Habitat preference, diet and demography of the smoky mouse, Pseudomys fumeus (Rodentia : Muridae), in south-eastern New South Wales

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Ford ◽  
Andrew Cockburn ◽  
Linda Broome
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Preference ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Habitat Choice ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Dietary Preference ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
South Wales ◽  
High Level

The smoky mouse, Pseudomys fumeus, is an endangered rodent for which ecological information is lacking across much of its range. This paper provides the first detailed study of the local diet and habitat preference of P. fumeus since 1980, conducted on the recently discovered Nullica population in New South Wales. Diet and trap-revealed movements were examined in conjunction with 18 characteristics of habitat to determine the factors influencing habitat choice. Multiple logistic regression of habitat variables and capture locations revealed a floristically determined preference for heath habitat characterised by Epacris impressa, Monotoca scoparia, Leptospermum trinervium, Xanthorrhoea spp. and a variety of legumes. Hypogeal fungi and seeds were the most common food items in the diet of P. fumeus. Fungi were most abundant in winter diet, while seeds and fruit became dominant in late spring and summer. The spring and summer preference for ridge-top heath habitats observed in this study is probably the result of this dietary preference. Resident females constituted 71% of the population in early spring. However, there was a severe decline in numbers of female mice during early spring, and resident males also disappeared from the population. Causes of the decline were unclear. Five of eleven males captured during this study were transient, while no transient females were caught. The sudden decline in the study population, combined with the patchy distribution of suitable habitat and high level of male transience, suggests that P. fumeus form a metapopulation in the Nullica region.

Migration and dispersal of the Rutherglen bug, Nysius vinitor Bergroth (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), in eastern Australia

1988 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrick McDonald ◽  
Roger A. Farrow
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Flight Duration ◽  
Migratory Activity ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
Yorke Peninsula

AbstractAerial sampling for Nysius vinitor Bergroth was undertaken in the surface and upper air, at altitudes of 2 and 100-300 m, respectively, at Trangie in central New South Wales and at Corny Point, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. Insects were sampled for 15 periods, each of 3-11 days, between October 1979 and February 1984, covering all months except January, March and May. N. vinitor was one of the most abundant insects caught in the upper air during the day and night (mean density of 652/106 m3), while the congeneric N. clevelandensis Evans was rarely caught at any time. N. vinitor was caught in all months sampled except for the winter months of July and August, and the largest daily catches occurred in September. Females were generally less common than males, although the relative incidence in the upper air catches frequently increased significantly from day to night. Fewer mature females were caught in the upper air (0-16·8%) than at the surface (0-48·4%). Densities were generally much greater in the surface air than in the upper air, although during the major flights of spring, there was less than a two-fold difference, indicating increased migratory activity. Migration occurred in a range of synoptic conditions resulting in the displacement of individuals in a variety of directions and distances depending on synoptic flow at the time of flight. Major migrations occurred at night, following dusk take-off, in disturbed weather associated with prefrontal airflows. These resulted in net southward displacements of ca 200-300 km depending on flight duration. It is suggested that major immigration flights into central-western New South Wales and regions to the south regularly occur in early spring (September-October) and probably arise from breeding areas in subtropical latitudes.

Use of fauna road-crossing structures in north-eastern New South Wales

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian F. Hayes ◽  
Ross L. Goldingay
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Road Mortality ◽  
Road Kill ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Crossing Structures ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Level Of Use ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
High Level

The vast network of roads around the world has had a significant effect on wildlife and ecosystems through habitat fragmentation, reduced dispersal and mortality by collision with vehicles. Road agencies worldwide now frequently install dedicated structures to facilitate the safe crossing of roads by wildlife. We conducted surveys to determine the use of dedicated wildlife overpasses and nearby underpasses at two locations on the Pacific Highway in north-eastern New South Wales. Road-kill surveys were conducted to provide some understanding of the species commonly killed and whether the rate of road-kill was lower at one location where crossing-structures were located. Use of the crossing-structures by wildlife was monitored with sand-transects. The most frequent users were macropods, bandicoots and rodents. Macropods made greater use of overpasses (n = 104 tracks) than underpasses (n = 36), whereas underpasses were used more by bandicoots (n = 87) and rodents (n = 82) than were overpasses (n = 28, n = 15, respectively). We identified 78 road-kills of 21 species on two sections of the Pacific Highway over a 7-week period. Bandicoots (n = 16) and macropods (n = 9) were the most frequently observed victims. The mortality of wildlife was lower along the highway section with the crossing-structures (0.04 road-kills km–1) than it was along the highway section without structures (0.15 road-kills km–1). The lack of replication precludes any firm conclusion that the crossing-structures reduced road mortality but the high level of use of the crossing-structures by species that were common victims of road-kill suggests an influence.

