous to those previously

Allocation of carbon to growth and defences in plants is affected by resource availability and herbivory, two determinants of woody plant abundance in savannas. Both factors are critical at the sapling stage of woody plants, yet their combined effects on sapling growth and defence have been poorly studied in savannas. Sclerocarya birrea is an iconic keystone species in southern African savannas, widely

Interactions between predators and prey affect their distributions and abundances, and these effects are of central importance in ecology. However, these interactions are difficult to observe in some free‐ranging species due to their elusive behaviour. We describe the video‐recorded observation of predation of a grey brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira) by a tayra (Eira barbara), which is the largest

Forests have resistance that allows them to resist fires without changing to another state, and resilience that allows them to recover after disturbance. These properties are determined by many structural and functional determinants that interact between them. Despite the importance of structural resistance and functional resilience to wildland fires, few studies have evaluated the combined effect

This study aimed to provide accurate and current distribution and density estimates of the greater glider population size at Seven Mile Beach National Park, New South Wales Australia from extensive spotlight surveys. Distribution mapping of greater gliders and ArcGIS modelling allowed effective visual representation of the population’s distribution and provided preliminary evidence of a vegetation

In the highly diverse Rio Ubatiba in Brazil, the native and historically abundant armoured catfish Hypostomus punctatus (Loricariidae) has been declining since the 1990s, concomitantly with the introduction of the non‐native loricariid, Parotocinclus maculicauda. Here, we assess over an 18‐year period the potential impact of the establishment of invasive armoured catfish by examining dietary, tissue

Disruptions in species interactions derived from forest fragmentation are a major driver of biodiversity declines. Atmospheric bromeliads, a group of extreme epiphytes in the Tillandsia genus, often thrive in anthropogenic landscapes, spreading beyond their usual distribution. Here, we investigate how distinct tree densities affect the interactions between tree traits and patterns of atmospheric bromeliad

Agriculture changes the aquatic and terrestrial habitats used by animals, affecting their responses to matrix permeability. Here, we evaluated the impacts that resulted from the replacement of native vegetation with pastures on habitat occupancy, colonisation and local extinction of two Neotropical frogs with contrasting ecological strategies, Leptodactylus bufonius and L. chaquensis. We conducted

Metacommunity organisation in temporary ponds is assembled by spatiotemporally varying processes that are also contingent on the species’ dispersal ability and scale of observation. Aquatic insects are useful models to study the relative contribution of environmental and spatial factors to community assembly in view of the differing dispersal ability existing in the species from this group. We assessed

Understanding patterns of species diversity and distribution is crucial for the development of adequate public conservation policies. Despite the conservation value of mangroves, we still have a limited understanding of the influence of the habitat characteristics and patch connectivity of mangroves on bird species composition and diversity at local and regional scales. Here we used 40 point counts

This paper presents the zooarchaeological research carried out on Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) bone remains recovered at Quebrada del Real 1 (ca. 7400–360 years BP), an archaeological site located in the Sierras of Córdoba upper mountain grassland range of Argentina. Here, we focus on the importance of Ctenomys implications to wild‐life management and conservation biology rather than its classical

Different assemblages of intertidal biota may be associated with the hardness of the rock type that comprises the seashore. However, very few published studies have investigated mobile and sessile assemblage differences between hardness classes. To remedy this, we investigated the physical attributes and biotic assemblages of 12 rock platforms across two bioregions, encompassing seven rock types categorised

Exotic species are known to cause an impact on native species and the environment through various ecological processes. Their impact on disease dynamics is not completely understood, but their relationship with the local fauna can favour the emergence of zoonoses. We reported records of predation of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) by common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland

Anthropogenic activity, such as conversion and degradation of habitats, is causing global biodiversity declines. However, our understanding of how local ecological communities are responding to these changes taxonomically and functionally is still limited. The effects of the replacement of native by introduced pastures on biodiversity are some of those examples with limited understanding. Here, we

The ecological impact of lianas in the edges of tropical forest areas is widely recognised; however, the edge influence on the liana community and its relationship with trees in biomes of open vegetation require further evaluation. We compared the following parameters between edges and interiors in a remnant of woody cerrado: (i) the structure of liana and tree communities (abundance, basal area and

In South Australia, Swamps of the Fleurieu Peninsula are critically endangered due to past vegetation clearance and changes in hydrology, but still contain a high diversity of threatened plant species. This vegetation community provides habitat for 82 threatened ground‐stratum plant species, including the nationally critically endangered subshrub Hibbertia tenuis which is endemic to these swamps. With

Social prey species respond to predation risk by modifying habitat selection and grouping behaviour. These responses may depend on both actual predation risk (predator probability of occurrence) and/or on perceived predation risk associated with habitat structure. Other factors like food availability and co‐occurrence with other species may also affect habitat selection and group formation. We analyse

The observation of rare behaviours can provide unexpected insights into the biology of a species. Here, we report new observations of unusual or rare behaviours by the Kagu Rhynochetos jubatus of New Caledonia, a flightless bird already known for many curious traits. We observed the broken‐wing display, adoption of a chick by a neighbouring family and flexibility in the selection of cooperative breeding

Understanding how fundamental aspects of species’ ecology, such as diet, are affected in human‐dominated landscapes is vital for informing management and conserving biodiversity – particularly where species influence important ecosystem functions. Digging, mycophagous (‘fungus‐eating’) mammals play various such roles, including the dispersal of hypogeal (‘truffle‐like’) fungi. The endangered, mycophagous

Acoustic signalling is evolutionarily important, influencing sexual selection and serving as a premating isolation mechanism. There is a strong evolutionary basis for acoustic signalling to occur nocturnally across many terrestrial vertebrate groups including mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Within some of these groups, there is a general assumption that ‘most taxa are nocturnal’ in their acoustic

Under anthropogenic climate change, emerging diseases and pathogens are increasingly prevalent in high latitude and altitude regions that were previously protected by cold winter temperatures. Ongoing island‐wide dieback of a foundation species, the cushion plant Azorella macquariensis, on World Heritage listed Macquarie Island provides the first sub‐Antarctic example. To better understand the island‐wide

On 10 March 2014, a radio‐tracked Australian scrub python (Simalia amethistina) made a predatory attack on a 64 kg sleeping woman. The snake was unsuccessful, but data from our radio‐tracking programme suggest that predation attempts on oversized prey are not uncommon – even if they threaten the survival of the predator. We explore hypotheses about why snakes attempt to consume such large meals.

