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Detection of a present predator is critical for prey survival, but prey cannot remain constantly vigilant without suffering fitness costs. To reduce the costs of vigilance, prey species use different cues to determine if another animal is a predator. We wished to determine whether or not Pelegrina helenae would respond to digital images of Phidippus audax as predators and whether the size of an image played a role in predator recognition response. P. helenae were placed in a plastic enclosure facing an iPhone X and shown an image of either P. audax or a ladybug and trials were recorded using a GoPro Hero 7. A second experiment was then performed where spiders were shown the same stimuli, but all ladybug stimuli had been increased to match the size of the P. audax stimuli. The presence of a Phidippus audax stimulus on screen significantly increased the vigilance duration of Pelegrina helenae which indicates that there is some specific visual predator cue that P. helenae is using to identify P. audax as a predator. Size on an image was not significant in the global model, but in the artificial size model, the vigilance duration between P. audax and the ladybug stimulus was not significantly different, indicating that size does play some role in predation risk, but not a large enough role to override specific predator cues.

Stable isotope analysis of δ15N and δ13C values allow us to interpret the effects of interspecific competition and environmental factors on fishes’ resource use. Saratoga Lake in Wyoming is one of the few locations brook stickleback Culaea inconstans (an invasive species), Iowa darter Etheostoma exile (a species of greatest conservation need), and fathead minnows Pimphales promelas are present. We used stable isotope signatures to investigate the trophic patterns of these species as well as catch rates over time. We sampled Saratoga Lake six times from June through September 2021. Fifteen individuals per species were harvested at each sampling event for stable isotope analysis and the remaining fish were identified, measured, and enumerated. Trends in δ13C data suggest that brook stickleback and fathead minnow exploited pelagic resources while Iowa darter primarily used littoral resources early in the season. However, brook stickleback and fathead minnow switched to use more littoral resources later in the season, coinciding with the timing of a cyanobacterial bloom. Iowa darter catch rate steadily declined over the season while fathead minnow and brook stickleback catch rates did not show directional trends. These results imply that changing habitat conditions and resource availability may potentially increase interspecific competition later in the season, with implications for fish species of greatest conservation need. Furthermore, our findings open the door to further investigation of the effects of cyanobacterial blooms on small-bodied fishes.

Submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Victoria.

As the need for outdoor recreation grows, the profound impact of recreational activities upon wildlife is a major concern. For example, the presence of humans may increase risk-averse behavior by wildlife, restricting access to essential resources, and reducing foraging, thereby negatively impacting breeding. Ultimately, the impacts that recreationists have on wildlife include directly or indirectly altering population structure and community composition. Unfortunately, understanding the impacts of recreating humans upon wildlife is a complex challenge that is dependent upon wildlife species and human activity types. Our understanding of human-wildlife relationships can be improved by combining results from empirical studies with simulation models to extrapolate mechanisms to a broader range of circumstances and investigate their implications. Accordingly, we developed an ABM modeling framework, that enables both dynamic virtual human and wildlife agents to change their actions. These changes are based upon their state as a consequence of their interactions with their environment and other virtual agents. A unique aspect of the framework we developed is the explicit simulation of both wildlife and human agent behavior as emergent rather than imposed. We use this framework to model the disturbance of birds, in the Lawrence Creek Forest Unit (LCFU) of Fort Harrison State Park, IN, by human recreation. We parameterize the model with human recreation data collected through an intercept survey of recreationists at the park and bird data from published studies. We compare our modeling framework to a more traditional model type where human behavior is imposed while wildlife behavior is emergent. Our results indicate that the frequency of humans entering the park influences the rates of disturbance of birds more than model types. Examining simulation behavior within our new framework, the utility and off-trail options had the most influence across all scenarios. These comparisons illustrate that the use of a modeling framework that allows managers to explore factors altering wildlife disturbance rates. Despite the marginal influence of model type upon our results, our research elucidates the value of a model that allows emergent behavior for multiple agent types. The emergent human and wildlife responses of simulated interacting agents provides new insight when managing these relationships.

