TY - JOUR
T1 - The Australian National Rabbit Database
T2 - 50 yr of population monitoring of an invasive species
AU - Roy-Dufresne, Emilie
AU - Lurgi, Miguel
AU - Brown, Stuart C.
AU - Wells, Konstans
AU - Cooke, Brian
AU - Mutze, Greg
AU - Peacock, David
AU - Cassey, Phill
AU - Berman, Dave
AU - Brook, Barry W.
AU - Campbell, Susan
AU - Cox, Tarnya
AU - Daly, Joanne
AU - Dunk, Iain
AU - Elsworth, Peter
AU - Fletcher, Don
AU - Forsyth, David M.
AU - Hocking, Greg
AU - Kovaliski, John
AU - Leane, Michael
AU - Low, Bill
AU - Kennedy, Malcolm
AU - Matthews, John
AU - McPhee, Steve
AU - Mellin, Camille
AU - Mooney, Trish
AU - Moseby, Katherine
AU - Read, John
AU - Richardson, Barry J.
AU - Schneider, Kathryn
AU - Schwarz, Eric
AU - Sinclair, Ronald
AU - Strive, Tanja
AU - Triulcio, Frank
AU - West, Peter
AU - Saltré, Frederik
AU - Fordham, Damien A.
PY - 2019/7/1
Y1 - 2019/7/1
N2 - With ongoing introductions into Australia since the 1700s, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has become one of the most widely distributed and abundant vertebrate pests, adversely impacting Australia's biodiversity and agroeconomy. To understand the population and range dynamics of the species and its impacts better, occurrence and abundance data have been collected by researchers and citizens from sites covering a broad spectrum of climatic and environmental conditions in Australia. The lack of a common and accessible repository for these data has, however, limited their use in determining important spatiotemporal drivers of the structure and dynamics of the geographical range of rabbits in Australia. To meet this need, we created the Australian National Rabbit Database, which combines more than 50 yr of historical and contemporary survey data collected from throughout the range of the species in Australia. The survey data, obtained from a suite of complementary monitoring methods, were combined with high-resolution weather, climate, and environmental information, and an assessment of data quality. The database provides records of rabbit occurrence (689,265 records) and abundance (51,241 records, >120 distinct sites) suitable for identifying the spatiotemporal drivers of the rabbit's distribution and for determining spatial patterns of variation in its key life-history traits, including maximum rates of population growth. Because all data are georeferenced and date stamped, they can be coupled with information from other databases and spatial layers to explore the potential effects of rabbit occurrence and abundance on Australia's native wildlife and agricultural production. The Australian National Rabbit Database is an important tool for understanding and managing the European rabbit in its invasive range and its effects on native biodiversity and agricultural production. It also provides a valuable resource for addressing questions related to the biology, success, and impacts of invasive species more generally. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set other than citation of this Data Paper.
AB - With ongoing introductions into Australia since the 1700s, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has become one of the most widely distributed and abundant vertebrate pests, adversely impacting Australia's biodiversity and agroeconomy. To understand the population and range dynamics of the species and its impacts better, occurrence and abundance data have been collected by researchers and citizens from sites covering a broad spectrum of climatic and environmental conditions in Australia. The lack of a common and accessible repository for these data has, however, limited their use in determining important spatiotemporal drivers of the structure and dynamics of the geographical range of rabbits in Australia. To meet this need, we created the Australian National Rabbit Database, which combines more than 50 yr of historical and contemporary survey data collected from throughout the range of the species in Australia. The survey data, obtained from a suite of complementary monitoring methods, were combined with high-resolution weather, climate, and environmental information, and an assessment of data quality. The database provides records of rabbit occurrence (689,265 records) and abundance (51,241 records, >120 distinct sites) suitable for identifying the spatiotemporal drivers of the rabbit's distribution and for determining spatial patterns of variation in its key life-history traits, including maximum rates of population growth. Because all data are georeferenced and date stamped, they can be coupled with information from other databases and spatial layers to explore the potential effects of rabbit occurrence and abundance on Australia's native wildlife and agricultural production. The Australian National Rabbit Database is an important tool for understanding and managing the European rabbit in its invasive range and its effects on native biodiversity and agricultural production. It also provides a valuable resource for addressing questions related to the biology, success, and impacts of invasive species more generally. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set other than citation of this Data Paper.
KW - demography
KW - European rabbit
KW - historic climate data
KW - invasive species management
KW - long-term monitoring data
KW - occupancy
KW - Oryctolagus cuniculus
KW - population abundance
KW - weather
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85066067691&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/australian-national-rabbit-database-50yr-population-monitoring-invasive-species
U2 - 10.1002/ecy.2750
DO - 10.1002/ecy.2750
M3 - Article
C2 - 31034589
AN - SCOPUS:85066067691
SN - 0012-9658
VL - 100
SP - 1
EP - 1
JO - Ecology
JF - Ecology
IS - 7
M1 - e02750
ER -
