Academic literature on the topic 'Rock-wallaby'

Marsupial mammals show extraordinary karyotype stability, with 2n = 14 considered ancestral. However, macropodid marsupials (kangaroos and wallabies) exhibit a considerable variety of karyotypes, with a hypothesised ancestral karyotype of 2n = 22. Speciation and karyotypic diversity in rock wallabies (Petrogale) is exceptional. We used cross species chromosome painting to examine the chromosome evolution between the tammar wallaby (2n = 16) and three 2n = 22 rock wallaby species groups with the putative ancestral karyotype. Hybridization of chromosome paints prepared from flow sorted chromosomes of the tammar wallaby to Petrogale spp., showed that this ancestral karyotype is largely conserved among 2n = 22 rock wallaby species, and confirmed the identity of ancestral chromosomes which fused to produce the bi-armed chromosomes of the 2n = 16 tammar wallaby. These results illustrate the fission-fusion process of karyotype evolution characteristic of the kangaroo group.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis was undertaken to resolve the systematic uncertainties surrounding the morphologically distinct purple-necked rock-wallaby (P. lateralis purpureicollis) of north-west Queensland, Australia. A comparison of mtDNA sequence divergence using both whole mtDNA restriction site and control-region sequence analyses revealed that P. l. purpureicollis was as well differentiated from other P. lateralis (black-footed rock-wallaby) taxa as P. lateralis was from P. penicillata (brush-tailed rock-wallaby) or P. assimilis (allied rock-wallaby). Phylogenetic analysis of the sequence data suggests thatP. lateralis (sensu lato) is paraphyletic, with P. l. purpureicollis being more closely aligned to P. penicillataand P. assimilis than to P. lateralis (sensu stricto). Data are also presented that demonstrate significant differences in the distribution of the telomeric repeat sequence (TTAGGG)n between the chromosomes of P. l. purpureicollis and the karyotypically similar MacDonnell Ranges race of P. lateralis. In addition, meiosis appears to be severely disrupted in the majority (73%) of oocytes examined from two P. l. purpureicollis MacDonnell Ranges race hybrids. In light of these findings we recommend that the purple-necked rock-wallaby be reinstated as a full species, P. purpureicollis Le Souef 1924.

The widely studied Australian marsupial genus Petrogale comprises 15 species of rock-wallaby with 26 known taxa. They are found throughout mainland Australia and on some continental islands. Rock-wallabies prefer habitats containing rocky areas with complex topographies of rock-piles, cliffs, crevices, ledges and caves. Although no rock-wallaby species is critically endangered, many populations and races are at immediate risk of extinction, and there are unexplained declines occurring in populations that are not endangered. Southern Australian taxa and populations appear to be more threatened than northern Australian taxa.

The population dynamics of five remnant rock-wallaby populations (Petrogale lateralis) persisting on granite outcrops in the central wheatbelt region of Western Australia were monitored over a six year period. From 1979 to 1982 all populations remained relatively static or declined for unknown reasons, but circumstantial evidence implicated fox predation. A fox control program was implemented in 1982 on two outcrops and was maintained for four years with the result that the two resident rock-wallaby populations increased by 138 and 223%. Two rock-wallaby populations occupying sites not subjected to fox control declined by 14 and 85%, and the third population increased by 29%. It was concluded that the fox has probably been a significant factor in the demise and decline of native mammals in the past, and that surviving populations are still at risk. Control of predation pressure on nature reserves was shown to be feasible from a management perspective.

