Environmental Science · Ecology
A study of the Kimberley rock-rat finds that patchy habitat and long-isolated islands have produced strongly separated local populations. Island groups have smaller effective population sizes, and the researchers warn that local extinctions could be difficult to reverse.
Pygmy owls in boreal Finland moved farther and used home ranges about twice as large as owls in the Italian Alps. Yet in both regions, the forest specialists consistently relied on mature, continuous forest and avoided open habitats and recent clear-cuts.
Pallas’s cats continued to occur in Bogd Khan Mountain near Mongolia’s capital, despite activity by people, livestock and free-ranging dogs. Their presence was associated with red squirrel activity, while the study found no strong response to the human-disturbance measures it examined.
Victoria’s lowland temperate grasslands have been extensively cleared and degraded by farming, urban growth, invasive species and poor management. A review warns that without substantial conservation action, the fat-tailed dunnart could be among the species pushed to extinction.
A study in northern Australia found that wetland plots disturbed by feral pigs released more methane and nitrous oxide than undisturbed reference plots. The highest emissions occurred at recently disturbed sites, suggesting feral pig management could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands.