Surveys of Arboreal and Terrestrial Mammals in The Montane Forests of Queanbeyan, New South Wales.

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
R. Goldingay ◽  
G. Daly
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Pitfall Trapping ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Potential Habitat ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Moist Forest ◽  
Logged Forest

Surveys of arboreal and terrestrial mammals were conducted across four State Forests in south-east New South Wales encompassing 80 000 ha. Methods used included spotlighting, Elliott trapping, pitfall trapping, hair-tubing and predator scat analysis. The survey included a plot-based approach and the targeting of areas containing the potential habitat of endangered species. Seven species of arboreal marsupial were detected during spotlighting. The greater glider (Petauroides volans) was significantly more abundant in moist forest compared to dry forest. Its density in moist forest was twice as high in unlogged compared to logged forest and is equivalent to the highest recorded in any forest in NSW. Other arboreal species were less abundant. The yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis), which is Threatened in NSW, was detected at only two sites despite the occurrence of suitable habitat throughout the study area. Eight species of native terrestrial mammals were detected. The tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), which is Threatened in NSW, appears to be more common in the southern part of the study area adjoining large areas of National Park, than in other State Forests of south-east NSW. Continued analysis of predator scats is required to determine whether several other species of Threatened terrestrial mammal occur in these forests.

The conservation and ecology of rainforest pigeons in northeastern New South Wales

1995 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Date ◽  
H. F. Recher ◽  
H. A. Ford ◽  
D. A. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Food Source ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Winter Food ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Trees And Shrubs ◽  
Conservation And Management

A survey of conservation reserves, rainforest remnants and agricultural districts in northeastern New South Wales was conducted to determine the abundance, movements and habitat requirements of rainforest pigeons, to evaluate the extent and use of suitable habitat in conservation reserves, and to provide guidelines for the conservation and management of rainforest pigeons. Eight species of rainforest pigeon occur in northeastern New South Wales. Commencing with the clearing of rainforest in the 1860s for agriculture, rainforest pigeons declined in abundance throughout New South Wales and by the 1970s five species were thought to be threatened in the state. Since then, rainforest pigeons have apparently increased in abundance and distribution, but the Wompoo, Rose-crowned and Superb Pigeons continue to be listed by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service as vulnerable and rare. However, populations of all species of rainforest pigeons in New South Wales are relatively small and vulnerable to further loss of habitat. Most rainforest pigeons show a preference for subtropical rainforest habitat, but moist eucalypt forests, gardens and weedy exotic vegetation along roads and on abandoned farmland are also frequented to varying degrees by different species. To investigate recent trends in pigeon abundance we used data collected for up to 12 years from eight sites and during 1988, 1989 and 1990 from 17 rainforest remnants in northeastern New South Wales. The data suggest that rainforest pigeons now occur more frequently in lowland agricultural areas than in the recent past and tend to confirm an increase in abundance since the 1970s. Nesting and foraging habitats for rainforest pigeons are extensive in the conservation reserve system of northeastern New South Wales, but these habitats, which are largely at high elevations, lack winter food resources. Instead, pigeons congregate in remnant rainforest and exotic berry-bearing trees and shrubs in agricultural areas at lower elevations and near the coast. They rely on these habitats for food during winter and it is the restricted extent of this habitat that probably limits their abundance, not the area or quality of habitat at higher elevations. The conservation and management of rainforest pigeons requires the protection of low elevation and coastal rainforest remnants. As development of northeastern New South Wales proceeds, to avoid a decline in the abundances of rainforest pigeons it will be necessary to protect sclerophyll forest with native or exotic fruit bearing trees and shrubs and to extend the area of suitable habitat by the regeneration of rainforest and by the planting of native species used by pigeons as a food source. This will become increasingly important as the control and removal of exotic plants, such as Lantana Lantana camara and Camphor Laurel Cinnamonum camphora, on which some pigeons depend as a winter food source, becomes more successful.

