Environmental Earth Sciences

prepR4pcm: An R package for preparing data and trees for phylogenetic comparative methods

Phylogenetic comparative methods require species names in a trait dataset to match tip labels in a phylogenetic tree. Yet this apparently simple prerequisite is often one of the most fragile steps in a comparative workflow. Names may differ because of, for example, formatting, ta...

After the fires: plant responses and resilience under shifting fire regimes

The changing climate is reshaping our fire regimes, with fires of record-breaking extent, severity and frequency occurring around the world. The 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires in Australia were a landmark event that revealed both the depth and the limits in our understanding of...

Antimicrobial resistance in the monotreme microbiome

Context Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health crisis requiring a One Health approach that recognises the interconnectedness of people, animals and the environment. Since wide adoption of the One Health framework, wildlife species have been identified as important pote...

Short fire-interval and drought lead to decline in an obligate seeding Banksia

Context Fire frequency is predicted to increase with climate change and represents a major threat to plant communities around the world. Despite this, there are few published examples quantifying impacts of short fire-intervals, even for those species most at risk. Aims We examin...

Centering equity, diversity and inclusion in environmental evidence synthesis: from awareness to action

Abstract Knowledge generated through evidence synthesis is an approach that decision-makers can take to inform policy and management decisions. Evidence syntheses, such as systematic reviews, provide quantitative and qualitative summaries of this evidence, using structured method...

First Record of Tasmanian Devils in the Pilbara: Late Quaternary Subfossils From Juukan Gorge, Puutu Kunti Kurrama Country, and Insights Into Human—Faunal Relationships and Extinction

ABSTRACT This study presents the first unequivocal evidence for the presence of Tasmanian devils ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) in the Pilbara region of northwestern Australia, based on material recovered from archaeological excavations at Juukan Gorge on Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Piniku...

Estuarine benthic diversity declines with temperature across a tropical–temperate gradient

Estuarine benthic sediments are important habitats that support ecosystem health and productivity, but the drivers of large‐scale patterns in benthic diversity are not well documented. Using 18S amplicon sequencing of 425 sediment DNA samples from estuaries spanning 20° of latitu...

More than just temperature: the effects of nest relocation on incubation environment and hatchling quality in green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

Abstract Nest relocation and shading are widely used conservation strategies intended to mitigate threats to marine turtle hatchling survival. However, these interventions may carry unintended fitness costs. Estimating such effects can be challenging, especially in the absence of...

Mark–recapture modelling can index population trajectory in the platypus

Semi-aquatic freshwater mammals are a heterogeneous global group that are subject to a range of anthropogenic disturbances, with many species now being recognised as threatened and some viewed as indicators of freshwater ecosystem health. The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) i...

DNA metabarcoding improves detection of rare and volant prey in the diet of feral cats (Felis catus)

Context Cats (Felis catus) have contributed to the extinctions of more than 60 vertebrates and continue to be a major conservation threat globally. Conservation managers traditionally record the diet of cats from morphological (manual) searches of stomach or scat samples. However...