Climate change impacts have resulted in ecological changes that cause physiological stress on species and can affect population dynamics. Sources of stress include biotic factors such as predation and competition, as well as abiotic factors such as extremes in temperature and increased frequency of fires and drought. For example, global temperature levels have and are expected to rise, with eighteen of the 19 warmest years occurring since 2001. Temperature increase and lack of available water may lead to impacts on both abiotic and physical components of organisms and likely reduced, survival, reproduction and the health of a species. Food sources are also likely to be impacted by changing temperatures for example, in Australia Eucalyptus trees may be affected by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, which can change the chemical composition within their leaves. It is, therefore, important to monitor and conserve species that are experiencing these changes.
Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a wide-ranging endemic folivorous marsupial to Australia, whose habitat is specific to a number of Eucalyptus species, which provides a majority of their diet and water uptake. There specific feeding behaviour, with only 35 of 600 species of Eucalyptus being preferred by Koalas, means that koalas are highly susceptible to climate changes. Koala populations are distributed across 30 bioregions within Queensland (QLD), Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales (NSW) and the Australia Capital Territory (ACT) . However, currently, Koala populations are a threatened species at a Commonwealth specifically in NSW, QLD and the ACT. Koalas are highly susceptible to ecological changes such as habitat loss and fragmentation which is made evident in a recent population decline of 51% in south-eastern QLD. Koala population declines are attributed to a number of causes including diseases such as Chlamydia, habitat fragmentation and loss and mortality due to predation and fires. However, the species are particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature which result in impacts on Eucalyptus species, therefore impacting their diet and water availability, as well as suffering from heat waves which cause the spread of diseases, heat stress and reduced breeding rates.
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The conservation efforts of Koalas within Australia are essential as Koalas are an endemic species and are a vital part of Australia ecosystems and biodiversity. Communities are already calling for action and providing assistance to help conserve this species. With dire impacts on their habitats, diet and water availability, Koalas could potentially become extinct by 2050. Therefore, it is imperative that Koala populations converse and population mortality rates are declined. To aid in the conservation of NSW Koala populations, we propose a study to assess the benefits and impacts of providing water supplementation bowls to Koalas and monitoring whether they have an effect on Koala stress levels. Our study site includes Wonderful Plains, located south of Sydney, which contains a population of 100 Koalas.
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