Keeping rabbits, cats and foxes out of this reserve has helped our small animals bounceback

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-07-09 09:01

Australia; NSW; SA

Bolam's mouse - Observation by Max Tibby · no rights reserved, inaturalist

Keeping rabbits, cats and foxes out of the Arid Recovery Reserve in northern South Australia for 26 years has allowed the diversity of small mammal species to increase, while five species have also increased in numbers, according to Australian research. The researchers found that smaller rodents responded quickly to the predators being kept out, whereas larger rodents took longer but eventually outcompeted the smaller rodents. Other species of small mammals, such as dunnarts and planigales, had a more muted response that took longer. The authors found that after high rainfall years, around 33 times more rodents were caught inside the reserve than outside, suggesting that invasive predators have a significant impact and suppress rainfall-induced population booms.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Exclusion of invasive predators triggers succession, competition and habitat diversification in a small mammal community

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

We examined the abundance and demography of ten Australian desert small mammals inside and outside a fenced reserve after the exclusion of invasive rabbits, cats and foxes. Over 26 years, we found evidence for a species succession response triggered by the removal of endogenous disturbance (predation), similar to exogenous disturbance caused by fire, mining and deglaciation. Smaller rodents responded within two years whereas larger rodents became more abundant within the reserve after five years, eventually outcompeting the smaller rodents. Captures of rodents inside the reserve reached up to 33 times higher than outside after high rainfall years, suggesting that invasive predators have a significant impact and suppress rainfall-induced population booms.

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Research The Royal Society, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).

Journal/
conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of New South Wales, The University of Adelaide, Arid Recovery

Funder: This study was conducted and managed by Arid Recovery, a conservation research program supported by BHP, the South Australian Department for Environment and Water, the University of Adelaide and Bush Heritage Australia. K.M. was supported by an ARC Future Fellowship FT210100173.

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