The particle-size distributions of the ingesta of the sacciform forestomach in free-ranging animals of a grazing macropod species [Macropus eugenii (tammar wallaby)], a grazer/browser [Macropus parma (parma wallaby)], a browser/grazer [Petrogale penicillata (brush-tailed rock-wallaby)] and a browser [Wallabia bicolor (swamp wallaby)] from Kawau Island, New Zealand, were compared with those of captive animals maintained on a standing ryegrass (Lolium perenne) sward. Nutrient digestibility was also measured in tammar and parma wallabies fed ryegrass or browse, i.e. fresh mahoe (Melicytus ramiflora) and this was related to particle-size distributions of the ingesta.There were significant differences in the particle size distributions of digesta from tammar and parma wallabies in the wild but not in captivity. In free-ranging animals the ingesta from both browsing species, the brush-tailed rock-wallaby and the parma wallaby, contained consistently greater proportions of coarse particles and smaller proportions of fine particles than did those of the tammar wallaby. These differences may be correlated with reported differences in their tooth morphologies. However, the presence of significant differences in particle-size distributions of the digesta between brush-tailed rock-wallabies and parma wallabies when constrained to grass, despite reported similarities in their tooth morphology, suggests that factors other than tooth morphology contribute to differences in the oral processing of food by browsing and grazing macropods. There were greater proportions of grass fragments in the coarse than in the finer fractions of ingesta from free-ranging brush-tailed rock-wallabies, indicating that this species is less effective at chewing grass.There were no overall differences between tammar and parma wallabies in the digestibilities of organic matter, neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) or acid-detergent fibre (ADF) but the NDF and ADF digestibilites of both species increased significantly with increase in the proportion of fine ingesta particles and with increase in mass of fermentative digesta.These findings indicate the importance of oral processing to digestive efficiency in macropods and the relationship between oral processing and tooth morphology.

We measured parameters of molar progression and dental function in the brush-tailed rock-wallaby (Petrogale pencilliata) (a browser/grazer) and compared them with data from the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) (a grazer) and the parma wallaby (Macropus parma) (a grazer/browser).Although the mean value of the molar index (MI) was higher in rock-wallabies than in parma and tammar wallabies the mean rate of increase of log(MI) with log(body mass) was similar in the three species. Reported differences between these species in their rates of molar progression with age may therefore result from differences in their rates of bodily growth. The findings indicate that molar progression in the rock-wallaby is governed by the growth of the bones of the viscerocranium (mesial shift), rather than by diet-induced movement of the teeth within the bones of the viscerocranium (mesial drift), and was not influenced by the persistence of P4 premolars. It is therefore unlikely that differences in the rate of molar progression are directly linked to differences in diet.The relationship between functional dental parameters and body mass differed between brush-tailed rock-wallabies and tammar wallabies, species of differing dietary habit, but did not differ between brush-tailed rock-wallabies and parma wallabies, species of more similar dietary habit. Thus the total length of upper transverse lophine ridges and the interlophine distances of the M1 to M3 upper molars of brush-tailed rock-wallabies were not different from those of parma wallabies but were significantly greater than those of tammar wallabies. These differences can be interpreted in terms of greater emphasis on crushing/grinding of browse in the rock-wallabies and parma wallabies.

Workshops held at the 1994 National Rock- wallaby Symposium aimed to identify the gaps in knowledge that hinder the effective management and conservation of rock-wallabies. They also sought to identify research and management priorities for rock- wallabies at both the generic and individual taxon level. The requirements and difficulties of ensuring the implementation of research results and management strategies were also discussed.

This paper is a summary and overview of the National Rock-wallaby Symposium held in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia in November/December 1994. Whilst no rock-wallaby taxon of full specific rank is critically endangered, many distinct populations are at immediate risk of extinction. In particular, there is a strong north-south gradient in the conservation status of rock-wallabies. Southern taxa are more threatened than northern taxa, and within species, southern populations are more threatened than northern ones. A clear agenda for future research emerged. Much of this agenda can usefully be placed in the "declining population paradigm" recently identified by Caughley (1994). The threatening process most clearly indicated is predation by foxes, but whether this applies to rock-wallaby populations throughout Australia needs to be determined. Until it is, any manipulations of predation pressure should be treated as experiments. To measure the success of such manipulations, improved methods of population monitoring must be developed. Finally, the level of knowledge about rock-wallabies must be improved, both at the broad scale of taxonomy and distribution, and at the fine scale of detailed studies of the ecology and behaviour of particular populations.

