Conservation Genomics and Adaptive Management of Translocated Greater Stick-Nest Rats (Leporillus conditor) Under Climate Change

Abstract

In the last two centuries, many species in Australia and around the world have experienced rapid population declines. Further biodiversity loss is predicted under the projected rising temperatures and weather extremes associated with anthropogenic climate change. Informed, adaptive management practises are therefore required to safeguard Earth’s flora and fauna from further extinction risk. However, given the speed at which many species have declined, conservation managers often operate in a knowledge void, particularly when making decisions about cryptic or understudied taxa with limited biological information available. In addition, there is often little available data on species’ range, diversity and population size prior to human-driven declines, making goal-setting for restoration projects difficult. Recent advances in genomic technologies and wildlife monitoring technology may offer novel solutions to this problem. Informed, multi-disciplinary, effective conservation management strategies and decision-making is of increasing importance under climate change. This thesis therefore aims to use a variety of tools, including genomics, field ecology, morphology and population viability analysis, to investigate the past and present biology of a threatened endemic species, the greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor). The knowledge gained from these studies will then be used to provide guidelines and suggestions for future management of the species, such as optimal translocation harvesting strategies and critical refuge requirements during periods of climatic extremes. The greater stick-nest rat shares many characteristics with other Australian small mammals, as it is a highly fragmented species that is frequently translocated, has suffered a significant range contraction, is vulnerable to predation and climate change, and is relatively data-deficient. The management strategies developed from this comprehensive research will therefore be broadly applicable to many species of conservation concern under the pressures of projected climate change.