Globally bats provide ecological services including pollination and natural pest removal. In American Samoa, the Tongan flying fox (Pteropus tonganus) is one of the primary animal species contributing to the success and regrowth of native forests. Trees used to create Samoan artifacts and cuisines benefit from the seed dispersal and pollination provided by these bats. However, habitat loss and human disturbance have caused population declines since the 1980s.The American Samoa Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources (AS-DMWR) is using GPS tags to study flying fox movement and ecology. Information obtained from this research program aids bat conservation and contributes knowledge regarding understudied Pteropus spp. My thesis used these data from AS-DMWR to answer several important questions about Tongan flying fox ecology. The first objective of my research was to identify and quantify the diel patterns of Tongan flying fox commuting, foraging, and roosting activities. I used tri-axial acceleration data from the GPS tags to classify observations of bats to these specific activities. Then, I compared the percentage of time bats allocate to each activity during day and night using a one-tailed t-test. Results showed a significant difference in roosting only, with a p-value = 0.04 and t t0.05(1)4 = 2.95. Approximately 25% of roosting activities for tagged Tongan flying foxes occurred during the night and 75% occurred during the day. These results are consistent with the description of Tongan flying foxes as a nocturnal species. My second objective evaluated cover types in Tutuila, American Samoa where bats frequently perform these activities. Accelerometer and locational data obtained from GPS tags were used to identify segments of Tongan flying fox movement associated with the activities, roosting, foraging and commuting. Step-Selection Function (SSF), from the AMT (Animal Movement Tracking) R package determined cover type covariates that statistically correlated with segments of bat movement associated with specific activities. My results showed that Tongan flying foxes were likely to select locations within lowland forests for all three activities. Locations within coastal forests were also likely to be selected by Tongan flying foxes for commuting and roosting, while foraging was more likely to occur at locations near buildings and plantations.In conclusion, the information presented in my thesis regarding Tongan flying fox activity patterns and associated cover types can help land managers and farmers develop efficient and effective management plans that reduce human and bat conflicts. Such plans could include delineating wind farm sites where risks of turbine strikes are low, identifying ways farmers could include flying foxes in their agricultural practices, and designating reserve areas needed to preserve this critical species.

Georgantzis Garcia, D. (2020). The role of consumer behaviour in the transition towards a Circular Economy. South East European Research Centre (SEERC) – 14th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference – PGR2020. Thessaloniki (Greece), 22-26 June 2020.

Management of predation on sea turtle nesting beaches is vital to conservation efforts for the vulnerable loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea). Sea turtles increasingly face threats from invasive and human-tolerant mammalian predators as human disturbances on nesting beaches rises. The intensity of mammalian predation has increased in Las Baulas National Park in Costa Rica which is an important nesting site for several species of threatened and endangered sea turtles. I analyzed loggerhead and olive ridley nest predation on four beaches in the United States and Costa Rica that were chosen for variations in degree of human disturbance and management strategies. My objectives were to 1) determine if egg predation rates differ at the four sites, 2) determine the most destructive predators at each location, and 3) suggest management options to alleviate mammalian threats to turtle clutches on Playa Grande and Playa Cabuyal in Costa Rica. My results show that the beaches without a nest protection or predator control program had very high rates of predation. Invasive mammalian predators and mammalian predators associated with human disturbance were the most destructive at the four sites. I recommend that regulations regarding dogs and the take of eggs from the beach are enforced at Playa Cabuyal and that physical nest protection is rapidly implemented at Playa Grande. I also recommend that the National Park consider managing raccoon predation by removing problem individuals, but caution that they do so in a way that maintains the animals’ role in the ecosystem.

Sexual conflict arises in biparental species because of the fitness payoffs of shifting the costs of care onto their partner. The negotiation model asserts that parents actively monitor their partner’s level of investment and adjust their own in response generally resulting in partial compensation when a member of the pair reduces their level of investment. The willingness of one parent to compensate for the other’s change is found to be widely variable. Habitat or resource quality available to pairs may explain such variation. It is predicted that the level of compensation by one partner will increase with decreasing resource quality. I tested this prediction with the biparental burying beetle, Nicrophorus orbicollis. Under natural conditions, burying beetles apply costly social immune molecules to carcasses of small vertebrates to preserve nutritional value for young. The goals of this research were (1) to determine if males immunologically compensate when females are immunologically handicapped; and (2) determine the impact of resource quality on compensation. Changes in lysozyme-like-activity (LLA) and phenoloxidase (PO) production in oral and anal secretions were used to quantify social immune investment. Pairs were provided a mouse carcass of one of three qualities: freshly thawed, aged for 3 days, or aged for 7 days. As expected, female LLA decreased once injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) irrespective of carcass quality. Injections caused significant down regulation of oral PO in females. Male LLA increased as the quality of carcasses decreased when paired with handicapped females. Males showed no changes in PO across treatments or carcass types. My results demonstrate that males compensate for a change in maternal investment and the level of compensation increases as resource quality decreases.