Ancient DNA is becoming increasingly recognised as a tool in conservation biology to audit past biodiversity. The widespread loss of Australian biodiversity, especially endemic mammal populations, is of critical concern. An extreme example occurred on Depuch Island, situated off the north-west coast of Western Australia, where an unidentified species of rock-wallaby (Petrogale sp.) became extinct as a result of predation by red foxes. Two potential candidate species, Petrogale lateralis and P. rothschildi, both have ranges adjacent to Depuch Island, making identification based on geography difficult. A museum bone (one of the only surviving Depuch Island specimens) was subjected to standard ancient DNA analyses and procedures. Mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b and hypervariable control region were targeted for species identification. Ancient DNA was successfully recovered from the bone: 200 base pairs (bp) of control region and 975 bp of the cytochrome b gene. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses were employed to model the Depuch Island rock-wallaby DNA sequences together with sequences of other rock-wallaby taxa from GenBank. Evidence suggests that of the two Petrogale lateralis subspecies proposed to have inhabited Depuch Island, Petrogale lateralis lateralis was identified as the most likely. The identification of the Depuch Island rock-wallaby population may assist in the reintroduction of an insurance population of Petrogale lateralis lateralis, which is becoming increasingly threatened on mainland Australia.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2002.
Title from title screen (viewed Apr. 24, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science. Degree awarded 2002; thesis submitted 2001. Includes bibliography. Also available in print form.

Overabundant western grey kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus are known to impact agriculture, but how are they impacting threatened fauna sharing their habitat? In Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary, southwest Western Australia, kangaroos are suspected of competing with the sympatric and endangered black-flanked rock-wallaby Petrogale lateralis lateralis, however there is no research to support this. If kangaroos are negatively impacting rock-wallabies, kangaroo densities may need to be managed to ameliorate competitive pressures on rock-wallabies. We investigated the potential for dietary competition between M. fuliginosus and P. l. lateralis by measuring the overlap in their diets and foraging patches, as well as food resource availability. A combination of scat analysis, motion sensor camera trapping and vegetation surveys were employed. Petrogale lateralis lateralis diets were dominated by forbs and overlapped with those of M. fuliginosus which featured mostly browse and forbs (Schoener index: 0.56). Some of their shared preferred food resources were spatially and/or temporally limited. Their foraging patches also overlapped (33.9%), however these macropod species predominantly used different areas of the outcrop. Evidence over the duration of the study indicates potential for low levels of dietary competition, however the availability of shared food resources and resource partitioning suggest that P. l. lateralis were not being adversely impacted. In terms of the threatening processes limiting P. l. lateralis recovery, predation has been ranked higher than competition, a finding that is likely supported by the present study. This will likely remain true even if M. fuliginosus densities increase in the future. Conservation actions should therefore continue to prioritise the mitigation of predation threats to P. l. lateralis populations.

Based on the recommendations of both the 1993 Reintroduction biology of Australasian Fauna Conference and the 1994 Rock Wallaby Symposium, captive-bred Yellow footed rock wallabies were reintroduced into areas of their former ranges in both South Australia and Queensland

