Conservation status and biogeography of Australia's terrestrial mammals

• DOI: 10.1071/zo08027
• Publication Date: 2009-03-24T01:40:13Z
• Authors: Andrew A. Burbidge; N. L. McKenzie; K. E. C. Brennan; J. C. Z. Woinarski; C. R. Dickman; A. Baynes; G. Gordon; P. W. Menkhorst; A. C. Robinson
• Keywords: Bioregion; Ecoregion; Mammal; Endemism; Subfossil; Macroecology

This paper attempts to identify and explain patterns in the biogeography of Australia’s indigenous terrestrial mammals at time European settlement (before modern extinctions), also compares species’ pre-European current status by region. From subfossil, historical contemporary sources, we compiled data on past geographic range present for 85 biogeographic regions. Of 305 species originally present, 91 have disappeared from least half bioregions which they occurred before settlement. Thirty-nine extant ‘persist’ less than 25% their original bioregions; 28 these are marsupials 11 rodents. Twenty-two extinct, a further eight became restricted continental islands, 100 become extinct one bioregion. Over same period, 26 exotic established wild populations now occupy bioregions. When classified terms composition, 3-group level dendrogram approximated Torresian, Eyrean Bassian subregions proposed Spencer 1898, while 4-group separated southern semiarid bioregions, including those south-west Australia, arid The classification showed geographically (and statistically) discrete clustering down 19-group level, suggesting that all four can be divided basis mammal faunas. Variation partitioning 66% biogeographical pattern explained environmental factors (related temperature precipitation), spatial position each bioregion (a third-order polynomial latitude longitude), area bioregion, richness In addition marked distributional changes experienced over last 200 years, 49% variation explainable precipitation implies shifts with global climate change.