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Many organizations are attempting to scale ecoacoustic monitoring for conservation but are hampered at the stages of data management and analysis. We reviewed current ecoacoustic hardware, software, and standards, and conducted workshops with 23 participants across 10 organizations in Australia to learn about their current practices, and to identify key trends and challenges in their use of ecoacoustics data. We found no existing metadata schemas that contain enough ecoacoustics terms for current practice, and no standard approaches to annotation. There was a strong need for free acoustics data storage, discoverable learning resources, and interoperability with other ecological modeling tools. In parallel, there were tensions regarding intellectual property management, and siloed approaches to studying species within organizations across different regions and between organizations doing similar work. This research contributes directly to the development of an open ecoacoustics platform to enable the sharing of data, analyses, and tools for environmental conservation.

High rates of biodiversity loss caused by human-induced changes in the environment require new methods for large scale fauna monitoring and data analysis. While ecoacoustic monitoring is increasingly being used and shows promise, analysis and interpretation of the big data produced remains a challenge. Computer-generated acoustic indices potentially provide a biologically meaningful summary of sound, however, temporal autocorrelation, difficulties in statistical analysis of multi-index data and lack of consistency or transferability in different terrestrial environments have hindered the application of those indices in different contexts. To address these issues we investigate the use of time-series motif discovery and random forest classification of multi-indices through two case studies. We use a semi-automated workflow combining time-series motif discovery and random forest classification of multi-index (acoustic complexity, temporal entropy, and events per second) data to categorize sounds in unfiltered recordings according to the main source of sound present (birds, insects, geophony). Our approach showed more than 70% accuracy in label assignment in both datasets. The categories assigned were broad, but we believe this is a great improvement on traditional single index analysis of environmental recordings as we can now give ecological meaning to recordings in a semi-automated way that does not require expert knowledge and manual validation is only necessary for a small subset of the data. Furthermore, temporal autocorrelation, which is largely ignored by researchers, has been effectively eliminated through the time-series motif discovery technique applied here for the first time to ecoacoustic data. We expect that our approach will greatly assist researchers in the future as it will allow large datasets to be rapidly processed and labeled, enabling the screening of recordings for undesired sounds, such as wind, or target biophony (insects and birds) for bio

As the rate of urbanisation continues to increase, widespread habitat clearing within peri-urban landscapes contributes to significant environmental impacts, including loss of biological diversity. Acoustic recording has recently been identified as an effective tool for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem health. With increasing pressure from urbanisation, it is critical that spatial and temporal variability in biodiversity is mapped across future development sites to enable sound decision-making and to deliver ecological urban design outcomes. This study used ecoacoustic monitoring to map biodiversity patterns in space and time to identify hot spots and hot moments of biodiversity activity across a peri-urban landscape in south-east Queensland, Australia. In this study, a hot spot represents an increase in acoustic activity at a given spatial location, whereas hot moments represent an increase in acoustic activity at a given time point. An acoustic index (Acoustic Complexity Index, ACI) was used as a proxy for biodiversity and visualised through spatial interpolation. The acoustic data were statistically modelled using Boosted Regression Trees (BRT). This approach enabled predictors related to acoustic complexity to be identified, including vegetation and landform. Results of this study have shown that ecoacoustic data can be used to map hot spots and hot moments of biodiversity and support more informed conservation decision-making in future urban planning frameworks, to avoid or mitigate negative impacts on biodiversity.

In the 1950s the myxoma virus was released into European rabbit populations in Australia and Europe, decimating populations and resulting in the rapid evolution of resistance. We investigated the genetic basis of resistance by comparing the exomes of rabbits collected before and after the pandemic. We found a strong pattern of parallel evolution, with selection on standing genetic variation favoring the same alleles in Australia, France, and the United Kingdom. Many of these changes occurred in immunity-related genes, supporting a polygenic basis of resistance. We experimentally validated the role of several genes in viral replication and showed that selection acting on an interferon protein has increased the protein's antiviral effect.