The black-flanked rock-wallaby (Petrogale lateralis lateralis) has suffered a significant decline in its distribution in Western Australia. This has been attributed to introduced predators (predominantly the red fox) and herbivores, fire, and habitat destruction due to clearing. Although since 2001 the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) had begun to reintroduce this species back into its former range, little was known of the behavioural ecology of this species. Fox control in the 1980s and 1990s resulted in population increases of rock-wallabies on several reserves in the central wheatbelt of WA. However, recently these populations have rapidly declined despite continuing fox control. All too often, management and conservation programs are based on little understanding on the natural history and ecology of animals, which can ultimately result in poor management. One of the major problems with our understanding of the ecology of P. l. lateralis was that there was little information on their behavioural, foraging and feeding patterns, and how these affect the population dynamics of the species. Although this species appears to be substrate bound, requiring complex rock structures that are believed to protect them from both predators and adverse climatic conditions, there was still little understanding of how these animals utilise this important resource, particularly in highly variable environments. There is a long-standing premise in behavioural ecology that highly variable environments can significantly affect the behaviour and demography of animal populations. Although this has been well documented in birds, and primates, behavioural elements are rarely incorporated into marsupial studies. For the success of any current and future reintroductions of rock- wallaby populations into new areas, we needed to understand the relationships between the landscape and climatic elements and the behavioural patterns and population dynamics of the species’. This study describes the behavioural ecology of the rock-wallaby subspecies P. l. lateralis in the central wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It focuses on environmental variables that have rarely been studied simultaneously, those of climate, fear of predation and conspecifics, and habitat structure. The Nangeen Hill Reserve population was chosen because it is one of seven small fragmented reserves, within a landscape, with strong seasonal climatic patterns. A methodological approach was developed that enabled identification of the key ecological determinants of the foraging and feeding behaviours of P. l. lateralis in this highly variable environment. The study included a comprehensive examination of all the behavioural characteristics and abilities of P. l. lateralis, compiling a detailed behavioural repertoire (ethogram), a first for this species, and included both nocturnal and diurnal observations. P. l. lateralis uses a complex arrangement of non-agonistic and agonistic behavioural acts that determines its social organisation, and indicates a linear dominance hierarchy. There is little vocal communication, and instead the rock-wallabies appear to rely on both ritualised behaviour acts and chemical cues to exchange information about the physiological or behavioural state of the individual, thus evolving very diverse and complex social behaviours. Nangeen Hill rock-wallabies occupy a permanent central rock refuge, with strong signs of site fidelity. Their foraging patterns reflect those of a central place forager, but distances travelled are restricted in open habitats, with stronger preferences for areas of rock structural complexity. Their foraging behaviour is not strictly nocturnal nor can it be considered crepuscular, exhibiting significantly different seasonal patterns. Time allocation for foraging is strongly affected by fear of predators and to a lesser extent conspecifics, and certain climatic conditions. Although rock-wallabies use multiple behavioural strategies to reduce predation risk, energy costs, and intraspecific agonistic interactions, they can only can survive in their present environment if they have access to complex rock refuge. This rock resource not only enables them to avoid extreme ambient temperatures, but also gives them protection against predators particularly when environmental conditions are unfavourable. In addition, their cave refuge also gives them protection from precipitation, reducing heat loss, and provides a safe environment for both rearing young and for courtship without the cost of predation. Rock refuge is the most important resource that defines this species and is central to all aspects of its life history. Although this reserve has been under a fox-baiting program since 1982, and subsequently resulted in a rock-wallaby population increase and habitat expansion, within the rocky outcrop (Kinnear et al., 1998), it was clear from my research that the ecological situation was more complex. There is a strong predation influence on the behaviour indicating that the population is now predominantly fear-driven. It is the fear of predators and dominant conspecifics that restricts both the foraging range and time spent feeding. This results in animals being tightly restricted to their rock refuge, resulting in overgrazing and habitat degradation. These concerns led me to believe that if the current situation was not alleviated, then a population crash was imminent.A population crash subsequently happened in 2010, and the cause of this decline is a result of a complex ecological relationship, that includes direct and indirect predatory effects, weed invasion, and drought. The results of this research and the subsequent recent population decline, show the importance of including behaviour into an ecological study to have a better understanding. It provides a better understanding of a species as well as providing important insights into its evolutionary past, and how this has shaped their social and demographic patterns. This research also demonstrates how the use of a permanent central rock refuge both contributes to the animal’s continued survival, and restricts its future distribution, particularly in ecologically altered landscapes. Although this study was not designed primarily to resolve conservation and management problems, its findings are already being used to design an active management plan for the central wheatbelt rock-wallaby populations. The complex relationships between how an animal obtains and uses its resources, the availability of different vegetation patches, and population demographics creates significant problems for the management of a species. This emphasises the need for future research on all animal groups, to understand the relationships between the habitat and landscape elements, and that of behaviour and population dynamics. Understanding how animals perceive their environment and how they adjust to its changes will be paramount for the future management and survival of many species.

