Rarity of dingoes and the collapse of mammal communities in Australia
Research on large mammalian predators worldwide shows that they may be intensely aggressive towards smaller mesopredators. This aggression restricts the numbers and behaviour of mesopredators, and can be an important factor limiting impacts of predation on their prey. There is circumstantial and observational evidence for control of red foxes and feral cats by dingoes in many environments in Australia. The removal of this top-down control as a result of reduction of dingo populations appears to be linked to declines and extinctions of 'critical-weight-range' mammals that are susceptible to predation by foxes and cats. This paper reviews evidence for the protective effect of dingoes on mammal biodiversity in Australia, at scales ranging from small areas occupied by isolated local populations of threatened species up to the entire continent.