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Demonising the dingo : how much wild dogma is enough?

Letnic, Mike, Crowther, Mathew S., Dickman, Christopher R. and Ritchie, Euan G. 2011, Demonising the dingo : how much wild dogma is enough?, Current zoology, vol. 57, no. 5, pp. 668-670.

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Title Demonising the dingo : how much wild dogma is enough?
Author(s) Letnic, Mike
Crowther, Mathew S.
Dickman, Christopher R.
Ritchie, Euan G.
Journal name Current zoology
Volume number 57
Issue number 5
Start page 668
End page 670
Publisher Current Zoology Editorial Office
Place of publication Beijing, China
Publication date 2011
ISSN 1674-5507
Keyword(s) trophic cascade
mesopredator release hypothesis
dingo
fox
intra-guild predation
Summary The roles that top predators play in regulating the structure and function of ecosystems have long been controversial. This is particularly the case when predators pose adverse risks for human life and/or economic interests. The critique of literature on dingoes and their ecological roles in Australia provided by Allen et al. (2011) shows that top predators remain a potentially polarising issue. In opposition to Allen et al. we argue that these widespread patterns of species’ abundances, attributed to the effects of dingoes and evident at scales ranging from the foraging behaviour of individuals through to continental scale patterns of species abundances, constitute strong support for the mesopredator release hypothesis and provide evidence that dingoes benefit biodiversity conservation by inducing community wide trophic cascades. Harnessing the positive ecological effects of dingoes while at the same time minimising their impacts on agriculture is a major socio-political challenge in Australia [Current Zoology 57 (5): 668-670].
Language eng
Field of Research 050202 Conservation and Biodiversity
Socio Economic Objective 960805 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales
HERDC Research category C4 Letter or note
Copyright notice ©2011, Current Zoology
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30040440

Document type: Journal Article
Collection: School of Life and Environmental Sciences
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