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Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man / KAI DAVIES

Swansea University Author: KAI DAVIES

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Abstract

AbstractIntroduced non-native mammals to island ecosystems can cause significant impact on native flora and fauna. Large herbivores present in high density can cause significant changes in woodland vegetation dynamics and composition, altering biodiversity considerably. Since their escape from a zoo...

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Published: Swansea University, Wales, UK 2025
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Master of Research
Degree name: MRes
Supervisor: Borger, L., and Devine, A.
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69774
first_indexed 2025-06-19T13:50:31Z
last_indexed 2025-06-20T04:59:22Z
id cronfa69774
recordtype RisThesis
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spelling 2025-06-19T14:50:28.4801084 v2 69774 2025-06-19 Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man 892a5702ec16a4db6ec02a535682b44d KAI DAVIES KAI DAVIES true false 2025-06-19 AbstractIntroduced non-native mammals to island ecosystems can cause significant impact on native flora and fauna. Large herbivores present in high density can cause significant changes in woodland vegetation dynamics and composition, altering biodiversity considerably. Since their escape from a zoo in the mid-20th century, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus) has established multiple dense populations in the north of the Isle of Man, now exceeding 500 individuals. The wallabies are frequently reported to be in poor physical condition, and so investigations into the potential causes of their symptoms are of importance to stakeholders in the animal agriculture industry whose animals share habitat with the wallabies, as well as animal welfare groups. With the majority of wallabies inhabiting the northwest curraghyn, a RAMSAR and ASSI site, there is great concern for the impact they may be having on native species. However, there have not been any quantifiable studies assessing the impact of wallaby presence on vegetation composition on the island. Here we show that the wallabies are causing significant reductions in vegetation height and cover but not in biomass. We found that vegetation cover was significantly reduced in grasses and other non-woody vegetation, but was not significantly reduced in ferns, mosses nor rushes.There were indications from rapid assessments undertaken, that browsing damage is occurring due to bark stripping by the wallabies, whilst they cause minimal impact to woodland via mechanic disturbance and stem consumption. We found that it is unlikely that the reported health issues commonly seen in the wallaby population are caused by parasitic helminth infection, although their parasitic load and feeding behaviour suggest they may increase spread of disease across the region. Our results demonstrate how the wallabies of the Isle of Man are significantly altering the vegetation composition of their habitat and so potentially shifting the species evenness of the region. E-Thesis Swansea University, Wales, UK Wallaby, herbivore, Woodland conservation, Isle of Man, non-native species, impact assessment 29 4 2025 2025-04-29 A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information. COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Borger, L., and Devine, A. Master of Research MRes 2025-06-19T14:50:28.4801084 2025-06-19T14:28:49.3612891 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences KAI DAVIES 1 69774__34530__90818f2afb9a4240ab449652ddad0856.pdf 2024_Davies_K.final.69774.pdf 2025-06-19T14:49:39.5651931 Output 4534716 application/pdf E-Thesis true Copyright: The author, Kai Davies, 2024 Distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0) true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man
spellingShingle Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man
KAI DAVIES
title_short Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man
title_full Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man
title_fullStr Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man
title_full_unstemmed Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man
title_sort Investigating the potential impact on native flora and fauna of a non-native macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus), on the Isle of Man
author_id_str_mv 892a5702ec16a4db6ec02a535682b44d
author_id_fullname_str_mv 892a5702ec16a4db6ec02a535682b44d_***_KAI DAVIES
author KAI DAVIES
author2 KAI DAVIES
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
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description AbstractIntroduced non-native mammals to island ecosystems can cause significant impact on native flora and fauna. Large herbivores present in high density can cause significant changes in woodland vegetation dynamics and composition, altering biodiversity considerably. Since their escape from a zoo in the mid-20th century, the red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus) has established multiple dense populations in the north of the Isle of Man, now exceeding 500 individuals. The wallabies are frequently reported to be in poor physical condition, and so investigations into the potential causes of their symptoms are of importance to stakeholders in the animal agriculture industry whose animals share habitat with the wallabies, as well as animal welfare groups. With the majority of wallabies inhabiting the northwest curraghyn, a RAMSAR and ASSI site, there is great concern for the impact they may be having on native species. However, there have not been any quantifiable studies assessing the impact of wallaby presence on vegetation composition on the island. Here we show that the wallabies are causing significant reductions in vegetation height and cover but not in biomass. We found that vegetation cover was significantly reduced in grasses and other non-woody vegetation, but was not significantly reduced in ferns, mosses nor rushes.There were indications from rapid assessments undertaken, that browsing damage is occurring due to bark stripping by the wallabies, whilst they cause minimal impact to woodland via mechanic disturbance and stem consumption. We found that it is unlikely that the reported health issues commonly seen in the wallaby population are caused by parasitic helminth infection, although their parasitic load and feeding behaviour suggest they may increase spread of disease across the region. Our results demonstrate how the wallabies of the Isle of Man are significantly altering the vegetation composition of their habitat and so potentially shifting the species evenness of the region.
published_date 2025-04-29T05:24:49Z
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