MONITORING MONITORS - Responses of Lace Monitors to land management and ecological processes.

Dr Tim Jessop (University of Melbourne/Zoos Victoria) and Dr Graeme Gillespie (Zoos Victoria) are investigating the impacts of logging and introduced predators on native predators.

AIMS
- Ecological: To determine the impacts of Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes; introduced predators) on the demography and diet of Lace Monitors (Varanus varius; native predators).

- Physiological: To measure the capacity of Red Foxes to induce both chronic stress and/or stress sensitivity in Lace Monitors.

RESULTS (SO FAR)
There are more Lace Monitors in forests that have been baited for  foxes/dogs than non-baited forests.  This does not appear, however, to be due to increased prey availability. Instead, Red Foxes may reduce the number of Lace Monitors by eating their eggs etc. Further research is needed to investigate these processes.

RINGTAIL POSSUMS - assessing the influence of multiple disturbance processes on arboreal mammals.

Ms Jennifer Anson (University of Sydney) is investigating the impacts of predators and logging on the Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus).

REPTILES, BIRDS AND FIRE - Assessing the influence of natural and prescribed fire on reptiles and birds.

Mr Yang Hu (University of Melbourne) is investigating the impacts of fire and fire history on species and community-level responses in reptiles and birds at Cape Conran Reserve.

LOGGING AND REPTILES - Assessing the influence of logging management on reptile communities.

Ms Sarra Magaton (University of Melbourne) is investigating the influence of logging history and fox control on the composition of reptile communities in eucalypt forest.

WATER SKINK GENETICS - Assessing the genetic consequences of disturbance processes on a forest lizard.

Ms Francesca Lyndon-Gee (Uni. Melbourne) is using a landscape genetic approach to investigate the effects of ecological and disturbance processes on Water Skinks (Eulamprus heatwolei).

LACE MONITOR GENETICS - Assessing the genetic consequences of predator management for the lace monitor.

Mr Peter Smissen (University of Melbourne) is using landscape genetic techniques to measure the influence of introduced predators on population genetic parameters in the Lace Monitor.

DISTURBANCE AND SMALL MAMMALS - Assessing the effects of multiple disturbance processes on small mammals.

Ms Erin McGinn Jackson (University of Melbourne) is investigating the impacts of logging, fox control and fire on small mammal communities in coastal forest.

REPTILE DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE - Assessing interactions between introduced predator control and vegetation structure on reptile diversity and abundance.

Mr Jake Urlus (Deakin University) examined the relationships between reptile communities and fox control, vegetation community and ground/shrub layer structure.
He found that reptile community composition was related to shrub layer characteristics. Although reptile species richness did not have a strong relationship with any of the measured factors, individual reptile species were related to several specific factors and vegetation characteristics. His study highlighted the importance of maintaining the variation inherent in temperate forest ecosystems, and did not find any negative impacts of fox control on native reptiles.