Pathogens and parasites are increasingly recognized as important components within host populations, communities, and ecosystems. Parasite contributions to ecosystem function most likely manifest as density-mediated impacts of parasites on their hosts, the direct contributions of parasite biomass to a system, and via parasite-induced changes in host behavior and physiology (trait-mediated impacts). Here, a framework was constructed that can be used to conceptualize parasite contributions to ecosystem function (Chapter 1). Then the influence of parasite attack on host movement was explored to further evince the mechanistic underpinnings of trait-mediated parasite impacts (Chapter 2). Additionally, mesocosms were created across a gradient of parasitism to examine how these mechanisms are likely to unfold at larger biological scales (Chapter 3). Lastly, a series of differential equations was created to model host-parasite-ecosystem interactions and generate theoretical predictions about how and when parasites are likely to influence ecosystem processes (Chapter 4). Parasites have many characteristics of ecosystem engineers, but their role has historically been ignored. These studies begin to explore the role that parasitism may have as one of the drivers of ecosystem processes.

In group-living animals social information is essential to survival, providing indirect information about the environment, such as predator presence. An individual’s ability to acquire social information is mediated by its sensory system. In visually-oriented species, different visual dimensions provide rapid information about conspecifics. However, we know relatively little about how the uptake of visual social information mediates the formation of coordinated patterns of group movement, referred to as collective behavior. Using two species of birds (i.e., European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)) and fish (i.e., zebrafish (Danio rerio) and golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)), I determine how the structure of social interactions are facilitated by the capabilities imposed by the visual system from a theoretical point of view. With a focus on zebrafish (Danio rerio), a visually-oriented, social cyprinid, I further explore the role of vision in mediating social interactions. Specifically, I characterize several relevant visual dimensions in zebrafish that have the potential to influence the uptake of social information: visual coverage, visual resolution and visual contrast. With insights gained from theoretical modelling and a series of behavioral experiments, I discuss the constraints that these visual dimensions might impose on social interactions and develop predictions for collective behavior.

Human society is presently beset by an array of anthropogenic social-ecological crises that threaten the sustainability of the social-ecological systems that sustain our livelihoods. While research alone will not rectify these issues, it can help to answer key questions that must be addressed to develop effective solutions. To address such questions in a cohesive, compelling manner, social-ecological research can be bounded, structured, and distilled through innumerable organizing principles or theoretical frameworks. For this dissertation, I focused on the geographic region of Tierra del Fuego and sought to draw from the array of disciplines and methods that use sound as a lens for biological, ecological, and/or social inquiry. I also endeavored to consider various temporal, spatial, and organizational scales while investigating a selection of topics with a) specific importance in the social-ecological systems of Tierra del Fuego and b) general relevance to global social-ecological challenges. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the dissertation, and Chapter 6 serves as a conclusion. The objective of Chapter 2, “Biogeographical and analytical implications of temporal variability in geographically diverse soundscapes”, was to provide some guidance to passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) practitioners on how to design appropriate temporal sampling schemes based on the temporal variability of the sounds one wishes to measure and the power and storage limitations of acoustic recorders. We first quantified the temporal variability of several soundscape measurements and compared that variability across sites and times of day. We also simulated a wide range of temporal sampling schemes in order to model their representativeness relative to continuous sampling. For Chapter 3, “Sentinels for sentinels: passive acoustic and camera trap monitoring of sensitive penguin populations”, we tested the utility of PAM to monitor behavior and abundance of Magellanic (Spheniscus magellanicus) and southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) at different spatial and temporal scales. We conducted in situ observations of the acoustic behavior of each species, and we compared acoustic metrics with penguin counts from narrowly focused camera traps and larger-extent observations of colony density. Chapter 4, “Acoustic monitoring shows invasive beavers (Castor canadensis) increase avian diversity in Tierra del Fuego”, is focused on impacts of the invasive North American beaver (Castor canadensis) on Fuegian bird communities. We sought to determine how bird communities might differ between intact riparian forests, beaver ponds, and beaver meadows created by pond drainage. We conducted PAM and classic avian point counts under each of these conditions across seasons to test for differences between impact conditions and to compare the two methodologies. For Chapter 5, “Human-nature connection and soundscape perception: insights from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina”, we evaluated the relationship between soundscape perception and nature relatedness by conducting surveys and soliciting responses to soundscape audio prompts. We also examined the potential for any demographic influences on nature relatedness or soundscape perception in the context of local social tensions.

