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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Cortisol Measurement in Koala Phascolarctos cinereus Fur

Cortisol Measurement in Koala Phascolarctos cinereus Fur

Published on: August 23, 2019

Do Tasmanian devil declines impact ecosystem function?

Torrey Stephenson¹, Tara Hudiburg², Justin M Mathias³

¹Department of Soil and Water Systems, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA.

Global Change Biology

|July 10, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Tasmanian devil scat boosts forest productivity and carbon storage by enriching soil nutrients. Declining devil populations may threaten these vital forest functions, especially under climate change.

Keywords:

climate change forest productivity nutrient cycling scat inputs soil carbon soil microbiome

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Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Area of Science:

Ecology
Climate Change Biology
Soil Science

Background:

Tasmanian eucalypt forests are carbon-dense but vulnerable to climate change.
Biotic factors, like animal scat, influencing forest carbon dynamics are poorly understood.
Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) populations have declined due to a transmissible cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify and predict the impact of Tasmanian devil scat on forest productivity and soil organic carbon (SOC) under climate change.
To assess how changes in scat quality affect nutrient cycling and carbon storage.
To understand the role of biotic factors in forest ecosystem resilience.

Main Methods:

Fusion of experimental data and ecological modeling.
Analysis of nutrient concentrations (nitrogen, phosphorus) in soil.
Assessment of soil microbial community shifts.
Projection of forest productivity and SOC under future climate and scat scenarios.

Main Results:

Devil scat significantly increases soil nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations.
Scat input shifts soil microbial communities towards fast-growing phyla.
Devil scat is projected to enhance net primary productivity and microbial biomass carbon through 2100 under climate change.
Lower-quality scat leads to slower or declining forest carbon pool increases.

Conclusions:

Biotic factors, specifically Tasmanian devil scat, play a crucial role in nutrient cycling and carbon storage in Tasmanian forests.
Declining devil populations and altered scat input due to climate change could negatively impact forest productivity and carbon sink capacity.
Future forest carbon dynamics will be shaped by the interplay between climate change and overlooked biotic interactions.