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Hale S, Mendoza L, Yeatman T, Cooke R, Doherty T, Nimmo D, White JG. Evidence that post‐fire recovery of small mammals occurs primarily via in situ survival. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Susannah Hale
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Lorissa Mendoza
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Tom Yeatman
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Raylene Cooke
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Tim Doherty
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Dale Nimmo
- School of Environmental Science Institute for Land, Water and Society Charles Sturt University Albury NSW Australia
| | - John G. White
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
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Moseby KE, McGregor H, Hill BM, Read JL. Exploring the internal and external wildlife gradients created by conservation fences. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2020; 34:220-231. [PMID: 31310356 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Spillover effects are an expansion of conservation benefits beyond protected areas through dispersal of species that reside within. They have been well documented in marine but not terrestrial systems. To understand the effects on wildlife created by conservation fences, we explored the internal and external gradients of activity in mammal, reptile, and bird species at a conservation reserve in arid Australia that is fenced to exclude invasive rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), cats (Felis catus), and foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Two methods were used: counts of animal tracks along transects on sand dunes and captures at pitfall-trapping sites. In both cases, sites were spaced at different distances from the reserve fenceline inside and outside the reserve. We recorded a range of spillover, source-sink, step, and barrier effects that combined to create a zone within and around the reserve with fence-induced species-specific wildlife gradients. Two endemic rodents but none of the 4 mammal species reintroduced to the reserve showed positive spillover effects. Barrier effects, where activity was highest close to the fence, were recorded for the feral cat and native bettong (Bettongia lesueur), species that could not breach the fence. In comparison, some reptiles and native mammal species that could permeate the fence displayed source-sink effects; that is, their activity levels were reduced close to the fence likely due to constant emigration to the side with lower density. Activity of some reptiles was lowest at sites inside the reserve and gradually increased at outside sites with distance from the fence, a gradient likely related to trophic cascades triggered by predator exclusion. Our result shows that fenced reserves can create overlapping layers of species-specific gradients related to each species' ability to permeate the fence and its varying susceptibility to threats. Managers should be aware that these gradients may extend for several kilometers either side of the fence and that not all contained species will increase in abundance. Creating wider conservation benefits may require increased fence permeability and threat reduction outside the fence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Moseby
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Arid Recovery, P.O. Box 147, Roxby Downs, SA, 5725, Australia
| | - Hugh McGregor
- Arid Recovery, P.O. Box 147, Roxby Downs, SA, 5725, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Brydie M Hill
- Arid Recovery, P.O. Box 147, Roxby Downs, SA, 5725, Australia
| | - John L Read
- Arid Recovery, P.O. Box 147, Roxby Downs, SA, 5725, Australia
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia
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Hein S, Jacob J. Population recovery of a common vole population (Microtus arvalis) after population collapse. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2019; 75:908-914. [PMID: 30230169 DOI: 10.1002/ps.5211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Population collapses in small mammals occur naturally after natural disasters and during multi-annual population fluctuations as well as after man-made intervention such as rodent management action. Although there has been extensive previous work on patterns and mechanisms of population fluctuations and cyclicity, little is known about population recovery after collapse. In Europe, the common vole (Microtus arvalis) is the major pest species in agriculture, damaging crops, competing with livestock and potentially posing a health risk to people. In this study, we investigated population recovery, recovery mechanism and recovery time of common vole populations after artificially inducing a collapse through rodenticide application. RESULTS The rodenticide treatment reduced abundance in spring (by about 90%) but not in summer. Demographic data (age, sex-ratio, breeding activity) suggest that it was mostly immigration and not reproduction that led to population recovery after collapse. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that rodenticide treatment should be conducted in spring before the main reproductive season starts. The treatment effect was transient and lasted for about 3 months before immigration offset the initial reduction in population abundance. This indicates that immigration patterns should be considered by managing vole populations at an appropriate spatial scale and frequency to prevent rapid repopulation. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Hein
