Habitat Relationships of Small Mammals at Port Campbell National Park, Victoria.

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
K.L. Twyford
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
National Park ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Species List ◽  
Successional Stage ◽  
Vegetation Communities ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Rattus Fuscipes

Habitat relationships of six species of small mammals was investigated in eight vegetation communities at Port Campbell National Park, Victoria. The dispersion of 317 trap captures over 10 months was used to assess the relationships of small mammals with different vegetation communities. Rattus fuscipes showed a strong affinity for dense, structurally complex vegetation, particularly a disused softwood plantation and to a lesser extent a closed-heath/low open-forest community. Captures of Rattus lutreolus were most frequent in the wetter communities which provided adequate cover, particularly the swamp community. A possible relationship between captures of this species and the abundance of sedge food resources is suggested. Antechinus swainsonii was captured in greatest numbers in tussock-grassland/low open-shrubland where dense ground cover was present. However, areas with dense mid-storey cover which were considered to be favourable habitat supported few individuals. Sminthopsis leucopus, although captured at low rates in only two communities, favoured more open vegetation than both A. swainsonii and A. minimus. The later species was captured rarely, but exclusively in open-heath, although more favourable habitat appeared to be present elsewhere in the Park. The low abundance of Mus musculus was attributed to a lack of habitat available at an early successional stage. A mammal species list for the Park of 15 species has been compiled based on trapping, incidental observations and indirect traces. Key areas for conservation of small mammals within the Park are identified.

The Distribution of small mammal species in relation to heath vegetation near Cape Otway, Victoria

1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 605 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Moro
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Structural Description ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Vegetation Diversity ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii ◽  
Heath Community

A trapping study of small mammals within heath communities near Cape Otway was conducted during April-August 1989. The purpose was to describe the distribution patterns of several small mammals in relation to a floristic and structural description of the vegetation. Two species of rodent (Rattus lutreolus, R. fuscipes), two species of dasyurid (Antechinus stuartii, A. minimus) and one species of bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) were trapped frequently enough for statistical analysis. A. stuartii was trapped significantly more often in the Heathy Open-forest than in the Closed Heath community, in contrast to A. minimus and R. lutreolus, which were captured significantly more often in Closed Heath. There was no significant difference in the distributions of R. fuscipes and I. obesulus between communities. Within the Closed Heath community only R. fuscipes displayed significant distribution patterns between sub-communities. In the Heathy Open-forest the distribution of captures among sub-communities varied significantly for both species of Antechinus and for R. lutreolus. Floristic and structural cues, as well as ground cover, were associated with the spatial distribution of dasyurid and rodent species. Bandicoot dispersion was associated only with vertical vegetation diversity. The importance of interspecific avoidance in contributing to the observed distribution patterns of both dasyurid and rat species cannot be dismissed.

Effects of logging and fire on small mammals in Mumbulla State Forest, near Bega, New South Wales

1987 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lunney ◽  
B. Cullis ◽  
P. Eby
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
First Year ◽  
Severe Effect ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii ◽  
Rattus Fuscipes

This study of the effects of logging on small mammals in Mumbulla State Forest on the south coast of New South Wales included the effects of a fire in November 1980 and a drought throughout the study period from June 1980 to June 1983. Rattus fuscipes was sensitive to change: logging had a significant impact on its numbers, response to ground cover, and recapture rate; fire had a more severe effect, and drought retarded the post-fire recovery of the population. The three species of dasyurid marsupials differed markedly in their response to ground cover, canopy cover, logging and fire. Antechinus stuartii was distributed evenly through all habitats and was not affected by logging, but fire had an immediate and adverse effect which was sustained by the intense drought. A. swainsonii markedly preferred the regenerating forest, and was not seen again after the fire, the failure of the population being attributed to its dependence on dense ground cover. Sminthopsis leucopus was found in low numbers, appeared to prefer forest with sparse ground cover, and showed no immediate response to logging or fire; its disappearance by the third year post-fire suggests that regenerating forest is inimical to the survival of this species. Mus musculus showed no response to logging. In the first year following the fire its numbers were still very low, but in the next year there was a short-lived plague which coincided with the only respite in the 3-year drought and, importantly, occurred in the intensely burnt parts of the forest. The options for managing this forest for the conservation of small mammals include minimising fire, retaining unlogged forest, extending the time over which alternate coupes are logged and minimising disturbance from heavy machinery.

