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Long-term ecological monitoring is crucial to understanding the complex dynamics of ecosystems, communities, and populations. Despite this, monitoring data are lacking or rare for the vast majority of biodiversity. Here we report the results of 19 years (2003–2022) of continuous annual monitoring of reptile species at Booderee National Park (BNP) on the east coast of south-eastern Australia. We tested the effects of time, habitat type, fire, and climate on detections of five reptile species. Our study revealed declines in detections of two skink species over time ( Lampropholis delicata and Ctenotus taeniolatus ), which we suspect was partly driven by weather conditions influencing activity of these species. We also identified broad vegetation type associations for two congeneric species with L . delicata being associated with forested sites, and Lampropholis guichenoti associated with more shrubby sites. Our results also demonstrated a clear association between Cryptophis nigrescens and L . delicata and fire, with the probabilities of detection of both species decreasing with time since fire in the short term. At about the midway point of our study (in 2011), we were forced to make a change in the way our data were collected. The change heavily influenced our findings, and so breached the integrity of the time series in our dataset. We acknowledge that a simple but crucial step to mitigate this breach would have been to conduct calibration that allowed subsequent analysis to control for a change in field survey methodology. Whilst improvements in the effectiveness of field survey methods might be possible through new technologies, it is crucial to maintain the integrity of long-term datasets as data collection continues.

Reptiles are an important part of the vertebrate fauna in the temperate woodlands of south-eastern Australia. However, compared to birds and mammals, the long-term occurrence of reptiles across woodland growth types–old growth, regrowth, and replantings–remains poorly understood. Here, using 18-years of data gathered at 218 sites across 1.5 million hectares in New South Wales South West Slopes bioregion, we sought to quantify patterns of temporal change in reptile occurrence and determine if such changes varied between woodland growth types. Despite extensive sampling, almost 75% of our 6341 surveys produced no detections of reptiles. Significant survey effort exceeding 2000 surveys was needed over a prolonged period of time to record detections of 26 reptile species in our study area. Our analyses showed a temporal increase in estimated reptile species richness and abundance over 18 years. Such increases characterized all three vegetation structural types we surveyed. At the individual species level, we had sufficient data to construct models for five of the 26 species recorded. Three of these species were least commonly detected in replantings, whereas the remaining two were most often detected in replantings relative to old growth and regrowth woodland. We found evidence of a temporal increase in two skink species, a decline in one gecko species, and no change in the remaining two skink species. Although detections were consistently low, active searches were the best survey method, and we suggest using this method in habitats known to be hotspots for reptiles, such as rocky outcrops, if the aim is to maximize the number of individuals and species detected. Our findings highlight the value of all three broad vegetation structure types in contributing to woodland reptile biodiversity.

Fire is a key ecosystem process with more than half the world's land surface potentially subject to fire. A key aspect of fire ecology is the fire regime, with fire frequency an important component. Fire frequency appears to be increasing in some ecosystems, but decreasing in others. Such temporal and spatial variability in fire frequency highlights the importance of more effectively quantifying spatiotemporal changes in fire frequency for particular environments. We modeled changes in fire frequency over the past 40 years (1981–2020) in a 4.64 million ha area in Victoria, Australia. We quantified regional variation in the number of fires (hereafter termed fire frequency) during two 20‐year time periods (1981–2000 vs. 2001–2020), employing the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA), a standardized regionalization of Australia's terrestrial landscapes. We also quantified the climate and environmental factors influencing fire frequency in each IBRA subregion. Our empirical analyses revealed that fire frequency in Victoria was heterogeneous in both time and space. Wildfire frequency changed between 1981 and 2020, with the past 20 years (2001–2020) experiencing a substantially greater number of fires relative to the 20 years prior (1981–2000). Changes in fire frequency were not spatially uniform, with increases more pronounced in some IBRA subregions than others. Climate and topographic factors influenced the frequency of wildfires, but their effects manifested differently in different IBRA subregions. For example, fire frequency was associated with increasing rainfall deficit deviation in four IBRA subregions, but an opposite trend characterized two others. Associations between fire frequency and increasing temperature deviation also varied from negative to positive across subregions. We also found evidence of elevation, slope, and aspect effects, but these too varied between IBRA subregions. The complex spatiotemporal changes in fire frequency quantified in this study, and the complex between‐region differences in the factors associated with the number of fires, have major implications for biodiversity conservation, resource availability (e.g., timber yields), and ecosystem integrity. In ecosystems subjected to repeated fires at short intervals, new rapid detection and swift suppression technologies may be required to reduce the risks of ecosystem collapse as high‐severity wildfires increase in frequency.

