Research Project
Researchers: Darcy Watchorn (Principal investigator, Investigation, Principal or Chief Investigator) , Don Driscoll (Principal investigator, Investigation, Principal or Chief Investigator) , Prof Don Driscoll (Principal investigator, Investigation, Principal or Chief Investigator) , Prof. Don Driscoll (Principal investigator, Investigation, Principal or Chief Investigator) , Tim Doherty (Principal investigator, Investigation, Principal or Chief Investigator)
Full description Camera trap data package from the Wildlife Observatory of Australia's Wildlife Camera Database. Dataset ID: VIC_Otways_predators_Watchorn_2018-2022_WildObsID_0018. Fire shapes animal communities by altering resource availability and species interactions, including between predators and prey. In Australia, there is particular concern that two highly damaging invasive predators, the feral cat (Felis catus) and European red fox (Vulpes vulpes), increase their activity in recently burnt areas and exert greater predation pressure on the native prey due to their increased exposure. We tested how prescribed fire occurrence and extent, along with fire history, vegetation, topography, and distance to anthropogenic features (towns and farms), affected the activity (detection frequency) of cats, foxes, and the native mammal community in south-eastern Australia. We used camera traps to quantify mammal activity before and after a prescribed burn and statistically tested how the fire interacted with