- Julius Kuehn Institute-Federal Research Center for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forest, Vertebrate Research, Muenster, Germany
- University Muenster, Faculty of Geosciences. Institute for Landscape Ecology, Muenster, Germany
| | - Jens Jacob
- Julius Kuehn Institute-Federal Research Center for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forest, Vertebrate Research, Muenster, Germany
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Law B, Brassil T, Gonsalves L. Recent decline of an endangered, endemic rodent: does exclusion of disturbance play a role for Hastings River mouse (Pseudomys oralis)? WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2016. [DOI: 10.1071/wr16097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context The role of disturbance and its exclusion is fundamental to the conservation of threatened species. Aims We used the habitat accommodation model as a framework to investigate the importance of forest disturbance for the endangered Hastings River mouse, Pseudomys oralis, focusing on timber harvesting. Methods Our study comprised two separate surveys. We resurveyed old survey sites (n = 24) where the species was originally recorded as either present (logging excluded) or absent (subsequently logged). A second survey targeted trapping in high-quality habitat stratified by different times since logging. Finally, we analysed a 15-year trapping dataset targeting P. oralis to assess associations with co-occurring species. Key results The resurvey of old sites resulted in 12 P. oralis individuals being trapped, compared with 46 individuals in original surveys. Substantial declines were observed over time in transects where logging was excluded (60–82% decline), whereas there was little change at transects where P. oralis was not previously trapped and that were subsequently logged. The second survey yielded 27 P. oralis captures at post-logging sites assessed as high quality. Occupancy was very high (ψ = 0.93 ± 0.21) in transects logged 7–15 years ago and was 60% less in transects where logging was excluded for 35–45 years (ψ = 0.37 ± 0.22), whereas occupancy in transects logged 2–6 years ago was intermediate. This pattern of higher occupancy in logged areas was mirrored for the mean number of P. oralis trapped per transect. Ordination of habitat data showed an association of P. oralis with heath, mat-rushes and logs, whereas rats (Rattus and Melomys) were associated with ferns and shrubs. Camera traps revealed low background levels of predator presence. A negative exponential relationship was found between probability of occupancy of P. oralis and rat abundance from a 15-year trapping dataset (44 275 trap-nights), suggesting that rats may compete with P. oralis. Conclusions Our results supported the habitat accommodation model and suggested that disturbance is likely to influence the persistence of P. oralis. However, an interaction between predation and loss of cover from high-frequency disturbance (fire or intense grazing) cannot be excluded as a key threat. Implications Disturbance should be incorporated into the management of some species. Adaptive monitoring is recommended to assess alternative management regimes.
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Weese DJ, Schwartz AK, Bentzen P, Hendry AP, Kinnison MT. Eco-evolutionary effects on population recovery following catastrophic disturbance. Evol Appl 2015; 4:354-66. [PMID: 25567978 PMCID: PMC3352564 DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2010.00169.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2010] [Accepted: 10/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Fine-scale genetic diversity and contemporary evolution can theoretically influence ecological dynamics in the wild. Such eco-evolutionary effects might be particularly relevant to the persistence of populations facing acute or chronic environmental change. However, experimental data on wild populations is currently lacking to support this notion. One way that ongoing evolution might influence the dynamics of threatened populations is through the role that selection plays in mediating the 'rescue effect', the ability of migrants to contribute to the recovery of populations facing local disturbance and decline. Here, we combine experiments with natural catastrophic events to show that ongoing evolution is a major determinant of migrant contributions to population recovery in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). These eco-evolutionary limits on migrant contributions appear to be mediated by the reinforcing effects of natural and sexual selection against migrants, despite the close geographic proximity of migrant sources. These findings show that ongoing adaptive evolution can be a double-edged sword for population persistence, maintaining local fitness at a cost to demographic risk. Our study further serves as a potent reminder that significant evolutionary and eco-evolutionary dynamics might be at play even where the phenotypic status quo is largely maintained generation to generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan J Weese
