Austral Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Caught Between Macrophytes and Human Impact: Zooplankton Facing Multiple Stressors in Tropical Waters","authors":"Ana Paula S. da Conceição,&nbsp;Larissa Araújo dos Santos,&nbsp;Thaisa Sala Michelan,&nbsp;Leandro Juen,&nbsp;Francieli F. Bomfim","doi":"10.1111/aec.70282","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70282","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Tropical freshwater systems host diverse and functionally important zooplankton communities that are increasingly threatened by multiple stressors. Here, we assessed how land-use disturbance, local environmental conditions and macrophyte structure influence zooplankton richness, abundance and composition in Amazonian ponds and streams. Across 68 sites in Pará State, Brazil, we found that zooplankton composition differed significantly between system types (pond and stream), although richness and abundance were comparable. Landscape disturbance (mining and pasture) and riparian forest cover reduced zooplankton diversity—especially copepods and cladocerans—while macrophyte richness and abundance increased total and group-specific richness and abundance. High temperatures positively affected total zooplankton and rotifer diversity, whereas oxygen negatively affected copepods. These results reveal that both anthropogenic and habitat-related factors shape tropical zooplankton communities in complex, group-specific ways. Maintaining macrophyte-rich habitats and riparian vegetation may mitigate biodiversity loss and sustain ecosystem functioning in tropical freshwater systems under increasing human pressures.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70282","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148823398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fences, Ferals and Fire: Compounding and Interacting Influences on a Variable Reptile Assemblage in North Australia","authors":"Graeme R. Gillespie,&nbsp;Danielle Stokeld,&nbsp;Alaric Fisher,&nbsp;Tim Gentles,&nbsp;Brydie M. Hill,&nbsp;John C. Z. Woinarski","doi":"10.1111/aec.70279","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70279","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The impacts of feral cats on native fauna have received considerable attention in recent years. We previously reported a two-fold increase in the abundance of reptiles at a site in Australia's tropical savannas in response to feral cat exclusion. There is also increasing understanding of important interactive effects on prey of invasive predators and disturbance processes, in particular fire. Australian tropical savannas are highly fire prone and their diverse reptile communities have co-evolved with these fire regimes. However, these regimes have undergone marked changes since European settlement, in particular, increased fire frequency and intensity. These changes may not only directly affect important resources for reptiles, but in turn may also exacerbate the impact of feral cats and other predators on reptile diversity. We extended the experiment reported in 2018 (i.e., from 2 to 4 years) to attempt to further resolve the effects of exclusion-fencing and fire frequency on reptile assemblage composition and abundance. We found few clear response patterns. Furthermore, our previous report of increase in reptile abundance after 2 years of exclusion was not apparent after a further 2 years of trial. Nonetheless, reptile species composition varied between fenced and unfenced plots. We found highly variable responses amongst reptile species and in overall reptile community composition to the effects of exclusion and fire history. These appear to reflect complex interactions between fire regimes, cat predation and meso-predator responses which are difficult to unpack. This project has highlighted some of the complexities involved with understanding these processes and their potentially complex interactions. Although our experiment was carefully designed, it was not possible to definitively disaggregate the effects of feral cat exclusion from those of exclusion of ungulates and dingoes. The inability to contain fire activity to the original planned treatments and relatively small number of replicates challenged our ability to discern and interpret the complex interactions involved.