utilization of sugarcane habitat by feral pig (sus scrofa) in northern tropical queensland evidence from the stable isotope composition of hair利用甘蔗栖息地的野生猪(野猪)热带北部昆士兰证据从头发的稳定同位素组成.pdfVIP

Utilization of Sugarcane Habitat by Feral Pig (Sus scrofa) in Northern Tropical Queensland: Evidence from the Stable Isotope Composition of Hair 1 1 2 3 4 Christopher M. Wurster *, Jack Robertson , David A. Westcott , Bart Dryden , Antoine Zazzo , Michael I. Bird1 1 School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia, 2 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Ecosystem Sciences, Atherton, Queensland, Australia, 3 Terrain Natural Resource Management, ´ Innisfail, Queensland, Australia, 4 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 7209 and Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France Abstract Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species that disrupt ecosystem functioning throughout their introduced range. In tropical environments, feral pigs are associated with predation and displacement of endangered species, modification of habitat, and act as a vector for the spread of exotic vegetation and disease. Across many parts of their introduced range, the diet of feral pigs is poorly known. Although the remote location and difficult terrain of far north Queensland makes observing feral pig behavior difficult, feral pigs are perceived to seek refuge in World Heritage tropical rainforests and seasonally ‘crop raid’ into lowland sugarcane crops. Thus, identifying how feral pigs are using different components of the landscape is important to the design of management strategies. We used the stable isotope composition of captured feral pigs to deter