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine ME, USA
| | - Amy K Schwartz
- Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Glasgow UK
| | - Paul Bentzen
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Andrew P Hendry
- School of Life Sciences, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
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Hein S, Jacob J. Recovery of small rodent populations after population collapse. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2015. [DOI: 10.1071/wr14165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
In this review we summarise published knowledge regarding small mammal population recovery following sudden population collapse, regardless as to whether the collapse is caused by natural or man-made events. We determine recovery mechanisms, recovery time and recovery rate, and suggest how to adapt and optimise current methods to regulate small mammal population size, for pest management and/or conservation. It is vital that the principles underlying the recovery mechanisms are known for both pest control and conservation to align management methods to either maintain animal numbers at a permanent minimum level or increase population size. Collapses can be caused naturally, as in the declining phase of multi-annual fluctuations and after natural disasters, or by man-made events, such as pesticide application. In general, there are three ways population recovery can occur: (1) in situ survival and multiplication of a small remaining fraction of the population; (2) immigration; or (3) a combination of the two. The recovery mechanism strongly depends on life history strategy, social behaviour and density-dependent processes in population dynamics of the species in question. In addition, the kind of disturbance, its intensity and spatial scale, as well as environmental circumstances (e.g. the presence and distance of refuge areas) have to be taken into account. Recovery time can vary from a couple of days to several years depending on the reproductive potential of the species and the type of disturbances, regardless of whether the collapse is man made or natural. Ultimately, most populations rebound to levels equal to numbers before the collapse. Based on current knowledge, case-by-case decisions seem appropriate for small-scale conservation. For pest control, a large-scale approach seems necessary. Further investigations are required to make sound, species-specific recommendations.
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Are invasive species drivers of native species decline or passengers of habitat modification? A case study of the impact of the common myna (Acridotheres tristis) on Australian bird species. AUSTRAL ECOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Pereoglou F, Macgregor C, Banks SC, Ford F, Wood J, Lindenmayer DB. Refuge site selection by the eastern chestnut mouse in recently burnt heath. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2011. [DOI: 10.1071/wr11007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context Temporal reduction in shelter is an indirect primary impact of fire. Removal of animal refugia has implications for shelter site selection and fidelity – factors that have been largely overlooked in studies of Australian rodent fauna. This information is critical for guiding species conservation and appropriate land management including prescribed burning practices. Aims We sought to determine which features of burnt heath were selected as shelter sites by the eastern chestnut mouse, whether there was sex and/or seasonal variation in shelter site selection and whether we could identify primary refugia. Methods We completed a radio-telemetry study to identify diurnal refuge sites and compare habitat attributes with those of a matched set of control sites. We then used habitat features and fidelity parameters to classify refuge site use. Key results We found the eastern chestnut mouse selected shelters with the presence of specific structures and had taller, denser vegetation than randomly selected control sites. There were no differences in habitat selection between the sexes. Shelter sites in the non-breeding season had greater vegetation density compared with those used in the breeding season. In the breeding season, the eastern chestnut mouse showed no evidence of increased fidelity to particular refuges. Vegetation density in winter was the best predictor of a primary refuge compared with whether or not an animal returned to a shelter site or the amount of time spent in a shelter site. Mice were ephemeral and non-gregarious in their refuge use. There was some evidence for inheritance of refuge sites from a parent, as well as inter-season shelter site fidelity. Conclusions The eastern chestnut mouse selected refugia that had habitat attributes offering maximum protection. Seasonality in refuge site selection is likely to reflect the reproductive and environmental trade-offs in critical resources during different seasons. The maintenance of multiple, rarely occupied shelters by the eastern chestnut mouse is consistent with data for other mammals. Implications Fire management should ensure retention of vegetation structure on the ground layer, dense habitat patches in burned areas, and be carefully planned during the winter season to maintain shelter and refuge sites to assist population persistence.