Understanding how native fauna use regrowth vegetation is critical because of increased land clearing rates and biodiversity loss, yet it remains poorly studied in Australia's semi-arid regions. The aim of this study was to use acoustic sensors to monitor avian diversity in three different age classes (new regrowth <15 years, intermediate regrowth 15–30 years, and old growth >30 years) of Acacia dominated, predominately mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands in the Mulga Lands bioregion of south-west Queensland. We found that species richness (SR), functional diversity (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD) increased with time since last clearance, with statistically significant differences between new regrowth and old growth. Generalised linear models showed that tree cover was a significant predicator of SR, FD and PD. A non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed that species composition was more similar within than between age classes. Each age class had unique species, yet intermediate regrowth and old growth shared a large number of species suggesting a convergence in species composition. The results of this study show that while old growth vegetation sustains the highest level of biodiversity, intermediate and new regrowth still support a range of bird species. Therefore, regrowth mulga vegetation represents important habitat for avian biodiversity in semi-arid western Queensland and should be protected.

Since 2012 the number of recognized taxa in the Australian carnivorous marsupial genus Antechinus has increased from 10 to 15 species. The systematic relationships among these species and others in the genus are not well resolved. We undertook the first comprehensive, molecular systematic analysis of the genus, incorporating all known species and subspecies of Antechinus. Two mitochondrial (mtDNA) and four autosomal nuclear genes were sequenced. Four clades of Antechinus were consistently reconstructed in the concatenated and mtDNA analyses: (1) dusky antechinuses (A. arktos, A. swainsonii, A. vandycki and A. mimetes) and A. minimus; (2) A. godmani; (3) A. agilis, A. stuartii and A. subtropicus; (4) A. argentus, A. mysticus, A. adustus, A. flavipes, A. leo and A. bellus. The inclusion of A. adustus in clade 4 is surprising, because previous morphology-based studies suggested it was a member of clade 3. However, analysis of the nuclear dataset and multi-species coalescence analysis did not separate clades 3 and 4. Within clade 3, A. stuartii is not monophyletic and may be more appropriately classified as two species. Timing of cladogenesis is estimated for all 15 species of Antechinus, permitting us to posit an evolutionary scenario for the group. BEAST analysis dated the divergence of Antechinus from extant congeners to the Late Miocene and cladogenesis among all extant Antechinus to the Plio-Pleistocene. Wet, closed habitat was reconstructed as the most probable ancestral state for the genus Antechinus and the four main Antechinus clades. Overall, increasing aridity from the Miocene to the Pleistocene and a number of well-known biogeographic barriers to mesic species, appear to have driven speciation in Antechinus.

Global biodiversity is declining rapidly while the human population grows exponentially. This creates pressure for agricultural industries to improve productivity, but also demonstrate that on-farm management actions are minimising impacts on biodiversity. However, the costs and logistical considerations of traditional biodiversity assessment methods are beyond the scope of many agricultural industries and landholders. Our goal was to evaluate the potential for acoustic biodiversity monitoring in agricultural systems. We assessed a range of species-specific and more general acoustic indices using five key criteria (i.e. relevance to industry, diagnostic capability, spatio-temporal scale, logistical feasibility, and utility as a biodiversity surrogate) to determine whether they were suitable for assessing biodiversity outcomes for agricultural industries and individual farmers. Based on these assessment criteria, species-specific or guild-specific acoustic bioindicators that are processed using automatic recognisers are more appropriate for biodiversity monitoring when the goal is to assess industry- or farm-specific impacts on biodiversity. If there is no need to establish a diagnostic link between on-farm management practices and biodiversity, then acoustic indices are more logistically feasible to use and may more accurately reflect overall biodiversity. We also recommend using birds and bats for acoustic monitoring in agricultural systems because they are relatively easy to monitor, exhibit peaks in activity around dusk or dawn, and are not necessarily water dependent. We believe that acoustic monitoring has the potential to deliver consistent, repeatable results at a relatively low cost compared to traditional biodiversity monitoring, which will allow individual farmers and agricultural industries to more easily track their sustainability performance. This becomes even more critical as we consider the increasing role that agricultural regions will have in sustai

In the 1950s the myxoma virus was released into European rabbit populations in Australia and Europe, decimating populations and resulting in the rapid evolution of resistance. We investigated the genetic basis of resistance by comparing the exomes of rabbits collected before and after the pandemic. We found a strong pattern of parallel evolution, with selection on standing genetic variation favoring the same alleles in Australia, France and the United Kingdom. Many of these changes occurred in immunity-related genes, supporting a polygenic basis of resistance. We experimentally validated the role of several genes in viral replication and showed that selection acting on an interferon protein has increased its antiviral effect.

