Data from: Housework or vigilance? Bilbies alter burrowing activity under threat of predation by feral cats

Behavioral adjustments to predation risk not only impose costs on prey
species themselves but can also have cascading impacts on whole
ecosystems. The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is an important ecosystem
engineer, modifying the physical environment through their digging
activity, and supporting a diverse range of sympatric species that use its
burrows for refuge and food resources. The bilby has experienced severe
decline over the last 200 years, and the species is now restricted to
approximately 20% of its former distribution. Introduced predators, such
as the feral cat (Felis catus), have contributed to this decline. We used
camera traps to monitor bilby burrows at four sites in Western Australia,
where bilbies were exposed to varying levels of cat predation threat. We
investigated the impact of feral cats on bilby behavior at burrows,
particularly during highly vulnerable periods when they dig and clear away
soil or debris from the burrow entrance as they perform burrow
maintenance. There was little evidence that bilbies avoided burrows that
were visited by a feral cat; however, bilbies reduced the time spent
performing burrow maintenance in the days following a cat visit (p=0.010).
We found the risk posed to bilbies varied over time, with twice the cat
activity around full moon compared with dark nights. Bilby burrows are
such valuable resources for ecosystem functioning that bilby predation by
feral cats, as well as even indirect impacts on bilby behavioral responses
to perceived predation risk, together may have a substantial ecosystem
impact.