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148848618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Woody Plant Invasions Restructure Arthropod Prey Communities and Cascade to Insectivorous Birds in the Chaco Serrano Woodlands","authors":"T. Aguirre Vallés,&nbsp;F. A. Montejano,&nbsp;G. A. González,&nbsp;Susana Inés Peluc","doi":"10.1111/aec.70280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70280","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Invasive trees can profoundly alter ecosystem structure and trophic interactions, yet their cascading effects on arthropod and avian communities remain poorly documented in Neotropical forests. We evaluated the impacts of two invasive woody species, <i>Ligustrum lucidum</i> and <i>Gleditsia triacanthos</i>, on foliage arthropods and insectivorous birds in the Chaco Serrano Forest of central Argentina. We surveyed 20 sites (native, <i>Ligustrum</i>-invaded and <i>Gleditsia-</i>invaded) during the austral summer and winter, recording insectivorous birds through point counts and sampling foliage arthropods by beating sampling of standing vegetation. We further classified arthropods into morphotypes and functional prey groups. We examined changes in the arthropod and avian diversity regarding the tree invasions using Hill diversity indices, PERMANOVA, SIMPER and Indicator Species Analysis (IndVal). Native woodland sites supported the highest richness and diversity of both arthropods and insectivorous birds, whereas <i>Ligustrum</i>-invaded sites exhibited markedly simplified assemblages. <i>Gleditsia</i>-invaded sites showed intermediate diversity, possibly due to their structural similarity with native vegetation. Changes in arthropod richness, but not abundance, were the main predictor of changes in bird diversity in both seasons, suggesting that prey richness rather than total prey abundance is more strongly associated with insectivore diversity. Functional groups such as spiders, beetles, true bugs and leafhoppers were strongly associated with native vegetation and explained much of the variation in bird composition. Beta diversity analysis revealed high species turnover among native, <i>Ligustrum</i>-invaded and <i>Gleditsia</i>-invaded sites, suggesting that tree invasions restructure communities rather than producing nested subsets. Overall, our results show that <i>L. lucidum</i> and <i>G. triacanthos</i> invasions reduce trophic diversity, leading to depauperate and compositionally distinct arthropod and bird assemblages. Yet, the identity and traits of the invading tree species modulate the magnitude of these effects. Conserving insectivorous birds in the Chaco Serrano will require restoring native vegetation complexity and controlling invasive trees to maintain the structural and trophic integrity of this threatened forest ecosystem.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148848676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does Trap Type Matter? Evaluating the Influence of Funnel and Pitfall Traps on Reptile Relative Abundance and Diversity","authors":"Eloise Welsh,&nbsp;Julian Di Stefano,&nbsp;Sarah Mulhall,&nbsp;Annalie Dorph,&nbsp;Matthew Swan,&nbsp;Holly Sitters,&nbsp;Kate Parkins","doi":"10.1111/aec.70276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70276","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Compounding pressures from climate change, land use change and habitat loss are driving global biodiversity declines. Reptiles are particularly vulnerable to these threats due to their small range sizes and limited dispersal abilities. However, data on species distributions, population sizes and basic ecology remain sparse for many Australian species, highlighting the need for efficient and effective research and monitoring. Despite research on how survey methods influence reptile species and community data, few studies have evaluated which methods best meet specific research and monitoring objectives. To address this gap, we evaluated the influence of pitfall and funnel traps on the relative abundance of nine reptile species and three community metrics (alpha, beta and gamma diversity) while accounting for imperfect detection at 107 sites in south-eastern Australia. Additionally, we examined correlations among data from combined-trap and single-trap datasets for each species and alpha diversity. Trap type influenced relative abundance estimates for four species. The eastern three-lined skink (<i>Acritoscincus duperreyi</i>) and the southern water skink (<i>Eulamprus tympanum</i>) were more abundant in funnel traps. In contrast, the south-eastern slider (<i>Lerista bougainvillii</i>) and the lined worm-lizard (<i>Aprasia striolata</i>) were more abundant in pitfall traps, likely reflecting morphological and behavioural traits such as fossoriality. Trap type influenced both beta and gamma diversity but not alpha diversity. Relative abundance and alpha diversity from combined trap data were strongly correlated (<i>r</i> ≥ 0.78) with estimates from at least one of the single-trap datasets, but correlations between data derived from pitfall and funnel traps were weak (<i>r</i> ≤ 0.51). Based on our findings, we offer design recommendations for reptile surveys in our study area. More broadly, our results demonstrate that effective reptile survey design depends on aligning survey methods with research objectives and the ecological traits of target species.