Tree use by koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) after fire in remnant coastal forest

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of fire on resource use by a population of koalas in remnant coastal forest. Fifty-five koalas were monitored regularly by radio-tracking for up to 35 months. The attributes of each tree in which the koala was sighted were recorded, giving a total of 8390 records. Analyses were undertaken on a range of ecological information. Regeneration of the forest began immediately following the fires and within three months koalas were seen among the epicormic growth. From a total 4631 trees used by koalas, 3247 (70%) were burnt. Observations of koalas feeding included 53% in burnt trees. Koalas changed trees frequently; individual trees were used once only on 3555 occasions (42% of all observations). Of all the trees used, 95% were used by only one collared koala; no trees were used by more than three koalas. Swamp mahogany (Eucalyptus robusta) was the tree species most frequently used by koalas, particularly at night and by breeding females. Koalas preferred trees of larger diameter (>30 cm) and used significantly taller trees during summer. This study has shown that resource depletion from intense wildfire is short-term for koalas because they utilise burnt trees within months of the fire for both food and shelter.

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Movement patterns of koalas in remnant forest after fire

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am14010 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 91 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Alison Matthews ◽

Daniel Lunney ◽

Shaan Gresser ◽

Wendy Maitz

Keyword(s):

Movement Patterns ◽

Resource Depletion ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Radio Tracking ◽

Short Term ◽

Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽

Daily Movement ◽

Core Areas ◽

Remnant Forest ◽

Release Location

The increasing fragmentation of fire-prone forests of Australia has made the remaining populations of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) more vulnerable to extinction. We examined the movement patterns of koalas in remnant forest of Port Stephens following a major wildfire. Each koala (n = 55) was monitored regularly by radio-tracking for up to 35 months. The movements of koalas showed a wide variation in patterns, from highly localised movements to long-range dispersal over 20 km. Within the first 12 months, 35% of tracked koalas moved from their release location to new areas where they established home ranges. Daily movement distances of males (mean = 278.3 m) was higher than for females (141.0 m). Monthly displacement ranged from less than 10 m to more than 5 km, and was higher for koalas that subsequently died. Home ranges of males (95% kernel) were significantly larger than those of females (mean for males = 58.9 ± 10.5 ha; mean for females = 25.7 ± 8.6 ha), and this sex difference was also evident for core areas (50% kernel). There were no differences in the movement patterns or home-range sizes of rehabilitated koalas compared with wild koalas. This study has shown that resource depletion from wildfire is short term for koalas because their mobility allows rapid recolonisation of the burnt forest, and they can maintain home ranges within sites regenerating from fire. The reintroduction of rehabilitated koalas into burnt forest may also assist in the recovery of populations in fragmented and isolated habitat.

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Tree Species Selection by Free-Ranging Koala Populations in Victoria.

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9850137 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 137 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

MA Hindell ◽

KA Handasyde ◽

AK Lee

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Species Selection ◽

Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽

Individual Trees ◽

Free Ranging

Tree species selection was studied in free-ranging populations of koalas [Phascolarctos cinereus] on Phillip Island and the Brisbane Ranges in Victoria. At both sites koalas were found mainly on Eucalyptus spp. but occasionally used Acacia spp. Although koalas occurred on most of the Eucalyptus spp. present, both populations showed preferences for one or two species, particularly E. viminalis. Individual koalas showed different preferences, but the majority preferred E. viminalis. Some occurred exclusively on other species even when E. viminalis was close by. Koalas also showed preference for individual trees within a species.

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Using Discrete-Point LiDAR to Classify Tree Species in the Riparian Pacific Northwest, USA

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13142647 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 2647

Author(s):

Julia Tatum ◽

David Wallin

Keyword(s):