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Banks SC, Dujardin M, McBurney L, Blair D, Barker M, Lindenmayer DB. Starting points for small mammal population recovery after wildfire: recolonisation or residual populations? OIKOS 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18765.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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HOLLAND GREGJ, BENNETT ANDREWF. Recolonization of forest fragments by a native rodent following experimental ‘extinctions’. AUSTRAL ECOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2010.02182.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Stokes VL, Banks PB, Pech RP, Spratt DM. Competition in an invaded rodent community reveals black rats as a threat to native bush rats in littoral rainforest of south-eastern Australia. J Appl Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01735.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Recher HF, Lunney D, Matthews A. Small mammal populations in a eucalypt forest affected by fire and drought. I. Long-term patterns in an era of climate change. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2009. [DOI: 10.1071/wr08086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This paper reports a study of ground-dwelling, small mammals in coastal eucalypt forest in south-eastern Australia from 1970 through 2005. During this time, the study area burnt in an intense fire in December 1972 and was partially burnt in November 1980. Both fires were associated with prolonged drought. The mammals studied comprised two dasyurid marsupials, Antechinus agilis and A. swainsonii, two native murid rodents, Rattus fuscipes and R. lutreolus, and the introduced house mouse Mus musculus. After intensive sampling throughout the year from 1970 through 1972 to establish basic ecological and population parameters of the small mammal community, populations were sampled annually during late autumn and early winter before the onset of breeding. There were marked differences in the annual (autumn/winter) abundances of all species; numbers of A. agilis ranged from 4 to 142 individuals; A. swainsonii 0 to 43; R. fuscipes 4 to 54; R. lutreolus 0 to 11; M. musculus 0 to 23. Following the 1972 fire, numbers fell to the lowest level recorded during the study and each population subsequently disappeared from the plot between the 1973 and 1974 winter censuses. The less intense 1980 fire did not lead to extirpation, but numbers of A. agilis, A. swainsonii and R. fuscipes declined as drought conditions persisted through 1983. R. lutreolus occurred consistently only following the fires, when a grassy ground vegetation favoured by this species developed. Similarly, M. musculus colonised within two years of the fires and persisted on the plot for 3–4 years before disappearing. Following the fires, populations of the omnivorous R. fuscipes recovered first followed by the scansorial, insectivorous A. agilis and last by the fossorial, insectivorous A. swainsonii. Two primary conclusions emerged from this study. First, the intense fire of 1972 did not kill all the animals immediately, but led to the disappearance of each species from the plot over 18 months. Thus, intense fire had a delayed but catastrophic impact on small ground-dwelling mammals. The fluctuations in population levels, covering more than an order of magnitude, demonstrate that factors other than fire, such as rainfall and drought, drive the population dynamics of these small mammals. As stability and recovery are not features of local populations, long-term studies of benchmark populations are necessary to manage forest biodiversity.
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Lunney D, Matthews A, Eby P, Penn AM. The long-term effects of logging for woodchips on small mammal populations. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2009. [DOI: 10.1071/wr08028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context. Long-term studies are internationally recognised as an essential component of achieving ecologically sustainable forest management with respect to fauna.
Aims. This study aimed to assess longer-term responses of small mammals to logging by returning in 1998 to our 1980–83 study sites in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia.
Methods. Three age-classes of forest were surveyed: unlogged; 18–19-year-old regrowth; and 26–34-year-old regrowth.
Key results. Rattus fuscipes remained affected by logging, and there were significantly fewer R. fuscipes males in logged, north-west-facing sites than at other sites, although the effect was less pronounced in 1998 than in 1980–83. Antechinus agilis females were significantly less numerous in south-east-facing, unlogged forest. This was not expected from the 1980–83 results. Antechinus swainsonii, which had disappeared following a fire in 1980, had returned to the forest by 1998. A. swainsonii females showed a significant preference for south-east-facing slopes and this relationship was consistent between logged and unlogged forest. No members of Mus musculus or Sminthopsis leucopus, which were present in 1980–83, were caught in 1998.
