https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Index en-au 5 https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:41865 Martes martes) across Great Britain declined dramatically during the 18th and 19th centuries due to deforestation and human-wildlife conflicts. Pine marten recovery from their northern Scottish stronghold is limited following reintroduction in Galloway Forest District, south-west Scotland, in the 1980s. With suggestions that martens have influenced red squirrel population increases in neighbouring Ireland, marten reintroduction efforts are a priority in Great Britain. Reintroduction requires establishment of recruiting populations that depend on suitable food availability to meet the associated higher energy demands of recruitment. We, therefore, investigated the diet of reproductive denning female martens during denning (March–April), and the mixed sex population in summer for the first time in Galloway. Scats (n = 114) were analysed from clumps collected from occupied artificial den boxes in 2015 and 2016, as well as genetically verified scats (n = 44) from summer transects in 2014. We compared our results with other Scottish studies and found that carrion frequency of occurrence and biomass of prey ingested differed most significantly between the regional mixed sex spring diets and the diet of denning females in Galloway. Anurans, birds, and small mammals were the likely substitution of carrion; we hypothesise that these differences are related to sex-specific behaviours and scavenging risk. We, therefore, suggest that there are differences in the diet of denning female martens compared to mixed sex spring populations and that future translocations should consider abundances of anurans in Galloway, and even more importantly than before, small mammals and birds across Great Britain.]]> Mon 15 Aug 2022 09:42:18 AEST ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:40487 Sciurus vulgaris) range within the United Kingdom (UK) has retracted significantly due to the spread of an Invasive Alien Species, the North American Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Where grey squirrels are sympatric, red squirrel populations decline through inter-specific competition and squirrelpox virus (SQPV) infection. Grey squirrel eradication from the island of Anglesey facilitated the complete restoration of native red squirrels. Although native species recovery delivered significant ecological and economic benefits, the eradication extended only to a narrow sea-channel boundary, across which grey squirrel dispersal continues to occur. Hence, the long-term sustainability of Anglesey's red squirrel population is vulnerable to grey squirrel re-establishment without continuous intervention. Recent research has demonstrated that as pine marten (Martes martes) landscape use intensity increases, so too does red squirrel occupancy, likely linked to parallel declines in grey squirrel occupancy. Restoration of this mustelid predator is a potential tool to deliver sustainable grey squirrel control by restoring a missing trophic component, depressing grey squirrel incursion rates onto Anglesey, reducing red squirrel exposure to SQPV. Recent UK pine marten translocations have sourced animals under licence from wild Scottish populations. We explore the alternative use of captive-bred founders, simultaneously introducing new genetic variability against a limited diversity within extant populations. A current conservation translocation is paired with an ongoing assessment of founder behaviour and ‘personality’ measured before release. We then highlight the multi-disciplinary approach to delivering applied red squirrel conservation programmes in the face of invasive species.]]> Fri 17 Nov 2023 11:50:39 AEDT ]]>