Bibliography: leaves 107-117. This thesis examines the rationale for managing biological diversity on a regional basis and develops recommendations for the use of two computational methods in biodiversity management planning by conducting a case study in the Flinders Ranges, centred on the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby (abstract)

Petrogale lateralis lateralis (Black-flanked Rock-wallaby) has declined in its mainland distribution to a few isolated populations with extant populations known from six localities in the Wheatbelt, the Cape Range, the Calvert Range, and Barrow and Salisbury Islands (Pearson and Kinnear 1997). The conservation status of P. l. lateralis is classified as endangered. It is therefore extremely important that the threatening processes associated with this species are investigated to ensure appropriate management of the remaining populations. P. l. lateralis is a herbivore with a foraging range restricted to rocky outcrops; competition for resources from introduced herbivores has been implicated as a limiting factor to rock-wallaby populations. The aim of this study was to examine possible dietary overlap between P. l. lateralis and two co-occurring species Macropus robustus (euro) and Capra hircus (feral goat) at Cape Range National Park in order to determine if there is competition for food resources. Vegetation surveys combined with dietary analysis of plant epidermal fragments found in the faecal material of the three species and direct behavioural and feeding observations were carried out at two study sites Mandu Mandu Gorge and Pilgonaman Gorge in Cape Range National Park, Exmouth, Western Australia. A seasonal comparison of the diets of P. l. lateralis, M robustus and C. hircus at the study sites was conducted to highlight the time of year that competition for food resources is most prevalent. Vegetation profiles and the vegetation surveys conducted within the Mandu Mandu Gorge and Pilgonaman Gorge show that plant species vary in abundance and occur in different areas within the gorges. Vegetation surveys showed that the vegetation structure between Mandu Mandu Gorge and Pilgonaman Gorge differed but contained an overlap of plant species. Mandu Mandu Gorge consisted of mainly Triodia grasslands with Acacia sp. The vegetation in Pilgonaman Gorge becomes increasingly dense the farther east into the gorge with the dominant species Ipomoea costata and Ficus brachypoda with a variety of herb and grass species. Hence, the plant species that herbivores forage on in Mandu Mandu Gorge and Pilgonaman Gorge are limited spatially due to changes in vegetation structure within the gorges, with dense patches occurring on the gorge floor and scattered plants occurring around P. l. lateralis refuge sites and on the rocks of the gorge walls. The faecal analysis found that approximately 60% of P. l. lateralis diet consisted of dicotyledon species in summer with consistently higher proportions, (approximately 70% dicotyledons) in winter. The species occurring in the highest proportions in the P. l. lateralis diet at Pilgonaman Gorge in summer were Ficus platypoda (12.5 %), Ptilotus obovatus (11.5%) and Ipomoea costata (7.5%) F. platypoda comprised of (17.6%), I. costata (10.6%), P. obovatus (11.5%) and Plumbago zeylanica comprised (10.6%) of the diet in winter. The percentages of identified dicotyledon species in the summer diet at Mandu Mandu Gorge are as follows; F. brachypoda comprising of (15.7%), I. costata (11.8%), P. obovatus (11.8%), and Solanum sp. (2%) The main plant present in the P. l. lateralis diet in winter at Mandu Mandu Gorge was F. brachypoda (14.5%), followed by I. costata (13.3%), P. obovatus (7.2%), then Solanum sp. (3.6%), P. zeylanica (2.4%) and Achyranthes aspera (2.4%) The proportion of monocotyledon and dicotyledon species for M robustus remained constant between both summer and winter in both gorges. There was little variation in the proportion of monocot species consumed between summer and winter in Mandu Mandu Gorge and Pilgonaman Gorge. Approximately 25 % of the diet consisted of dicotyledon species. M robustus consumed Myrtaceae sp., Sida sp. Ptilotus obovatus and Ipomoea costata in Pilgonaman Gorge in summer and Myrtaceae sp., Sida sp., P. obovatus and Ficus brachypoda in winter. In Mandu Mandu Gorge, M robustus consumed Myrtaceae sp., Sida sp. and P. obovatus in summer and Sida sp and P. obovatus in winter. A high proportion of the C. hircus diet in this study consisted of dicot species. There was little variation in the percentage of dicot species consumed in summer and winter for C. hircus in both Mandu Mandu Gorge (63% in summer and 65% in winter) and Pilgonaman Gorge (67% in summer and 69% in winter). The identified dicot species in the C. hircus diet in the winter months at Pilgonaman Gorge comprised of I. costata (12.4%), P. zeylanica (9%), P. obovatus (9%), Sida sp. (5.6%), F. brachypoda 4.5%, Solanum sp. 3.3%, A. aspera (2.3%) and Myrtaceae sp. (1 %). The dicot species consumed by C. hircus at Mandu Mandu Gorge include Sida sp. (3.5 %), P. obovatus (17.5%), I. costata (8.8%), F. brachypoda (7%) and Solanum sp. (5.3%) of the summer diet. The winter diet for C. hircus at Mandu Mandu Gorge comprised of P. obovatus (15.1%), I. costata (8.1%) F. brachypoda (10.5%) and Solanum sp. (4.7%) Direct observations of P. l. lateralis eating support the identification of plant species found within their faeces during the scat analysis of this study. Furthermore, physical evidence of grazing on leaves within Pilgonaman Gorge suggests that herbivores are actively grazing upon F. brachypoda, Malvaceae sp., Solanum sp., I. costata, Sida sp., P. zeylanica and Cenchrus ciliaris. P. l. lateralis, M robustus and C. hircus were found to consume a selection of these species in various proportions in the scat analysis. A significant dietary overlap of plant species was found to occur between C. hircus, M robustus and P. l. lateralis in Pilgonaman Gorge and Mandu Mandu Gorge. P. l. lateralis, M robustus and C. hircus had a dietary overlap consuming the same plant species; Myrtaceae sp., Sida sp. C. ciliaris, I. costata and F. brachypoda and P. obovatus at differing percentages. C. hircus was found to forage on the following species in common with P. l. lateralis; Myrtaceae sp. Sida sp. C. ciliaris, I. costata and F. brachypoda, P. obovatus, Solanum sp., P. zeylanica and A. aspera. M robustus consumed Myrtaceae sp., Sida sp. C. ciliaris, I. costata and F. brachypoda, P. obovatus and E. caevuless in common with P. l. lateralis. The dietary overlap between C. hircus, M robustus and P. l. lateralis in Pilgonaman Gorge in summer was found to be significant with a probability of N= 22 W= 43.46 and P < 0.01. The dietary overlap between the species was consistent in winter N=22 and W= 41.02 and had the same probability value of P < 0.01. A significant dietary overlap occurred in summer with a probability of N=ll, W= 20.8 and P < 0.05 and winter N= 12, W= 24.25 and P < 0.02 in Mandu Mandu Gorge. Finally, behavioural observations on interactions between feral goats and the rockwallabies indicate that when feral goats are at close range they are disruptive to the normal activities of rock-wallabies. This suggests that the goats are not only competing for food resources but that they may also elicit a form of interference competition. Implications of competition are discussed and recommendations for further research and management are considered.

