MxKawinwit Kittipalawattanapol

Project Total: $7,890; Student: Kawinwit Kittipalawattanapol Management of black rats at large scale in unconfined landscapes will require ecological methods as lethal control is not feasible. Development of new ecologically based methods is hindered by lack of knowledge of the ecological interactions of black rats, specifically how competition and food resources influence black rat abundance. I aim to address these knowledge gaps using a study system in Tasmania where invasive black rats and similar-sized native swamp rats occur: 1. What is the mechanism of competition between black rats and swamp rats and can swamp rats prevent reinvasion of black rats? I will experimentally remove black rats and track changes for 3 years in populations, demography, and body condition of swamp rats and determine whether reinvasion occurs. 2. As black rats are effective scavengers, is there a shift in food resource utilisation by black rats and swamp rats in areas with top scavenger, the Tasmanian devil, decline? I will use environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis of scats collected to compare diets of black rats and swamp rats across a gradient of decline of the Tasmanian devil. The project is significant because it will reveal the impact of the super-invasive black rat on native small mammals. The experiment will inform whether communities can be made reinvasion resistant by the temporary removal of invasive species and harnessing ecological levers (e.g., interspecific competition). The diet study will reveal the role of carrion in black rat invasion and provide additional management levers for control of the populations and impacts of black rats at large landscape scale. All ethical requirements and veterinary competencies will be met. Funded by: Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - Grant ($7,890); University of Tasmania.