Introduced species may threaten both biodiversity and agriculture, necessitating an understanding on the factors that influence their distribution, and the efficacy of control measures. In Tasmania, Australia, the introduced rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) may be widespread, but data on where they occur and the efficacy of control methods are limited. We used an occupancy modelling framework

Forests are vital for biodiversity, carbon storage and ecosystem services, but can be potentially threatened by fires. Given the significance of forests and fire in a changing climate, research into the long‐term effects of fire on forests plays an important role in understanding the global carbon cycle by the forests functioning as a large terrestrial carbon sink or source. In this study, we used

Remnant natural habitat is assumed critical for supporting threatened animals within urban landscapes because these species generally have specific habitat requirements and typically respond poorly to anthropogenic disturbances. However, evidence that demonstrates some threatened species can occur, persist and even prosper in highly modified areas with seemingly little dependence on remnant vegetation

Domestic dogs can negatively impact natural systems, and understanding these dynamics is essential to mitigate their impact. We report two cases of attacks of domestic dogs on native mammals in a fragmented landscape of the Atlantic Forest, southern Brazil. Our records occurred in a region of high priority for the conservation of this biome. We observed two attacks, one on a Common Long‐Nosed Armadillo

The rapid changes in altitude, and associated habitat, of mountain ecosystems make them ideal natural laboratories for testing the effect of environmental heterogeneity on species assemblage. Our understanding of the sensitivity of Australian reptiles to elevational clines is limited. We examined lizard distribution across three elevation zones (montane, subalpine and alpine), spanning from 900 to

Migrant cave‐dwelling insectivores that rely on specific caves for maternity and hibernation, like the Natal long‐fingered bats Miniopterus natalensis in South Africa, may be at particular risk of population decline in an urbanising world. As a step towards the conservation of caves and cave‐dwelling bats in South Africa, this study aimed to (i) broadly identify the number of caves used by bats (any

Human activities can disrupt the insect pollination process, which can trigger a decline in pollination and plant reproductive output. Floral visitors are not equally effective pollinators, and it is unknown how multiple changes to an environment further change the effectiveness of insect pollination for native plants. We investigated how herbicide treatment, the presence of non‐native plants and addition

This paper, which addresses the issue of the extinction of mite species at the global scale for the first time, highlights mite diversity, assesses the evidence for an extinction process, discusses contributing factors and estimates losses. The ~1 250 000 mite species occupy an enormous variety of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems from the equator to the polar regions and to high altitudes. Some

The Ecological Society of Australia was founded in 1959, and the society’s journal was first published in 1976. To examine how research published in the society’s journal has changed over this time, we used text mining to quantify themes and trends in the body of work published by the Australian Journal of Ecology and Austral Ecology from 1976 to 2019. We used topic models to identify 30 ‘topics’ within

Tree cavities are a keystone resource for many wildlife species worldwide. In Andean temperate forests of South America, many species of birds, mammals and reptiles use cavities to achieve their life history requirements. However, information on cavity supply and drivers of cavity production in these forests remains largely undocumented. We examined the patterns of tree‐cavity supply in successional

Agoutis, Dasyprocta spp., are medium‐sized rodents distributed in Neotropical region. Their diet is usually described as granivorous/frugivorous, and agoutis are recognised as important seed dispersers. Here, we present two spatially and temporally independent records of egg predation by Azara’s agouti, Dasyprocta azarae , in fragments of Cerrado savanna forest. In both cases, the agoutis ingested

The aim of this study was to use scat analysis to analyse the dietary composition of the South American sea lion (SASL, Otaria byronia) over a short temporal scale and in different but closely located colonies in the Humboldt Current System of northern Chile. Scat samples were collected at Arica (18°34′S), Iquique (20°48′S) and Mejillones (23°04′S) during the summer (January to March) and winter (July)

Native Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) is one of the most widespread crops in the Atlantic Forest region of southern South America and has an important economic and cultural value in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Despite the known potential of shade‐grown products (especially cocoa and coffee) to protect biodiversity, the benefits of shade‐grown yerba mate for biodiversity conservation

The amount of reactive nitrogen has more than doubled in terrestrial ecosystems due to human activities such fertiliser application that is predicted to increase dramatically in coming decades. We conducted a 3‐year experiment in a Neotropical savanna in which we determined the effects of increased N deposition on litter decomposition in plots subjected to different levels of N addition (50 kg N ha−1 year−2

Resting egg production is considered the most common form of dormancy in aquatic invertebrates. Given that many taxa at least partially terminate resting egg state using environmental cues, knowledge on environmental drivers of hatching success is important, particularly within the context of climate change and environmental degradation. Fairy shrimp (anostracans) are temporary wetland specialists

River red gum woodlands associated with ephemeral river channels in arid Australia are recognised as important habitat for a suite of bird species, due to their distinctive structure, large canopies and abundant tree hollows. We tested the proposition that river red gum woodlands harbour a distinctive bird assemblage that is relatively stable through time. We examined patterns of bird composition between