As clear as mud: A critical review of evidence for the ecological roles of Australian dingoes

Top-predators have been reported to have an important role in structuring food webs and maintaining ecological processes for the benefit of biodiversity at lower trophic levels. This is thought to be achieved through their suppressive effects on sympatric mesopredators and prey. Great scientific and public interest surrounds the potential use of top-predators as biodiversity conservation tools, and it can often be difficult to separate what we think we know and what we really know about their ecological utility. Not all the claims made about the ecological roles of top-predators can be substantiated by current evidence. We review the methodology underpinning empirical data on the ecological roles of Australian dingoes (Canis lupus dingo and hybrids) to provide a comprehensive and objective benchmark for knowledge of the ecological roles of Australia's largest terrestrial predator. From a wide variety of methodological flaws, sampling bias, and experimental design constraints inherent to 38 of the 40 field studies we assessed, we demonstrate that there is presently unreliable and inconclusive evidence for dingoes role as a biodiversity regulator. We also discuss the widespread (both taxonomically and geographically) and direct negative effects of dingoes to native fauna, and the few robust studies investigating their positive roles. In light of the highly variable and context-specific impacts of dingoes on faunal biodiversity and the inconclusive state of the literature, we strongly caution against the positive management of dingoes in the absence of a supporting evidence-base for such action.

Studio portrait of the Amram family; Buffalo, New York.

The Amrams are related to Hans Krakauer's maternal family the Mayer/Heumann's from Billigheim and Hoffenheim

Fritz Gottschalk's family in front of the hotel Kurhaus Brunig, Norderney; Germany.

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The Gottschalk family on the beach; Norderney, Germany.

(l-r) Elizabeth, Hans Ludwing (Hal), the maid, Ursula, Walter, Freddy, Therese (in Strandkorg) and Kurt standing

Fritz Gottschalk family with other children on the beach; Norderney, Germany.

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Family portrait of (back l-r) Frieda Arens, Fritz Unger, Gustav Arens, Grete Glasner, (front l-r) Lise Arens, Gitta Unger and Ernst Glasner.

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Flora Lotte "Lola" Reiss walking in the street with her father Moritz; Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) Portraits Family

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Flora Lotte "Lola" Reiss walking in the street with her non-Jewish boyfriend Walter; Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) Portraits Family

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Reiss family on skiing trip; Arosa Portraits Family

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Reiss family portrait on the occasion of the wedding of Harry Gould to Eva Fantl; Royal Connaught Hotel, Hamilton, Ontario.

Standing l-r: George? son of Max Reiss?, Max Reiss, Harry Gould, Moritz Reiss, Joe Reiss, and Herbert Reiss; Seated l-r: Trude Reiss (wife of Herbert), Else Reiss (mother of Joe), Lily Friedlander Gould, Eva Fantl Gould, Trude Reiss (wife of Joe), and Marta Reiss (wife of Max)

Kohnberger family portrait.

From left to right, back row: Ernst Schueller, Hermine Schueller, Laura Stiassny, Sigmund Stiassny, Martha Pollak, Johanna Mislap and Jacob Hermann; front row: Melanie Herrmann (or Irene Tiring), Conrad Tiring, Emilie Kohnberger and Solomon Kohnberger

Family portrait with Alfred Lichtenstein, his first wife Gerda, unidentified others (maman, tante, oncle, soeur).

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Exterior view of the Boehm family hat factory; Novy Jicin, Czech Republic Businesses

Tovarna na Klobouky Fv. Boehm

Reproduction of photograph of Kaufman and Rosenberg family portrait on the occasion of the wedding of Ludwig Rosenberg and Paula Rosenberg nee Joseph (left); Hamburg.

Includes Ludwig Rosenberg and Paula Rosenberg nee Joseph (left), Thekla (Tekie) Joseph (standing center), Karl Kaufman and Else Kaufman (right)