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70276","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148784909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil Seed Bank Holds Some Potential for Natural Regeneration in a Semi-Arid Rangeland","authors":"Bettina L. Ignacio,&nbsp;Angela T. Moles,&nbsp;Catherine A. Offord,&nbsp;Giancarlo M. Chiarenza,&nbsp;Ben Maslen,&nbsp;Frank A. Hemmings,&nbsp;Keith Leggett,&nbsp;Zoe A. Xirocostas","doi":"10.1111/aec.70278","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70278","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Natural regeneration of degraded lands can be facilitated by the recruitment of plant species from the soil seed bank. However, the composition of soil seed banks in arid Australia has seldom been studied. We addressed this knowledge gap by quantifying the soil seed bank of chenopod shrubland and remnant <i>Acacia aneura</i> (mulga) stands in an ex-agricultural site in New South Wales, Australia. We also assessed the effect of three germination pre-treatments. Overall, the soil seed bank yielded 113 species, only 11 of which (14%) were introduced species. Despite mulga historically being a dominant canopy species at our site, we found no evidence that it has a viable seed bank. Distance from water troughs (a proxy for past grazing intensity) did not affect seed bank richness or diversity, but seed bank density doubled between 16 m and 1024 m. Samples treated with gibberellic acid solution and controls (water only) produced a similar density of germinants (4843 vs. 4337 seedlings m⁻²), while soil samples treated with hot water yielded only 1118 seedlings m⁻². Our results suggest a substantial and diverse native seed bank exists for natural regeneration, but some key species will not return without ecological restoration<i>.</i></p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70278","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148784357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mesoscale Covariation in the Plant–Soil Neighbourhood of a South African Montane Grassland","authors":"Clinton Carbutt,&nbsp;Alan D. Manson,&nbsp;Timothy G. O'Connor,&nbsp;Sphesihle Mkhungo","doi":"10.1111/aec.70274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70274","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Plant–soil relationships are the foundation of terrestrial life, sustaining global ecosystems through biomass and food production, nutrient cycling and microbial activity, and ecosystem regulation. To better understand plant–soil relationships in a changing world, we investigated mesoscale covariation in the plant–soil neighbourhood of a South African flammable montane grassland. In a randomized block experiment of 30 plots, we assessed variation in plant species composition and cover, and on three occasions within a single growing season (spring–summer–autumn), we determined above-ground plant biomass and nutrient concentrations by plant functional type (PFT). We also assessed variation in soil depth, and soil chemical and physical properties. Some 10% of the variation in plant species composition was explained by plot identity. Forbs accounted for 68% of species richness, whereas graminoids (almost exclusively grasses) contributed 93% of biomass. The C₄ grasses <i>Themeda triandra</i>, <i>Tristachya leucothrix</i>, <i>Heteropogon contortus</i> and <i>Harpochloa falx,</i> and the C₃ grass <i>Koeleria capensis</i>, dominated cover and biomass. Graminoid biomass was positively correlated with soil depth, whereas forb biomass was negatively correlated with soil total carbon and nitrogen. Plant diversity (using Shannon-Weiner and Simpson's Indices of Diversity) did not share a significant relationship with biomass. PFT, season, and their interaction influenced biomass. Results suggest that graminoids and forbs exhibit highly divergent resource strategies presumably as an adaptation to fire and grazing. Graminoids appeared to show a trade-off prioritizing biomass over nutrients to minimize nutrient losses in flammable biomass. Forbs, by contrast, invested more heavily in nutrients. Mobile macronutrient concentrations decreased in autumn due to translocation to below-ground storage organs prior to senescence. Additionally, microbially mediated soil mineralization, activated by warming and precipitation, resulted in higher N and P herbage concentrations in spring. Although soil variables contributed to biotic variation, we speculate that historical land management legacies have had a confounding influence on site variation. Our study showed that the plant–soil neighbourhood of a montane grassland is tightly coupled at a small spatial scale. Such focused studies are essential for understanding how plant–soil relationships may be affected by a changing world. This has implications for the management and conservation of montane grasslands.