Cross?ecosystem effects of coastal urbanisation on vertebrate assemblages and ecological function

The effects of urbanisation are increasingly pervasive across landscapes, and this has implications for animals the ecological functions they support. Differences in attributes assemblages between ecosystems means we cannot assume that different within same landscapes affected by trajectory or over spatial scales. We test whether how ecosystem type can modify responses to urbanisation, contrasting beaches, estuaries, rocky headlands coastal lagoons impacted a range intensities on Sunshine Coast eastern Australia. sampled vertebrates measured carrion scavenging, key function all ecosystems, using baited camera traps at 85 sites distributed among five beaches (25 per beach), three estuaries (15 estuary), four (20 lagoon) headland). Coastal vertebrate were best predicted additive extent 5 km each site, was typically characterised increases synanthropic species abundance with high intermediate extents nearby. However, two indicator had opposing relationships varied only not urbanisation. Urbanisation substantially depressed rates some variation species-specific consumption ecosystems. While native crows, raptors water rats accounted 2/3 consumed, invasive black free-ranging domestic dogs significant consumers carrion. Our results stress distributions multiple but highlight pivotal be compromised embedded landscape.