Use of bioclimatic analysis to direct survey effort for the long-footed potoroo (Potorous longipes), a rare forest-dwelling rat-kangaroo

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 193 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. Claridge
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variables ◽  
New Records ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
The Past ◽  
South Wales ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Survey Effort

The long-footed potoroo (Potorous longipes) is one of the rarest and most elusive forest-dwelling mammals in Australia. Survey effort for the species over the past decade or so in south-eastern New South Wales has been driven, primarily, by predictions derived from climatic analyses using BIOCLIM. These predictions were based on known locality records of the long-footed potoroo from adjacent East Gippsland, Victoria. While they have proven useful in confirming the occurrence of the species in New South Wales, recent fortuitous records of the species from north-eastern Victoria fall well outside of the range predicted earlier by BIOCLIM. Using these new records a revised predicted range is calculated, enlarging considerably the potential geographic extent of climatically suitable habitat for the species. The results presented here highlight the limitations of BIOCLIM when given locality records of a species from only a portion of its true geographic range. I argue that less emphasis might be based on this approach to direct survey effort for the species in the future. Instead, a range of other environmental variables might be used in combination with BIOCLIM-derived outputs when selecting survey sites. In this way a more representative picture of the distribution of the species may be obtained.

Fertilizer strip tests for the identification of superphosphate responsive pastures

1983 ◽  
Vol 23 (121) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
BS Dear ◽  
AN Smith
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Capacitance Probe ◽  
Fertilizer Rates ◽  
Interpretation Of Results

The ability of superphosphate strip tests to identify responsive pastures was evaluated at eight sites on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. Five rates of superphosphate (0, 100,200, 300 and 600 kg/ha) were applied in 100 x 7 m strips in early spring and the pasture dry matter responses measured every three months with a capacitance probe. Herbage responses, ranging from 12 to 232% occurred in the following three months on seven of the eight pastures. The spring and autumn periods gave the largest quarterly responses. The variation in growth within strips observed was small enough to establish differences in dry matter between strips. On deficient sites all fertilizer rates produced measurable responses, however the 300 kg/ha rate was sufficient to give clear-cut responses at all the deficient sites. As the pasture responses observed in the strip tests were consistent with predicted responses by plant and soil analyses, it was concluded that they offer a practical alternative for use by farmers. Suggestions are made on the layout of fertilizer strips, and the interpretation of results.

MOrtality of captive-raised malleefowl, Leipoa ocellata, released into a mallee remnant within the wheat-belt of New South Wales

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 543 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Priddel ◽  
R Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
Local Abundance ◽  
Disjunct Populations ◽  
Marked Decline ◽  
Improvement In Survival

Loss, fragmentation and degradation of mallee habitat within the New South Wales wheat-belt have caused a marked decline in the range and local abundance of malleefowl, Leipoa ocellata. Small disjunct populations of malleefowl now occupy small isolated remnants of suitable habitat. and several of these populations have become locally extinct in recent times. Young captive-reared malleefowl(8-184 days old) were experimentally released in March and June 1988 into a 558-ha remnant of mallee vegetation. The remnant contained a small but declining population of rnalleefowl. From the first day after release, malleefowl were found dead, and mortality continued at a rapid rate until none remained alive. Of the 31 released, 16 (52%) were dead after 7 days, at least 22 (71%) were dead after 11 days, and none survived longer than 107 days. In all, 94% of malleefowl were killed by predators: 26-39% by raptors, and 55-68% by introduced predators, principally foxes, Vulpes vulpes. No improvement in survival was evident when malleefowl were given supplementary food. Relying principally on camouflage, young malleefowl have no effective defence or escape behaviour to evade ground-dwelling predators such as the fox. By imposing severe predation pressure on young malleefowl, foxes are likely to be curtailing recruitment into the breeding population. Such a situation must inevitably lead to the further localised extinction of small disjunct populations of malleefowl. Foxes are thus a major threat to the continuance of remnant populations of malleefowl within the wheat-belt of New South Wales.