While the negative impacts of road infrastructure on faunal diversity and abundance have been extensively studied, many traffic noise studies have been conducted in the presence of confounding factors. Therefore, the extent to which traffic noise alone is responsible for impacts is not well known and a better understanding is required to inform urban planning and management decisions. We examined the impact of traffic noise on soundscape patterns at road edges in urban forests. Acoustic sensors were deployed at road and powerline edges, as well as within interior habitat, at three sites in south-east Queensland, Australia. Powerline edges were included to separate edge effects from traffic noise impacts. We used soundscape power (normalized watts per kHz) of technophony (traffic noise in the 1–2 kHz range) and biophony (animal sounds in the 3–11 kHz range) to investigate soundscape patterns. The results showed that biophony was consistently lower at road edges and was negatively correlated with traffic noise and positively correlated with distance to road edge. Technophony was higher at road edges and was found to correlate negatively with distance to road edge and positively with traffic noise. Technophony and biophony at powerline edges generally exhibited values comparable to interior habitat. These results indicate that traffic noise affects urban forest soundscape patterns at road edges in southeastern Australia.

Five new species within the Australian carnivorous marsupial genus Antechinus have recently been named, at least two of which are threatened. Important facets of the habitat use and extinction risk of one of these new species, the buff‐footed antechinus, A.mysticus, are not well understood. Previous research has suggested that the species utilizes a broad range of inter‐connected forest habitats in southeast Queensland (Qld), Australia. Based on this potentially connected habitat, we predicted that A. mysticus should have low population genetic structure, particularly in relation to its congener, the spatially restricted, high altitude, closed‐forest A. subtropicus. We genotyped nine microsatellite loci for six populations of A. mysticus, sampled throughout their known range in eastern Australia, and compared them with four proximate populations of A. subtropicus. Surprisingly, genetic structuring among southeast Qld populations of A. mysticus was moderate to high and similar to that between A. subtropicus populations. We postulate that all A. mysticus populations have declined recently (<100 generations), particularly the northernmost southeast Qld population, which may be at risk of extinction. Our results suggest that A. mysticus is limited to a more scattered and fragmented distribution than previously thought and may be in decline. The identification of population decline in this study and recently in other Antechinus suggests the extinction risk of many Australian mammals should be reassessed.

A landscape consists of a mosaic of patches and corridors within a background matrix (Forman 1995; Forman and Godron 1986). These landscape elements include a mix of ecosystem or land use types that may be randomly distributed or regularly repeated. Structural patterns within a landscape may be the result of a range of natural processes such as gradients in physical parameters, including sunlight, temperature, rainfall, and substrate, and biotic features like species interactions, dispersal, succession, and natural disturbance regimes. Anthropogenic processes of development, agriculture, hydrological modifications, and climate change also create landscape patterns. Boundaries between landscape elements may be abrupt or diffuse, depending on the type(s) of processes that have created them and feedback loops involved. Landscape pattern is the primary factor determining functional flows and movements and there is a feedback where flows create pattern by changing processes over time (Forman 1995)...

Antechinus are one of just a few mammal genera worldwide which exhibit semelparous reproduction. Consequently, the life history of many antechinus has been well studied. However, in the last few years, several new species have been described in the genus and their ecology is little known. Here, the first multi-year ecological study of breeding, growth and movement in one of these species, the buff-footed antechinus, Antechinus mysticus, was undertaken. Over a 2-year period, monthly capture-mark-recapture data from two geographically close sites (~2.5 km apart) in south-east Queensland, Australia, were collected. At one site, the subtropical antechinus, Antechinus subtropicus, also occurred. This allowed the investigation of possible competitive effects between this larger Antechinus species and A. mysticus. Intensive trapping across the breeding season of A. mysticus also allowed the growth rates of pouch young of a wild antechinus population to be calculated for the first time. Results showed that A. mysticus followed the synchronous, semelparous breeding strategy seen in all congeners. Male A. mysticus were last caught in August, and females gave birth in September. Average distance moved by A. mysticus was comparable with congeners. Competition with A. subtropicus may affect A. mysticus because A. mysticus weighed more and males moved further when not in sympatry with A. subtropicus. However, female A. mysticus moved further when in sympatry with A. subtropicus, confounding clear interpretation. Overall, the life history information obtained for A. mysticus provides a foundation for further research and will aid the conservation management of this new species.