In dense mating aggregations, such as insect and anuran choruses, signals produced at the same time can overlap and interfere with one another, reducing the ability of receivers to discriminate between individual signals. Thus, evolution by sexual selection is expected to result in mating signal timing strategies that avoid overlap. Patterns of signal alternation between competing males are commonly observed in leks and choruses across taxa. In some species, however, signalers instead deliberately overlap, or ‘synchronize’, their mating signals with neighboring conspecifics. Given the assumed high cost of reduced mate attraction when signals overlap, mating signal synchronization has remained an evolutionary puzzle. Synchronization may be beneficial, however, if overlapping signals reduce the attraction of nontarget receivers (predator avoidance hypothesis). Synchronized signals could also constructively interfere, increasing female attraction to the mating aggregation (the beacon effect hypothesis). I investigate these functions of synchronized signaling in two species of tree frogs that synchronize their mating calls: the pug-nosed tree frog (Smilisca sila) and the Ryukyu Kajika frog (Buergeria japonica). To examine the trade-offs imposed by call synchronization in each species, I conduct a series of field and laboratory playback experiments on target (female frogs) and nontarget (eavesdropping predators) receivers of frog calls. Results from these experiments support both hypotheses, suggesting that synchronized frog calls can reduce the attraction of predators and attract mates to the chorus. In addition, I found reduced preferences for fine-scale call timings in female S. sila and B. japonica, deviating from the expected preferences observed in many other anuran and non-anuran species. Thus, while males may enjoy multiple benefits from synchronized mating signals, relaxed sexual selection for non-synchronous signals may be key to the evolution and maintenance of mating signal synchrony.

2019 Annual Forum presentation - overview of the research delivered over the five year EWKR project

The research conducted by the MDB EWKR Waterbird Theme has produced new information to assist managers to better target water, vegetation and waterbird management to ensure ‘event readiness’ at sites between flooding events and to maximise recruitment. Maximising recruitment into the adult population depends on optimising the number of birds that nest, the number of chicks that fledge from each site, and the survival of those birds as juveniles, sub-adults and breeding adults. Information is needed quantifying these variables and what affects them – however the mobility of waterbirds and lack of information on their movements makes this difficult. Therefore, the MDB EWKR Waterbird Theme research activities included: detailed movement and habitat-use studies of individual birds over the duration of the EWKR project using tracking devices (satellite GPS transmitters); motion-sensing and time-lapse camera nest monitoring; on-ground tagged-nest and water depth monitoring; colony mapping; analysis of chick diet and energy sources; and modelling of chick energy requirements.

Understanding and adequately protecting habitat is at the forefront of modern conservation concerns. Turtles are especially vulnerable to habitat loss, and are therefore a top priority for habitat research. To help meet this need, I used radio telemetry to collect microhabitat data from two imperiled species of turtles that occupy a military base in Michigan. Preliminary data exploration was carried out with principal components analysis (PCA). Microhabitat use was then modeled for each species using conditional logistic regression (CLR), with a generalized estimating equation (GEE) element to limit bias due to individual variation. Finally, I compared habitat use between sympatric Blanding’s and Wood Turtles using Mann-Whitney U tests and Mood’s median tests to investigate the degree of overlap in microhabitat use when these species occur in sympatry. Evidence for microhabitat selection in Blanding’s Turtles was weak, suggesting that they likely do not make habitat decisions at this level. Wood Turtles selected sites that were farther from water and had fewer trees, less overstory canopy cover, and more ground cover. Additionally, the two species differed in several aspects of microhabitat use; Wood Turtles were more terrestrial and more tolerant of tree cover than Blanding’s Turtles. Patterns of microhabitat use found in this study match previously observed behavior of turtles in high quality habitat, suggesting that managers should work to maintain the habitat currently available at Camp Grayling. Additionally, because both turtle species were associated with open canopy, selective logging could benefit turtles provided care is given to timing and methods.