An attempt to determine the size of the Common Barn-owl’s (Tyto alba) hunting area based on its prey composition

2021 ◽  
pp. 175815592110660
Author(s):  
Jenő J Purger ◽  
Dávid Szép
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Prey Composition ◽  
Small Mammal Species ◽  
Owl Pellets

The relative abundance of small mammal species detected from Common Barn-owl pellets reflects the landscape structure and habitat pattern of the owl’s hunting area, but it is also affected by the size of the collected pellet sample and the size of the supposed hunting area. The questions arise: how many pellets should be collected and analyzed as well as how large hunting area should be taken into consideration in order to reach the best correspondence between the owl’s prey composition and the distribution of habitats preferred by small mammals preyed in supposed hunting areas? For this study, we collected 1045 Common Barn-owl pellets in a village in southern Hungary. All detected small mammal species were classified into functional groups (guilds) preferring urban, open, forest and wetland habitats. The proportion of functional groups was compared to the proportion of these habitats around the pellet collection site within circles of one, two, and three km radius. Saturation curves showed that at least 300 pellets or ca. 600 mammalian remains are required for the detection of the 19 small mammal species. The share of small mammals detected in the prey and their functional groups according to their habitat preference showed an increasing consistency with the distribution of real habitats in the potential hunting area of a radius of 3 km around the owl’s breeding or resting place.

The Mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) at Uluru National Park, Northern Territory.

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 403
Author(s):  
P. Masters
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
National Park ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Extensive Range ◽  
Species Being

Since the turn of the century, a third of the mammal species of arid Australia have suffered a drastic decline in distribution and abundance. Uluru National Park has not escaped the massive loss of mammals, with over 15 species being lost from the Park in the last century, and some, including the brush-tailed possum, Trichosurus vulpecula, becoming locally extinct in the last twenty years (Baynes and Baird 1992, Reid, Kerle and Morton 1993). This suggests that the processes causing the decline are still operating. The mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda, remains extant in the vicinity of Uluru National Park but has suffered extensive range reductions and is believed to be less abundant in areas which it still occupies (Kennedy 1990, Gibson and Cole 1992, Woolley 1995). Very little is known about the field ecology of D. cristicauda and this has hindered the conservation management of the remaining populations. I report here on ecological data collected from a population at Uluru National Park between 1987 and 1990. This information was collected during a study of the effects of fire on small mammals of the area (Masters 1993).

The life of a Hepatozoon (Sporozoa: Adeleidea) of varanid Lizards in Australia.

1962 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Mackerras
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Sugar Cane ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Species Being ◽  
Diurnal Species

Innisfail, a small coastal town in north Queensland, lies on the plain between the Atherton Plateau and the coastal hills, an area once covered with tropical rain-forest, but now extensively cleared for the growing of sugar cane. As part of an investigation of leptospirosis, small mammals have been collected, and mark-recapture experiments set up in areas sampling vegetation of different kinds. The species found comprised two monotremes, ten marsupials, nine bats (which were not collected intensively), nine rodents, and three other mammals. Some difficulty was experienced in distinguishing the local rodents, and a key to the species is given. This fauna could be divided into three elements: a rain-forest fauna of 14 species (excluding bats), a sugar-cane fauna of ten species, and a house fauna of four species. The sugar-cane fauna is shown to be derived, not from the rain-forest species, but from part of the fauna of the open forest which covers the hinterland, all the species being also recorded from New Guinea. The rain-forest fauna agrees with the list of species recorded from this part of Australia. A comparison is made with Malayan rain-forest, which is richer in mammal species. The niches corresponding to those of the nocturnal Malayan mammals seem well filled, but there is a deficiency of mammals corresponding to the diurnal species, such as monkeys, squirrels, and cattle, and also to the large carnivores.

scholarly journals Records of seven small mammal species (Insectivora, Chiroptera) new to the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
I. L Rautenbach ◽  
G De Graaff ◽  
U De V Pienaar
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
National Park ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Collecting Expedition ◽  
The Republic ◽  
First Time ◽  
Small Mammal Species

On a recent collecting expedition in the Kruger National Park, the occurrence of seven species of small mammals (one shrew and six bats) within the confines of this sanctuary was confirmed for the first time. One species (Pipistrellus rusticus) is reported for the first time from within the borders of the Transvaal, whereas another species (Myotis bocagei) is reported for the first time for the Republic of South Africa. The seven species are briefly discussed and the collections where the specimens have been accessioned are indicated.

scholarly journals Abundance, relative home range and species - habitat association of small mammal species in Nyerere National Park, Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aenea Saanya ◽  
Rhodes Makundi ◽  
Loth Mulungu ◽  
Apia Massawe
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
National Park ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Habitat Association ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Riverine Forest ◽  
Small Mammal Species