In this thesis a number of statistical methods have been developed and applied to habitat suitability modelling for rare and threatened species. Data available on these species are typically limited. Therefore, developing these models from these data can be problematic and may produce prediction biases. To address these problems there are three aims of this thesis. The _rst aim is to develop and implement frequentist and Bayesian statistical modelling approaches for these types of data. The second aim is develop and implement expert elicitation methods. The third aim is to apply these novel approaches to Australian rare and threatened species case studies with the intention of habitat suitability modelling. The _rst aim is ful_lled by investigating two innovative approaches for habitat suitability modelling and sensitivity analysis of the second approach to priors. The _rst approach is a new multilevel framework developed to model the species distribution at multiple scales and identify excess zeros (absences outside the species range). Applying a statistical modelling approach to the identi_cation of excess zeros has not previously been conducted. The second approach is an extension and application of Bayesian classi_cation trees to modelling the habitat suitability of a threatened species. This is the _rst `real' application of this approach in ecology. Lastly, sensitivity analysis of the priors in Bayesian classi_cation trees are examined for a real case study. Previously, sensitivity analysis of this approach to priors has not been examined. To address the second aim, expert elicitation methods are developed, extended and compared in this thesis. In particular, one elicitation approach is extended from previous research, there is a comparison of three elicitation methods, and one new elicitation approach is proposed. These approaches are illustrated for habitat suitability modelling of a rare species and the opinions of one or two experts are elicited. The _rst approach utilises a simple questionnaire, in which expert opinion is elicited on whether increasing values of a covariate either increases, decreases or does not substantively impact on a response. This approach is extended to express this information as a mixture of three normally distributed prior distributions, which are then combined with available presence/absence data in a logistic regression. This is one of the _rst elicitation approaches within the habitat suitability modelling literature that is appropriate for experts with limited statistical knowledge and can be used to elicit information from single or multiple experts. Three relatively new approaches to eliciting expert knowledge in a form suitable for Bayesian logistic regression are compared, one of which is the questionnaire approach. Included in this comparison of three elicitation methods are a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of these three methods, the results from elicitations and comparison of the prior and posterior distributions. An expert elicitation approach is developed for classi_cation trees, in which the size and structure of the tree is elicited. There have been numerous elicitation approaches proposed for logistic regression, however no approaches have been suggested for classi_cation trees. The last aim of this thesis is addressed in all chapters, since the statistical approaches proposed and extended in this thesis have been applied to real case studies. Two case studies have been examined in this thesis. The _rst is the rare native Australian thistle (Stemmacantha australis), in which the dataset contains a large number of absences distributed over the majority of Queensland, and a small number of presence sites that are only within South-East Queensland. This case study motivated the multilevel modelling framework. The second case study is the threatened Australian brush-tailed rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata). The application and sensitivity analysis of Bayesian classi_cation trees, and all expert elicitation approaches investigated in this thesis are applied to this case study. This work has several implications for conservation and management of rare and threatened species. Novel statistical approaches addressing the _rst aim provide extensions to currently existing methods, or propose a new approach, for identi _cation of current and potential habitat. We demonstrate that better model predictions can be achieved using each method, compared to standard techniques. Elicitation approaches addressing the second aim ensure expert knowledge in various forms can be harnessed for habitat modelling, a particular bene_t for rare and threatened species which typically have limited data. Throughout, innovations in statistical methodology are both motivated and illustrated via habitat modelling for two rare and threatened species: the native thistle Stemmacantha australis and the brush-tailed rock wallaby Petrogale penicillata.