Pacific Northwest ◽

Tree Species ◽

3D Structure ◽

Alnus Rubra ◽

Populus Balsamifera ◽

Segmentation Method ◽

Black Cottonwood ◽

Riparian Landscape ◽

Individual Trees ◽

Species Mapping

Practical methods for tree species identification are important for both land management and scientific inquiry. LiDAR has been widely used for species mapping due to its ability to characterize 3D structure, but in structurally complex Pacific Northwest forests, additional research is needed. To address this need and to determine the feasibility of species modeling in such forests, we compared six approaches using five algorithms available in R’s lidR package and Trimble’s eCognition software to determine which approach most consistently identified individual trees across a heterogenous riparian landscape. We then classified segments into Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa), and red alder (Alnus rubra). Classification accuracies based on the best-performing segmentation method were 91%, 92%, and 84%, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate tree species modeling from LiDAR in a natural Pacific Northwest forest, and the first to model Pacific Northwest species at the landscape scale. Our results suggest that LiDAR alone may provide enough information on tree species to be useful to land managers in limited applications, even under structurally challenging conditions. With slight changes to the modeling approach, even higher accuracies may be possible.

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Tree species preferences of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the Campbelltown area south-west of Sydney, New South Wales

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr98087 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

pp. 509 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Stephen Phillips ◽

John Callaghan

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Nutrient Status ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Faecal Pellets ◽

South West ◽

Independent Field ◽

Preferred Species ◽

Species Preferences

Tree species preferences of a koala population inhabiting a small area of forest and woodland in the Campbelltown area, south-west of Sydney, were investigated over a two-year period. In total, 2499 trees from 45 independent field sites were assessed, with tree species preferences determined on the basis of a comparative analysis of proportional data relating to the presence/absence of koala faecal pellets. The results established that grey gum (Eucalyptus punctata) and blue-leaved stringybark (E. agglomerata) were most preferred by koalas in the study area, but only when growing on shale-based substrates. The preferential utilisation of E. punctata and E. agglomerata on substrates derived from shales, compared with that recorded for the same species on sandstones, suggests that their use by koalas was influenced by differences in nutrient status between substrates. Regression analyses further identified a trend for use of at least one of the preferred species (E. punctata) to be more commonly associated with larger trees. Results are discussed in terms of their relevance to issues of resource availability and the need to reconsider, by way of a hierarchical approach, the use of food trees by koalas generally. The presence of E. punctata and E. agglomerata and their occurrence in conjunction with shale-based substrates are considered to be important limiting factors affecting the present-day distribution and abundance of koalas in the Campbelltown area.

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Effects of air pollution on children from a socioecological perspective

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-019-1815-x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jong In Kim ◽

Gukbin Kim ◽

Yeonja Choi

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Life Expectancy ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Solid Fuel ◽

Resource Depletion ◽

Short Term ◽

Environmental Threats ◽

Country Level ◽

Per Capita

Abstract Background Country-level inequality in life expectancy (ILE) and deaths of children under age five due to air pollution (DCAP) can be influenced by country-level income per capita, solid fuel, electrification, and natural resource depletion. The ILE and DCAP in the short-term are useful indicators that can help in developing ways to reduce environmental threats. This study confirms evidence for ILE and DCAP as the effects of environmental threats by country-level income, energy, and natural resource levels from a socioecological approach. Methods This study based on life expectancy and children data on 164 countries acquired from the United Nations Development Programme. We obtained the country-level socioecological data from the United Nations and the World Bank database. We assessed the associations between ILE, DCAP, and the country-level indicators applying correlations coefficient and the regression models. Results These study findings showed considerable correlations between ILE and country-level socioecological indicators: gross national income per capita (GNI), non-solid fuel (NSF), electrification rate (ER), and natural resource depletion (NRD). The DCAP in short-term predictors were low NSF and low ER (R2 = 0.552), and ILE predictors were low GNI, NSF, and ER and higher NRD (R2 = 0.816). Thus, the countries with higher incomes and electrification rates and more sustainable natural resources had lower expected DCAP in the short-term and ILE in the long-term. Conclusions Based on our results, we confirmed that country-level income, energy, and natural resource indicators had important effects on ILE in long-term and DCAP in short-term. We recommend that countries consider targeting high standards of living and national incomes, access to non-solid fuel and electricity as energy sources, and sustainable natural resources to reduce ILE and DCAP in short-term.

