demographic and phenotypic effects of human mediated trophic subsidy on a large australian lizard (varanus varius) meal ticket or last supper人口和表型的影响人类的营养补贴在大澳大利亚蜥蜴(瓦瑞斯varanus)饭票或者最后的晚餐.pdfVIP

Demographic and Phenotypic Effects of Human Mediated Trophic Subsidy on a Large Australian Lizard (Varanus varius): Meal Ticket or Last Supper? 1,2 1 3 1 Tim S. Jessop *, Peter Smissen , Franciscus Scheelings , Tim Dempster 1 Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 Department of Conservation and Research, Zoos Victoria, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, 3 Australian Wildlife Health Centre, Healesville Sanctuary, Healesville, Victoria, Australia Abstract Humans are increasingly subsidizing and altering natural food webs via changes to nutrient cycling and productivity. Where human trophic subsidies are concentrated and persistent within natural environments, their consumption could have complex consequences for wild animals through altering habitat preferences, phenotypes and fitness attributes that influence population dynamics. Human trophic subsidies conceptually create both costs and benefits for animals that receive increased calorific and altered nutritional inputs. Here, we evaluated the effects of a common terrestrial human trophic subsidies, human food refuse, on population and phenotypic (comprising morphological and physiological health indices) parameters of a large predatory lizard (,2 m length), the lace monitor (Varanus varius), in southern Australia by comparison with individuals not receiving human trophic subsidies. At human trophic subsidies sites, lizards were significantly more abundant and their sex ratio highly male biased compared to control sites in natural forest. Human trophic subsidies recipient lizards were significantly longer, heavier and in much greater body condition. Blood parasites were sign