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70274","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Hydrothermal Conditions and Salinity Stress on the Seed Germination of the Threatened Arid Zone Samphire Tecticornia lylei (Amaranthaceae: Salicornioideae)","authors":"Kristin R. Monie,&nbsp;Shane R. Turner,&nbsp;Grant C. Palmer,&nbsp;Singarayer K. Florentine","doi":"10.1111/aec.70277","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70277","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Seed germination of species in arid zones is shaped by climatic extremes, which include high temperatures, prolonged drought and episodic rainfall. Halophytic plants, such as samphires, face additional pressure from fluctuating salinity. It is anticipated that current physiological thresholds will be surpassed for many species because of climate change, resulting in disrupted plant recruitment patterns as seed germination windows narrow or shift. Our study aimed to determine the timing of germination opportunities for the threatened samphire <i>Tecticornia lylei</i> and understand the effects that climate change may have on future recruitment. We assessed the germination responses of seeds to light, temperature, water and salinity stress. The comparative effects of salinity and water stress under increasing temperatures were also observed, as were responses to freshwater exposure characteristic of episodic rainfall. We found seeds removed from fruits commenced germination more rapidly, but other treatments assessed had minimal effect on final germination percentages. <i>Tecticornia lylei</i> germinated optimally in cooler conditions under constant darkness, but also had capacity for strong germination in fluctuating light/dark photoperiods. Low numbers were observed to germinate at higher temperatures, and under water stress which caused greater delays than salinity stress, with increasing temperatures exacerbating these effects. However, ungerminated seeds responded rapidly to freshwater treatment, even after exposure to stress levels that surpassed thresholds for germination, this being suggestive of the action of a priming effect. While <i>Tecticornia lylei</i> has a broad thermal window for germination in very low stress environments, it narrows substantially as osmotic stress increases. High rainfall events during cooler seasons are therefore critical to reduce salinity and increase soil moisture for sufficient time for seeds to germinate in high numbers.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70277","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deadwood for Recovery? Woody Debris Addition Did Not Accelerate Small Fauna Recovery After Major Flooding","authors":"Emily L. Scicluna,&nbsp;Mitchell Kroemer,&nbsp;Andrew J. Pask,&nbsp;Peter Cale,&nbsp;Heather Neilly","doi":"10.1111/aec.70271","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70271","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Periodic flooding is an intrinsic feature of floodplain ecosystems. The 2022–23 Murray River flood, the largest flood event in almost 70 years, inundated extensive floodplain areas on Calperum Station, South Australia. This depauperate vertebrate fauna community is the focus of restoration activities, including woody debris addition to rehabilitate degraded soils, vegetation and fauna. This study investigated the effects of woody debris addition and subsequent major flooding on the small mammals and reptiles by surveying terrestrial fauna, vegetation and groundcover before and two years after flood, with and without pre-flood woody debris. Two years post-flood, terrestrial fauna abundance and diversity had not recovered, and woody debris did not influence recovery. The two most common species in pre-flood surveys, the fat-tailed dunnart (<i>Sminthopsis crassicaudata</i>) and tessellated gecko (<i>Diplodactylus tessellatus</i>) declined markedly post-flood, with no dunnarts detected. Pre-flood, dunnarts were associated with areas of less bare ground; post-flood, bare ground increased across all sites, likely reducing habitat suitability. Camera trapping in adjacent habitats recorded fat-tailed dunnarts on dune tops. The mechanisms of flood avoidance or survival remain unknown, raising questions about the capacity of small terrestrial fauna to escape major floods and recolonise formerly suitable habitat. With larger, less predictable flood events predicted and ongoing habitat degradation, understanding the vulnerability of threatened floodplain communities to such disturbances is critical.