Conclusions. As in the 1980s study, the responses of small mammal species to logging history were varied and species specific.
Implications. In our study area, we predict that sustained logging for woodchips will continue to deplete its populations of small mammals. This adds to the case for a more robust and sustained approach to researching and managing our forest fauna.
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Lindenmayer DB, Wood JT, Cunningham RB, MacGregor C, Crane M, Michael D, Montague-Drake R, Brown D, Muntz R, Gill AM. Testing hypotheses associated with bird responses to wildfire. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2008; 18:1967-1983. [PMID: 19263891 DOI: 10.1890/07-1943.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Disturbance is a key ecological process influencing the distribution and abundance of many elements of the earth's biota. Predicting the response of biota to disturbance is therefore important, but it nevertheless remains difficult to make accurate forecasts of response. We tested predictions from disturbance-related theories and concepts in 10 vegetation types at Booderee National Park (southeastern Australia) using a retrospective study of bird responses to fire history (over 35 years) on 110 sites and a prospective study following a single wildfire event in 2003 at 59 of these sites. Our data did not support predictions from the intermediate-disturbance hypothesis; observed bird species richness at a site was significantly (F(1,99) = 6.30, P = 0.014) negatively related to the number of fires since 1972 and was 8.7% lower (95% CI, 1.8-15.1%) for each additional fire. In contrast to fire history effects, we found that after the 2003 fire, the vast majority of individual species and the bird assemblage per se in most vegetation types recovered within two years. Thus, recovery after a single fire did not reflect long-term effects of multiple fires on overall bird species richness at a site. We postulated that the recovery of bird species richness and bird assemblage composition after the 2003 fire would be fastest in structurally simple vegetation types and slowest in structurally complex vegetation, but observed the opposite. Although observed bird species richness in vertically heterogeneous forest and woodland had returned to prefire levels by 2006, bird species richness in structurally simple vegetation types (e.g., sedgeland) had not. Postfire vegetation regeneration, together with a paucity of early-successional specialists, would explain the speed of recovery of the bird assemblage and why it changed relatively little during our investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
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MACQUEEN PE, NICHOLLS JA, HAZLITT SL, GOLDIZEN AW. Gene flow among native bush rat,Rattus fuscipes(Rodentia: Muridae), populations in the fragmented subtropical forests of south-east Queensland. AUSTRAL ECOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01879.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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BENTLEY JOSSM. Role of movement, interremnant dispersal and edge effects in determining sensitivity to habitat fragmentation in two forest-dependent rodents. AUSTRAL ECOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2007.01806.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Kraaijeveld-Smit FJL, Lindenmayer DB, Taylor AC, MacGregor C, Wertheim B. Comparative genetic structure reflects underlying life histories of three sympatric small mammal species in continuous forest of south-eastern Australia. OIKOS 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2007.16087.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Frazer DS, Petit S. Use of Xanthorrhoea semiplana (grass-trees) for refuge by Rattus fuscipes (southern bush rat). WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2007. [DOI: 10.1071/wr06123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the use of the grass-tree, Xanthorrhoea semiplana F.Muell. (family Xanthorrhoeaceae), for shelter by Rattus fuscipes (southern bush rat) in South Australia. Eight bush rats were radio-tracked for 4–8 days each. To identify the understorey shelters available to each animal, surveys were conducted using point-intercept sampling at 2-m intervals along transect lines. Grass-tree density was calculated in each area used by the radio-tracked animals, and canopy thickness of grass-trees selected for refuge was assigned a score; the availability of other potential shelters was also calculated. The results indicated that (1) R. fuscipes preferentially selected grass-trees over other understorey shelter; (2) the grass-trees chosen had thick canopy covers; (3) areas with high grass-tree densities were preferred for cover over areas with fewer grass-trees; and (4) grass-trees provided dense cover and, therefore, concealed burrows and nest sites.
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