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Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, primarily affecting those in close contact with domestic ruminants, the main source of human infection. Coxiella burnetii has also been detected in various wildlife species globally. In Australia, serological and molecular studies have shown exposure to and infection by C. burnetii in macropods, bandicoots, and koalas. However, the extent to which these species contribute to human infection remains unclear. An unpublished public health investigation into a Q fever case in a person involved in koala care could not conclusively link the infection to koalas due to the patient's broad animal exposure. This study aimed to explore the potential role of koalas in transmitting C. burnetii to humans by investigating the presence of C. burnetii DNA in urogenital tract (UGT) swabs from koalas. DNA was extracted from UGT swabs from koalas in three regions in New South Wales, Australia. An optimised multiplex qPCR assay detected C. burnetii DNA in 2 out of 225 samples (0.89%) at approximately 10 genome equivalents per reaction. Both positive samples amplified all three gene targets. MLVA genotyping identified two distinct C. burnetii genotypes previously isolated from Australian Q fever cases. These findings highlight the need for vaccination against Q fever for those in close contact with koalas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mating systems, influenced by the social and ecological environment and individual attributes, are fundamental components of animal social organisation, impacting behaviour, animal distribution, ecosystem processes, individual reproductive success, and population dynamics. Bats are of particular interest for studies of mating systems as they are thought to exhibit a greater diversity in mating systems than any other mammalian order, and thus make great models for improving our fundamental understanding of causes and consequences of social organisation. Here, we review the current knowledge of bat mating systems. Our analyses show that research on bat mating systems has not kept pace with research on bats in general and that traditional typologies do not accommodate the mating system of several species. Therefore, we propose an alternative, functional framework to categorise mating systems of bats and by extension of other taxa. We argue that mating systems can be classified according to a male reproductive skew continuum, with an increasing skew from monogamy to true lekking. We include an additional category of lek‐like mating system along the continuum to account for previous trans‐categorical cases that have the appearance of resource defence but are functionally akin to a lek. The new framework has a total of seven categories: promiscuity, monogamy, female defence polygyny, resource defence polygyny, a lek‐like mating system, exploded classical lek, and clustered classical lek. Applying this framework to bats reveals that lek mating systems are more prevalent in bats than previously recognised. It is our aim that this review and the proposed framework provide a greater understanding of bat mating systems particularly and provoke research into the factors that shape mating systems across animal taxa more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In New South Wales, legislation governing land clearing and development as it relates to koala conservation acts to prevent the destruction of habitat containing key tree species used by koalas. The identification of these key tree species is therefore critical to koala conservation. We aimed to compile a list of tree species used by koalas within the Wollondilly Shire region and investigate tree-use preferences. We radio-collared one female and four male koalas and tracked their movements over a period of 107--195 days. We conducted surveys within each koala's home range to quantify the relative availability of each tree species, which we compared with their relative frequency of use. Koalas used 19 different tree species (17 during day, 12 during night), despite over 32 species being available. Eight species were preferentially used by one or more koalas; these were Eucalyptuts bosistoana, E. longifolia, E. puncata, E. crebra, E. globoidea, E. pilularis, E. tereticornis and Angophora flohbunda. Two species were avoided: Corymbia gummifera and Acacia decurrens. Koalas consistently used larger trees relative to their availability, and we found a general but non-significant trend towards the use of larger trees at night compared with during the day. To achieve koala conservation, it will be necessary to preserve habitat patches comprising a diverse mixture of tree species and sizes, particularly trees >35 cm diameter at breast height (DBH), and to appropriately revegetate land with these criteria in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]