Home ranges play an important role in the ecology of small mammals in understanding the driving factors for variations between species, including; mating patterns, foraging behavior and habitat use. We investigated the abundance, relative home ranges and species-habitat association of small mammal species in the Nyerere National Park. Two habitats; closed woodland and seasonal riverine forest were selected and in each habitat two grids of 70m x 70m were established. The Capture Mark Recapture technique was deployed. From July 2018 to June 2020 a total of 732 small mammal individuals belonging to 19 species were captured. Of the 19 species captured, 12 were rodents, 2 insectivores, 4 carnivores; and 1 primate. Acomys ngurui abundance was not statistically significant different between habitats (W = 220, df = 1, p = 0.144) and across seasons (F(2, 45) = 1.41, p = 0.2547)). While, Mastomys natalensis and Lemniscomys rosalia were statistically significant different (W = 407, p = 0.01 and W=430.5, p=0.002 respectively) between habitats and across seasons (F(2,45) = 4.352, p = 0.019 and F(2,45) = 6.321, p = 0.0038 respectively). Acomys ngurui had the largest mean home range size (1,087.58 m2) than L. rosalia (831.55 m2) and M. natalensis (166 m2) with overlaps being recorded in habitats and across seasons. Most small mammals were associated with seasonal riverine forest. We conclude that, small mammal species abundance and home ranges vary with habitats and seasons for individual species in the Nyerere National Park. We recommend to the management of the park to consider small mammals in their general management plan.

scholarly journals Habitat Parameters and Small Mammal Associations of the Gaspe Shrew, Sorex gaspensis, in the Eastern Gaspé Peninsula, Québec

2008 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Fortin ◽  
Denis Comeau
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Running Water ◽  
Rocky Habitats ◽  
Gaspe Peninsula ◽  
Gaspé Peninsula ◽  
Habitat Parameters

The Gaspé Shrew (Sorex gaspensis) is one of the rarest of Canadian small mammals. Consequently, little is known about its habitat preferences. This paper documents habitat parameters and small mammal species associated with the capture of nine specimens in the Gaspé Peninsula, Québec. Small mammals were collected using both pitfall traps and Victor snap traps at 22 sites during August and September 2005. A total of 571 small mammals representing 12 species was captured during 5637 trap nights. S. gaspensis specimens were trapped at sites located on hilly, rocky habitats. Microhabitat was cool and moist in all cases. Slope was always over 15 degrees and altitude ranged from 29 to 240 meters. Estimated percent of moss ground cover exceeded 50% in seven of the nine capture sites. Six S. gaspensis were trapped near running water while the others were captured far from streams. Overall, ten species of small mammals were captured in the same sites of S. gaspensis. Smoky Shrew (Sorex fumeus) was by far the most strongly associated species.

Trapping Success in Relation to Trap Placement with Three Species of Small Mammals, Rattus fuscipes, Antechinus swainsonii and A.stuartii

1979 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
AP Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Rattus Fuscipes ◽  
Two Indices ◽  
Trap Placement

The effect of trap placement on trapping success was investigated with the small mammals Rattus fuscipes, Antechinus swainsonii and A. stuartii. Trapping success for A. stuartii was not affected by density of ground cover (measured qualitatively and by the penetration of light), type of ground cover, presence of logs or presence of runways (either small natural openings in the ground cover or wombat pathways). R. fuscipes and A. swainsonii were caught more frequently in areas of good cover, in fishbone water-fern Blechnum nudum and on runways. The two indices of cover gave similar results. A. swainsonii was often caught on wombat pathways but not often on small natural runways; preference for wombat pathways increased in winter. Logs were not preferred by any of the species. Some latitude may be desirable in trap placement within a predetermined trapping configuration, especially when small mammals are sparsely distributed.

Gradient analysis of the distribution of mammals in Stage III of Kakadu National Park, with a review of the distribution patterns of mammals across north-western Australia

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 233 ◽  
Author(s):  
JCZ Woinarski ◽  
RW Braithwaite ◽  
KA Menkhorst ◽  
S Griffin ◽  
r Fishe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
National Park ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Stage Iii ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Rainfall Gradient ◽  
Mammal Fauna ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Mammal Diversity ◽  
North Western

A total of 56 native mammal species (about one quarter of the species of land mammals known from Australia) was recorded from the Stage III area of Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory. A single environmental gradient (of substrate and disturbance) described well the distributions of species other than bats from this area. For most species, there was little shift in gradient position between three trapping periods (spaced over three years). The mammal fauna comprised a rocky upland assemblage, a lowland monsoon rainforest-swamp assemblage, and an open forest-woodland assemblage. Mammal diversity and abundance was greatest in the rocky uplands. The distribution of most bat species was not clearly associated with this gradient. The Stage III mammal fauna is compared with that described from elsewhere in north-western Australia. Across this region, the fauna shows little variation with longitude, but undergoes substantial latitudinal change in conjunction with a steep rainfall gradient. The habitat reSationships of the Stage III mammal fauna are broadly repeated across north-western Australia. The fauna of sandstone ranges is attenuated with decreasing size and increasing isolation of these ranges. The mammal fauna of monsoon rainforests is depauperate, reflecting the small size and patchiness of this habitat. The mammal fauna of open forest/woodland is characterised by extensive distributions of its constituent species and a relative lack of arboreal folivores and small macropods.

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