Interspecific competition is often assumed in ecosystems where co‐occurring species have similar resource requirements. The potential for competition can be investigated by measuring the dietary overlap of putative competitor species. The degree of potential competition between generalist species has often received less research attention than competition between specialist species. We examined dietary overlap between two naturally co‐occurring dietary generalist species: the common brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula and the bush rat Rattus fuscipes. To gauge the potential for competition, we conducted a diet analysis using DNA extracted from faecal samples to identify the range of food items consumed by both species within a shared ecosystem and quantify their dietary overlap. We used DNA metabarcoding on faecal samples to extract plant, fungal, and invertebrate DNA, identifying diet items and quantifying dietary range and overlap. The species' diets were similar, with a Pianka's overlap index score of 0.84 indicating high dietary similarity. Bush rats had a large dietary range, consisting of many plant and fungal species and some invertebrates, with almost no within‐species variation. Possums had a more restricted dietary range, consisting primarily of plants. We suggest that the larger dietary range of the bush rat helps buffer it from the impacts of competition from possums by providing access to more food types. We conclude that, despite the high ostensible overlap in the foods consumed by dietary generalist species, fine‐scale partitioning of food resources may be a key mechanism to alleviate competition and permit co‐existence. Interspecific competition among co‐occurring species with similar resource requirements can be assessed by measuring diet overlap. A study on common brushtail possums and bush rats used DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples to quantify their dietary overlap, finding a significant similarity. Despite this overlap, the bush rat's broader dietary range and differences in diet among its population components likely mitigate competition, allowing both species to coexist through fine‐scale resource partitioning.

Urbanization is increasing globally with wide‐ranging consequences for biodiversity and the ecological processes it performs. Yet knowledge of the range of ecological processes supported by biodiversity in urban environments, and the different taxa that perform these processes is poorly understood. We used a text‐analysis approach to identify the research trends and gaps in knowledge in the literature on ecological processes provided by animals in urban environments. We found a divide in urban ecological processes research that grouped studies into those with an explicit link to ecological processes and those that focused on biodiversity and made an implicit link to ecological processes. We also found that the dominant taxa in urban ecological processes research were insects, which has more than twice as many studies as birds or mammals, potentially due to their recognized and explicit link to key processes and services (e.g., pollination, pollution biomonitoring) and disservices (e.g., pests, disease transmission). We found a further split between terrestrial and aquatic studies, with urban aquatic studies also declining in relative prevalence over the last 20 yr. To consolidate and advance research on ecological processes in urban environments, we suggest it will be important to bridge the divide between studies on explicit services and others on more general biodiversity. This might be achieved by placing greater focus on the processes provided by non‐insect taxa, and by integrating aquatic and terrestrial perspectives.

Context Edge effects due to habitat loss and fragmentation have pervasive impacts on many natural ecosystems worldwide. Objective We aimed to explore whether, in tandem with the resource-based model of edge effects, species feeding-guild and flight-capacity can help explain species responses to an edge. Methods We used a two-sided edge gradient that extended from 1000 m into native Eucalyptus forest to 316 m into an exotic pine plantation. We used generalised additive models to examine the continuous responses of beetle species, feeding-guild species richness and flight-capable group species richness to the edge gradient and environmental covariates. Results Phytophagous species richness was directly related to variation in vegetation along the edge gradient. There were more flight-capable species in Eucalyptus forest and more flightless species in exotic pine plantation. Many individual species exhibited multiple-peaked edge-profiles. Conclusions The resource based model for edge effects can be used in tandem with traits such as feeding-guild and flight-capacity to understand drivers of large scale edge responses. Some trait-groups can show generalisable responses that can be linked with drivers such as vegetation richness and habitat structure. Many trait-group responses, however, are less generalisable and not explained by easily measured habitat variables. Difficulties in linking traits with resources along the edge could be due to unmeasured variation and indirect effects. Some species’ responses reached the limits of the edge gradient demonstrating the need to examine edge effects at large scales, such as kilometres.