Pragmalinguistic challenges for trainee interpreters in achieving accuracy

Interpreting ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-116
Author(s):  
Xin Liu
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Illocutionary Force ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Reported Speech ◽  
South Wales ◽  
High Level ◽  
The University ◽  
The Way

Abstract In cross-examination, questions are used by counsel as powerful tools to control witness testimonies. In bilingual courtrooms, conveying the subtlety in the use of questions from one language to another is crucial for all participants. However, achieving a high level of accuracy is extremely demanding due to the intricacy of courtroom discourse and the complexity of interpreting in such an institutional setting. Drawing on a moot court exercise at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, this study investigates the most common pragmalinguistic challenges for trainee interpreters in achieving accuracy when interpreting cross-examination questions from English to Mandarin. Findings show that it can be challenging to produce pragmatically accurate renditions: Mandarin interpretations have an overall weakened illocutionary force compared to the original English questions. In particular, declaratives, reported speech declaratives, modal interrogatives, and tag questions are found to be difficult to interpret into Mandarin. This paper also explores the way the illocutionary force of the interpreted questions deviates from the original and the possible causes for this shift. Findings point to the need to enhance pragmatic competence among trainee interpreters, which in turn will require specialised training for interpreters working in legal settings.

scholarly journals Post-weaning growth of cattle in northern New South Wales. 2. Growth pathways of steers

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 971 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Dicker ◽  
J. F. Ayres ◽  
M. J. McPhee ◽  
D. L. Robinson ◽  
A. D. Turner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bos Taurus ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Bos Indicus ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Supplementary Feeding ◽  
Export Market ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
South Wales

This paper describes the post-weaning growth of Bos taurus and Bos taurus x Bos indicus-derived steers grazing temperate perennial pasture in northern New South Wales. These cattle were either autumn weaners from spring-calving herds in summer rainfall environments, or summer weaners from autumn-calving herds in winter rainfall environments. Autumn weaners were grown out on 3 pasture systems: (i) pasture only (P1), (ii) pasture supplemented in late winter–early spring with formulated pellets of high protein content (P2), or (iii) pasture supplemented with a nitrogen-fertilised forage crop (P3) to provide different growth pathways towards entry to the finishing phase. Over the 3-year study, seasonal liveweight gain on P1 varied between –0.21 and 1.05 kg/head.day; liveweight gain was generally low (about 0.5 kg/head.day) in winter and high (about 0.8 kg/head.day) in spring. Bos taurus autumn weaners achieved feedlot entry specifications for the domestic market (300 kg liveweight) in 6–8 weeks by the end of winter, and feedlot entry specifications for the export market (400 kg liveweight) in 17–27 weeks by the end of summer. For B. taurus x B. indicus-derived autumn weaners, the period to feedlot entry was 19 and 33 weeks for domestic and export feedlot entry specifications, respectively. Supplementary feeding generally increased post-weaning growth in late winter–early spring and reduced the period to feedlot entry for export steers. Summer weaners were grown out on pasture in P1, P2 or P3 pasture systems, met domestic feedlot entry specifications on arrival, but did not reach export feedlot entry specifications before the onset of winter imposed liveweight stasis. The most effective grow-out system was based on Bos taurus autumn weaners with supplementary feeding in winter–spring to overcome the limitations of the winter feed gap.

Mineral nitrogen fluctuations in soils under improved pasture in Southern New South Wales

1962 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
JR Simpson
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Mineral Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrate Accumulation ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Improved Pasture

Soils under improved pasture on the Southern Tableland of New South Wales accumulated nitrate in substantial quantities during the summer and autumn. In this respect they behaved quite unlike the pasture soils which have been studied in most of the earlier literature, and they resembled cultivated fallow soils, which usually accumulate nitrate at the same time of the year. The nitrate was produced mainly in the top inch of soil; ammonium also accumulated under certain conditions. The precise sequence of climatic events, particularly the period of drying between consecutive wettings, was of primary importance in the nitrate accumulation. The nitrate produced during summer and early autumn disappeared from the topsoil after heavy rain in autumn and winter. The seasons could therefore be distinguished as a nitrogen-rich summer and autumn, a nitrogen-depleting winter, and a nitrogen-poor early spring, with an increasing supply of mineral nitrogen during late spring. No appreciable fluctuations in mineral nitrogen were found in soils resown directly from native pasture with less than 0.10% total nitrogen at 0-2 in.

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