Bearing up well? Understanding the past, present and future of Australia's koalas
Black, KH, Price, GJ, Archer, M & Hand, SJ 2014, Gondwana Research, vol. 25, pp. 1186-1201.
Evidence from fossil records of the family Phascolarctidae indicates that these specialist folivores, of which the modern koala Phascolarctos cinereus is the last surviving member, are particularly sensitive to climate change. Knowledge about the nature and rate of change in previous palaeocommunities of phascolarctids together with data relating to the responses of modern koala populations to historic climatic extremes indicate that the future survival of the species is under threat.
Read more ...
Behavioural determination of visual function in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
Schmid, LM, Schmid, KL & Brown, B 1991, Wildlife Research, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 367-374.
Reduction of vision in koalas was found here to result in significant behavioural changes. Maintaining a minimum level of vision appears necessary for koalas to be able to locate and climb trees, as with severely obstructed vision, captive koalas were not able to reach or climb a nearby tree.
Read more ...
Conserving koalas: A review of the contrasting regional trends, outlooks and policy challenges
McAlpine, C, Lunney, D, Melzer, A, Menkhorst, P, Phillips, S, Phalen, D, Ellis, W, Foley, W, Baxter, G, de Villiers, D, Kavanagh, R, Adams-Hosking, C, Todd, C, Whisson, D, Molsher, R, Walter, M, Lawler, I & Close, R 2015, Biological Conservation, vol. 192, pp. 226-236.
The koala has suffered a 50% decline in its distribution since European colonisation began in Australia, and consequently its conservation has become a national priority. The purpose of this review was to synthesise current knowledge of koala populations and their threats to identify a way forward for their conservation.
Read more ...