![]() Macropod activity declined rapidly at the end of the dry season when cattle activity was greatest, suggesting that macropods may avoid waterholes in areas utilised by cattle when competition for resources is high. Cattle presence at waterholes increased as water became scarce, while macropod and pig presence peaked in the middle of the dry season. We found that macropods did not use fenced waterholes preferentially over unfenced ones. ![]() We also investigated whether water scarcity affected the visitation behaviour and temporal activity patterns of herbivores at waterholes and whether increasing prey aggregation at waterholes increased dingo presence. We used a fencing experiment to test whether native macropods preferentially visited savanna waterholes where large ungulates were excluded. As ungulates have high water requirements, they typically congregate near waterpoints. In northern Australia, pigs, cattle, and water buffalo have established widespread, feral populations. When exotic species are introduced to new environments, they often have a competitive advantage over native species. More generally, by showing that the presence/absence of dingoes can influence the diet of wedge-tailed eagles, our study highlights how pervasive apex predators’ effects on ecosystems can be. ![]() Our results provide evidence that shifts in the composition of vertebrate assemblages associated with the presence/absence of dingoes, particularly the irruption of kangaroos, influence the diet of wedge-tailed eagles. However, rabbits were more abundant and their remains were found at a higher proportion of nests where dingoes were common. Introduced European rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) were the prey item most frequently identified at eagle nests. Kangaroos (Macropodidae) and western bearded dragons ( Pogona vitticeps ) were more abundant and were consumed more frequently by eagles where dingoes were rare. Wedge-tailed eagles consumed more species where dingoes were rare compared to where dingoes were common. We assessed the abundance of species frequently preyed on by eagles and quantified prey remains at eagle nests located on either side of a dingo-proof fence where dingoes were common and rare, respectively. Wedge-tailed eagles are generalist predators that readily shift their diet in relation to prey availability. Here, we investigate the impact that the suppression of dingoes has on the diet of wedge-tailed eagles ( Aquila audax ) in Australia’s Strzelecki Desert. Suppression of dingo populations has been linked to a suite of ecosystem changes due to ensuing population irruptions of their prey and competitors. Because they are a pest to livestock producers, dingo populations are suppressed in many regions. Dingoes ( Canis dingo ) are Australia’s largest mammalian carnivore. This occurs because apex predators can exert strong suppressive effects on their prey and competitors and perturbation of these interactions can shift the balance of interactions between dyads of species at lower trophic levels and trigger trophic cascades. Removal of apex predators can have far-reaching effects on the organization and structure of ecosystems. Managing the Impacts of Dingoes and Other Wild Dogs is an essential guide for policy makers, pastoralists, conservation reserve managers and all those interested in wild dog management. The strategies are illustrated by case studies. Key strategies for successful wild dog management are recommended by the authors, who are scientific experts on wild dog management. Yet conservation of pure dingoes is also important and is threatened by their hybridisation with feral domestic dogs on the mainland. For this reason, wild dog control is a significant expense for many pastoralists and government agencies. There are also opportunity costs in areas where sheep are not grazed because of the high risk of wild dog predation. Predation and harassment of stock by wild dogs causes millions of dollars worth of losses to Australian sheep, cattle and goat producers each year. They are widely distributed throughout Australia. Australia's wild dogs include dingoes, introduced around 4000 years ago, feral domestic dogs and hybrids between the two. Managing the Impacts of Dingoes and Other Wild Dogs is the first book to provide a comprehensive review of the history and biology of wild dogs in Australia, the damage they cause, and community attitudes to their management.
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