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70271","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decoupling of Taxonomic and Functional Recovery in a Multi-Decadal Mixed Araucaria Forest Chronosequence","authors":"Samuel de Barros Silva,&nbsp;Ana Carolina da Silva,&nbsp;Pedro Rates Vieira,&nbsp;Adam Roger Slabadack,&nbsp;Maria Julia Carvalho Cruz,&nbsp;Karla Juliana Silva da Costa,&nbsp;Gionei Chermach,&nbsp;Pedro Higuchi","doi":"10.1111/aec.70273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70273","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding how different biodiversity dimensions recover following disturbance is critical for interpreting forest successional trajectories. We examined this question in a protected remnant of Araucaria Mixed Forest (AMF) in subtropical southern Brazil, a frost-prone montane system with multiple anthropogenic disturbance legacies. We established 32 permanent plots spanning a 40+ year post-disturbance chronosequence and assessed taxonomic composition, species richness, functional diversity and functional trait composition across young (&lt; 15 years), intermediate (15–39 years) and old (≥ 40 years) successional stands. Species richness showed no age-related trend (<i>p</i> = 0.64), whereas functional diversity increased with stand age (<i>p</i> = 0.007) and reached its highest values in old stands. Floristic composition differed significantly among successional stages (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), indicating species replacement without corresponding richness gains. Functional composition shifted towards more resource-conservative trait strategies in older stands, although substantial heterogeneity persisted among old forest plots. These results indicate a decoupling between taxonomic and functional recovery trajectories, cautioning against the use of species richness alone as a recovery indicator. The delayed increase in functional diversity suggests that short monitoring windows may fail to capture important dimensions of forest recovery. Our findings underscore the conservation value of older forest stands and support the inclusion of functional indicators in long-term assessments of forest recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70273","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Sounds of the Australian Summer: A Continental-Scale Inventory of Cicada Ecoacoustics","authors":"Thomas Mesaglio,&nbsp;Kate D. L. Umbers,&nbsp;Nathan J. Emery,&nbsp;Christie Foster,&nbsp;Benjamin A. McBurney,&nbsp;Joel Poyitt,&nbsp;William K. Cornwell","doi":"10.1111/aec.70272","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70272","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Australia has a rich cicada fauna, with over 400 described species including some of the loudest-calling species in the world. The males of each species produce a unique call for attracting females; these calls are invaluable for informing taxonomy and allowing for species-level identification. Given the increasingly large volume of audio recordings now available through citizen science, there is considerable potential for these data to be used in ecoacoustics research, however, this potential for both basic and applied research has nonetheless remained untapped. We censused a dataset of more than 11 000 cicada audio recordings from the platform iNaturalist and compared these data to photographic iNaturalist records and digitised museum specimens from the Atlas of Living Australia, characterising the geographic and taxonomic spread of audio data for Australian cicadas and exploring biases and data gaps. Approximately 95% of iNaturalist audio records of cicadas are identified to species, with these records spanning almost half of all described Australian cicada species. Audio records were strongly spatially and taxonomically biased, with 60% of records across the continent made in the Greater Sydney and Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, and almost 40% of records spanning just five common species from southeastern Australia. There are many regions in Australia, especially in Queensland, where cicadas have been photographed or collected but for which no audio recordings have been made by citizen scientists. These biases are shaped by Australia's unique geography and climate, differences in life history, emergence times and call volume across Australian cicada species, and the concentration of cicada ‘super-observers’ in southeastern Australia. We identify areas of high potential for using cicada audio data in ecoacoustics to monitor restoration and management interventions, drive ecological research, inform conservation, and offer best practice advice for making high quality audio recordings of cicadas.</p>","PeriodicalId":8663,"journal":{"name":"Austral Ecology","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.70272","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}