The decomposition of large vertebrate carcasses generates small‐scale disturbances characterized by changes in soil chemistry and new opportunities for plant establishment. Yet few studies have examined whether this effect is still evident several years after death, or has consequences for landscape‐scale heterogeneity. We examined soil chemistry and plant species richness and composition at 12 kangaroo carcasses (~30 kg initial mass) five years after their initial placement. Each carcass was paired with a nearby “control” site for comparison. We found that soil phosphorus was eight times higher at carcasses than at control sites, but that nitrogen concentration was similar. We also found that plant composition was substantially different between each carcass and control pair, with 80% of carcasses dominated by exotic species (mostly weedy annuals). Notably, overall variability in plant species composition across carcass sites was not different from the variability at control sites, indicating that the colonization of carcasses by weedy species did not have a homogenizing effect on plant assemblages across our study landscape. Our study demonstrates that a localized effect of large vertebrate carcasses on soil and plants was still evident after five years, indicating a state shift in the soil–plant dynamics at a carcass site. However, the effect of carcasses on landscape‐scale plant community heterogeneity was minimal because colonization was by weedy plants already present in the landscape.

Context Scattered old native trees found in semi-cleared agricultural landscapes (hereafter termed paddock trees) have a range of important ecological, ecosystem service, human cultural, and other roles. They have been the target of detailed study in many countries. Objectives We sought to quantify the temporal and spatial trends in the prevalence of research topics in the corpus of literature on paddock trees. Methods We used a combination of text-analysis techniques, including topic modelling, to complete a formal analysis of almost 1,300 peer-reviewed articles on paddock trees and biodiversity. Results We found that the literature can be represented by broad groups of topics. Increasingly popular (“hot”) topics were those that researched ecosystem services and agricultural production in relation to biodiversity. In contrast, topics declining in relative prevalence over time were typically those related to the direct research of biodiversity and paddock trees. Our analyses also revealed strong evidence of geographic bias in the literature with the corpus dominated by studies in the European Union and North America, and limited research from low-income nations in Africa. Conclusions The geographical bias in research highlights a need for more work in regions outside of high-income nations. This is important as strategies to manage paddock trees in high-income nations may not be appropriate for use in low-income nations characterized by different social-ecological environments. As paddock trees exist in often highly modified agricultural landscapes, their conservation (and the maintenance of biodiversity associated with them) will benefit from more interdisciplinary approaches to research that span a greater number of topics. These include stronger links between studies on livestock grazing regimes, ecosystem functions, and biodiversity management in relation to paddock trees and scattered paddock tree landscapes.

Temperate grasslands and woodlands are the focus of extensive restoration efforts worldwide. Reintroduction of locally extinct soil-foraging and burrowing animals has been suggested as a means to restore soil function in these ecosystems. Yet little is known about the physical and chemical effects of digging on soil over time and how these effects differ between species of digging animal, vegetation types or ecosystems. We compared foraging pits of a native reintroduced marsupial, the eastern bettong ( Bettongia gaimardi ) and that of the exotic European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ). We simulated pits of these animals and measured pit dimensions and soil chemical properties over a period of 2 years. We showed that bettong and rabbit pits differed in their morphology and longevity, and that pits had a strong moderating effect on soil surface temperatures. Over 75% of the simulated pits were still visible after 2 years, and bettong pits infilled faster than rabbit pits. Bettong pits reduced diurnal temperature range by up to 25 °C compared to the soil surface. We did not find any effects of digging on soil chemistry that were consistent across vegetation types, between bettong and rabbit pits, and with time since digging, which is contrary to studies conducted in arid biomes. Our findings show that animal foraging pits in temperate ecosystems cause physical alteration of the soil surface and microclimatic conditions rather than nutrient changes often observed in arid areas.