Appendix A1.1 The influence of flow and non-flow related stressors on the drivers of fish recruitmentAppendix A1.2 Prioritising fish research for flow management in the Murray-Darling BasinAppendix A1.3 Riverscape recruitment: a conceptual synthesis of drivers of fish recruitment in riversAppendix A1.4 Examination of the relationship between food density, temperature and early-life stage growth and survivalAppendix A1.5 Understanding the feeding requirements of larval fish in the northern Murray–Darling BasinAppendix A1.6 Comparison of the thermal and nutritional regimes among main channel and floodplain habitat patchesAppendix A1.7 The relationship between discharge, reach hydraulic complexity, zooplankton production and retention in a lowland river systemAppendix A1.8 Investigating the relationship between flow, structural habitat, hydrodynamics and patterns of larval settlement and retentionAppendix A1.9 Water infrastructure and challenges for fish conservation: A trait-based analysis to foresee fish recruitment in regulated riversAppendix A1.10 Basin-scale population dynamics of Golden Perch and Murray Cod: relating flow to provenance, movement and recruitment in the Murray–Darling BasinAppendix 2: Theme Data InventoryAppendix 3: Theme OutputsAppendix 4: Theme Engagement and Communications Activities

To prevent human-bird conflict, lasers have been developed as nonlethal control methods despite being known to cause eye injury and visual function deficits in humans under certain conditions. Determining the extent to which laser exposure is also an ocular hazard for birds is important because birds rely heavily on vision for activities critical to their survival, like foraging. The purpose of this study was to assess how laser exposure and the energy of exposure affects avian visual exploratory behavior for the purpose of foraging, as well as food consumption. We recorded the food visual exploratory behavior and food consumption of 40 house sparrows using foraging trials where they were tasked with finding millet seeds against a high contrast (easy task) and low contrast (difficult task) background according to their contrast sensitivity. After a baseline assessment of behavior, each bird was exposed to a unique laser energy and participated in the foraging trials again within week 1 after exposure and within week 2 after exposure. We found that house sparrows arrived at the food patch quicker and decreased their use of binocular vision within week 1 after exposure compared to before exposure. Within week 1 and within week 2 after exposure, birds changed their rates of scanning depending on the difficulty of the foraging task. They also developed laterality by increasing foveal vision rate using the left eye compared to the right. This laterality was even more pronounced in birds exposed to higher energy levels. Although laser exposure did not affect the overall amount of food birds consumed, they increased pecking rates and seed consumption rates both within week 1 and within week 2 after exposure. This study was the first controlled experiment examining the effects of laser exposure and laser energy on avian behavior. The evidence suggests that laser exposure can alter visual exploratory behavior in the context of foraging and influence foraging effort and food consumption rates. These results have important implications for the use of lasers as wild bird deterrents.

In many animals, individuals will often help each other. By benefiting others at their own expense, helping behaviour can affect the survival and reproductive success of helpers and, as a consequence, may appear maladaptive. I investigated helping behaviour in a captive population of a small monkey, the common marmoset, in which elder siblings help their parents to care for their infant siblings. My findings show that this helping behaviour was not influenced by the immediate benefits or costs for the elder siblings. These findings provide insights into the evolution of helping behaviour derived from altruistic motives.

Female animals may use conspicuous colours of males to assess their quality as potential mates, if colours come at a cost. This thesis explores the costs of conspicuous colours in a wild bird (the superb fairy-wren), including the need to be cautious to avoid predators, physiological costs and costs of maintaining attractive colours. In addition, this thesis shows colour change between dull and conspicuous plumage in songbirds evolves under strong sexual selection and high predation risk. This work provides insight into sexual selection in animals.

This thesis investigates impacts of emerging forms of chemical pollution, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals and pharmaceutical contaminants, on wildlife. It emphasises environmental realism, focussing on effects of widespread chemical pollutants on ecologically important traits and behaviours in fish. The findings reported in this thesis reveal a range of previously unknown impacts of pollution and will inform management and policy to improve wastewater treatment processes and, thereby, reduce contamination of aquatic habitats.