This article focuses on techniques for eliciting expert judgement about complex uncertainties, and more specifically the habitat of the Australian brush-tailed rock-wallaby. Modelling wildlife habitat requirements is important for mapping the distribution of the rock-wallaby, a threatened species, and therefore informing conservation and management. The Bayesian statistical modelling framework provides a useful ‘bridge’, from purely expert-defined models, to statistical models allowing survey data and expert knowledge to be ‘viewed as complementary, rather than alternative or competing, information sources’. The article describes the use of a rigorously designed and implemented expert elicitation for multiple experts, as well as a software tool for streamlining, automating and facilitating an indirect approach to elicitation. This approach makes it possible to infer the relationship between probability of occurrence and the environmental variables and demonstrates how expert knowledge can contribute to habitat modelling.

This book provides an authoritative source of information on kangaroos and their relatives. Topics include: species characteristics and biology, adaptations and function, and conservation. The book also discusses culling and the commercial kangaroo harvest, as well as national attitudes to kangaroos and their value for tourism. There are 71 recognised species of kangaroo found in Australasia. Of these, 46 are endemic to Australia, 21 are endemic to the island of New Guinea, and four species are found in both regions. The various species have a number of common names, including bettong, kangaroo, pademelon, potoroo, quokka, rat kangaroo, rock wallaby, tree kangaroo, wallaby and wallaroo. Illustrated in full colour, Australia’s Amazing Kangaroos will give readers insight into the world of this intriguing marsupial – an animal that has pride of place on the Australian Coat of Arms.