caa a22 4500 605527059 CHVBK 20210128100806.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150301xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10531-014-0830-3 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10531-014-0830-3 Conservation gone to the dogs: when canids rule the beach in small coastal reserves [Elektronische Daten] [Thomas Schlacher, Michael Weston, David Lynn, David Schoeman, Chantal Huijbers, Andrew Olds, Sam Masters, Rod Connolly] On most developed coastlines, dunes backing ocean beaches constitute an urbanised landscape mosaic containing remnant pockets of small conservation areas. Urbanised beaches are also prime sites for domestic dogs, known to be environmentally harmful in many other settings. It is unknown, however, whether small, protected parcels of dune are adequate for biological conservation and whether dogs compromise their functional conservation objectives. Here we examine, for two small (2km ocean boundary) reserves in Eastern Australia abutting an urban area, whether such small reserves can continue to function as effective conservation instruments on ocean beaches, using scavenger community composition and efficiency to assess ecosystem function. Two non-native species of canids—domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)—were ubiquitous and numerous inside conservation areas, to the point of having become the most abundant vertebrate scavengers at the beach-dune interface, outcompeting native scavengers for wave-cast carrion. Dogs and foxes have effectively supplanted raptors, normally abundant on non-urban beaches in the region, and other avian scavengers, as the principal consumers of animal carcasses both inside the declared reserves and at the urban beach. Whilst the ecological threats posed by foxes are widely and intensively addressed in Australia in the form of fox-control programs, dog controls are less common and stringent. Our data emphasize, however, that managing domestic dogs may be required to the same extent in order to maintain key forms and functions in coastal reserves situated close to urban areas. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2014 Sandy shores nationallicence Conservation nationallicence Scavengers nationallicence Invasive species nationallicence Domestic dogs nationallicence Apex predators nationallicence Red foxes nationallicence Reserves nationallicence Schlacher Thomas School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut Weston Michael School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3125, Burwood, VIC, Australia aut Lynn David School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut Schoeman David School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut Huijbers Chantal School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut Olds Andrew School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut Masters Sam School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut Connolly Rod Australian Rivers Institute (ARI) - Coast & Estuaries, and School of Environment, Griffith University, 4222, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, Australia aut Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/3(2015-03-01), 493-509 0960-3115 24:3<493 2015 24 10531 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0830-3 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0830-3 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Schlacher Thomas School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Weston Michael School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3125, Burwood, VIC, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Lynn David School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Schoeman David School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Huijbers Chantal School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Olds Andrew School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Masters Sam School of Science & Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, 4558, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Connolly Rod Australian Rivers Institute (ARI) - Coast & Estuaries, and School of Environment, Griffith University, 4222, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/3(2015-03-01), 493-509 0960-3115 24:3<493 2015 24 10531