Water demand management is a critical and complex issue globally and for Australia. Engaging householders to change their water consumption behaviours forms an important part of the solution. The spillover effect is proposed to accelerate such change by leveraging or catalysing additional behaviour adoption from new or existing practices. This thesis describes how household water saving behaviours can be mapped and prioritised, using householder perceptions of behavioural similarity to identify these potentially catalytic behaviours. Water managers can apply the findings to help select behaviours for demand management programs. Spillover researchers can use the catalytic behaviours to further explore spillover’s potential.

Cooperative breeding is an evolutionary puzzle as individuals forego independent reproduction and instead assist others. I investigate how and why helpers contribute to multiple cooperative tasks in the purple-crowned fairy-wren, Malurus coronatus. I show that social group composition, in particular the presence of relatives and potential mates, affects benefits of group living, and consequently, helping behaviour. Moreover, cooperation in offspring provisioning and predator defence is driven by benefits of group living and of helping raise offspring. Thus, it is important to take group composition and multiple forms of helping into account, to gain a comprehensive understanding of complex social systems.

Focusing on species of fish where males provide all of the parental care this thesis examines the conditions that lead to fathers eating their own offspring. It also investigates whether parental status influences male courtship behaviour. It finds that males are more likely to eat their own young when they will be costly to raise, and, in some instances, where doing so can help the male breed again. However, males did not adjust their courtship behaviour immediately after acquiring a clutch of eggs. Together, these findings highlight the complexity and variability in mating and parental effort among paternal caring species.

Elaborate ornamentation is often assumed to improve reproductive success of the bearer, by attracting mates or deterring rivals. In particular, bright plumage in birds may signal the quality of an individual, provided that its production and maintenance are costly. Seasonal plumages, i.e. the alternation of dull non-breeding plumage and colourful breeding plumage, have the potential to do so through multiple components; however, the nature and magnitude of their benefits and costs remain ill-understood, particularly for species that form monogamous, year-round and long-term partnerships. Here I investigate the function of male seasonal plumages in the genetically monogamous purple-crowned fairy-wren, Malurus coronatus.

The study examined factors affecting Malaysian consumers’ Responsible Acquisition of Computer Behaviour (RACB) as such behaviour can reduce the environmental problems attributed to computer lifecycle. A model was developed based on Theory of Planned Behaviour and Value Belief Norm with a habit construct and tested using quantitative questionnaire survey method. The results revealed that self-interest factors (Subjective Norms and Intention) are more important in explaining RACB as compared to morality factor (Personal Norms). Additionally, age and income moderate some of the constructs’ relationships. The study developed a parsimonious RACB adoption model and provided recommendations to increase adoption of RACB.

Large-scale collective infrastructure construction is only known in two groups of animals: humans and social insects. Leaf-cutter ants construct networks of cleared trails spanning several kilometres, from which they remove all organic litter and undergrowth. Little research exists on their function or on how they are constructed. I introduce a model calculating costs and benefits of their use, and a simulation of the clearing behaviour based on behavioural experiments. In an evolutionary game theory setting, I explore the connection between trail clearing and territory size dynamics, and how these influenced the evolution of the behaviour.

This thesis studies social insects, such as ants and bees, who live in colonies of up to millions of individuals. These individuals need to appropriately engage in a variety of tasks only relying on their limited local knowledge. From different novel perspectives, we apply computational and mathematical models to explore the underlying mechanisms of task allocation. Our methodology demonstrates a set of modelling approaches in this interdisciplinary field of study. Our outcomes can be used to explain and predict collective behaviours in social insects, to guide further biological experiments and may ultimately benefit bio-inspired applications.

The MDB EWKR Fish Theme focussed on fish recruitment and sought to improve our understanding of the key drivers, functional processes and limitations of successful recruitment of native fish. This would lead to an improved capacity to predict fish recruitment outcomes in response to different environmental water parameters. In summary, our research demonstrates that both fish population processes, and the key drivers that support recruitment operate at multiple spatial scales, from the patch to the basin scale. Food production areas coupled with appropriate temperature regimes, and the ability for larval dispersal or retention at patch to segment scales, were found to be important drivers of recruitment success. Hydraulic diversity is integral to providing appropriate conditions for food production and dispersal/retention of early-life stages. Connectivity at small to large scales is also critical in enabling access to appropriate habits and dispersal to maintain populations at catchment to basin scales. Our research also demonstrated that under droughtconditions, additional factors such as abundance and condition of adults, and maintenance of refuge areas are likely to be playing a critical role in determining recruitment success.