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Impacts of Different Tree Species of Different Sizes on Spatial Distribution of Herbaceous Plants in the Nigerian Guinea Savannah Ecological Zone

Scientifica ◽

10.1155/2015/106930 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Toma Buba

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Species Richness ◽

Open Field ◽

Tree Species ◽

Herbaceous Species ◽

Ecological Zone ◽

Vitellaria Paradoxa ◽

Parkia Biglobosa ◽

Species Richness And Diversity ◽

Individual Trees

This study was aimed at finding the impacts of different tree species and individual trees of different sizes on species richness, diversity, and composition of the herbaceous layer. All the three tree species have greatly increased species richness and diversity both within and outside their crown zones compared with the open grassland. Both species richness and diversity were found to be higher under all the three tree species than outside their crowns, which was in turn higher than the open field.Daniella oliverihas the highest species richness and diversity both within and outside its crown zone followed byVitellaria paradoxaand thenParkia biglobosa. The result also revealed that the same tree species with different sizes leads to different herbaceous species richness, diversity, and composition under and around the trees’ crowns.P. biglobosaandV. paradoxatrees with smaller sizes showed higher species richness and diversity under their crowns than the bigger ones. The dissimilarity of species composition differs between the inside and outside crown zones of the individuals of the same tree species and among the different trees species and the open field.

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The temperature response of leaf dark respiration in 15 provenances of Eucalyptus grandis grown in ambient and elevated CO2

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp17110 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (11) ◽

pp. 1075 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Michael J. Aspinwall ◽

Vinod K. Jacob ◽

Chris J. Blackman ◽

Renee A. Smith ◽

Mark G. Tjoelker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Elevated Co2 ◽

Tree Species ◽

Unit Area ◽

Dark Respiration ◽

Eucalyptus Grandis ◽

Temperature Response ◽

Respiratory Physiology ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Short Term ◽

Leaf Dark Respiration

The effects of elevated CO2 on the short-term temperature response of leaf dark respiration (R) remain uncertain for many forest tree species. Likewise, variation in leaf R among populations within tree species and potential interactive effects of elevated CO2 are poorly understood. We addressed these uncertainties by measuring the short-term temperature response of leaf R in 15 provenances of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden from contrasting thermal environments grown under ambient [CO2] (aCO2; 400 µmol mol–1) and elevated [CO2] (640 µmol mol–1; eCO2). Leaf R per unit area (Rarea) measured across a range of temperatures was higher in trees grown in eCO2 and varied up to 104% among provenances. However, eCO2 increased leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA) by 21%, and when R was expressed on a mass basis (i.e. Rmass), it did not differ between CO2 treatments. Likewise, accounting for differences in LMA among provenances, Rmass did not differ among provenances. The temperature sensitivity of R (i.e. Q10) did not differ between CO2 treatments or among provenances. We conclude that eCO2 had no direct effect on the temperature response of R in E. grandis, and respiratory physiology was similar among provenances of E. grandis regardless of home-climate temperature conditions.

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Association of frailty with short-term outcomes, organ support and resource use in critically ill patients

Intensive Care Medicine ◽

10.1007/s00134-018-5342-2 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 (9) ◽

pp. 1512-1520 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Fernando G. Zampieri ◽

◽

Theodore J. Iwashyna ◽

Elizabeth M. Viglianti ◽

Leandro U. Taniguchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Critically Ill ◽

Resource Use ◽

Critically Ill Patients ◽

Organ Support ◽

Short Term

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The protocols for koala research using radio-collars: a review based on its application in a tall coastal forest in New South Wales and the implications for future research.

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am06027 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 187 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

S. L. Radford ◽

J. McKee ◽

R. L. Goldingay ◽

R. P. Kavanagh

Keyword(s):

Best Practice ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Future Research ◽

Radio Tracking ◽

Research Committee ◽

Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽

Current Form ◽

South Wales ◽

Pine Creek

In 1996, guidelines were produced for capture and radio-tracking protocols for koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) research within New South Wales (NSW). An integrated project commenced in 1998 to examine P. cinereus ecology and health status in Pine Creek State Forest. This project utilised intensive clinical and pathological assessment protocols on captured P. cinereus in combination with radio-tracking and ecological investigations. The methods used in this project were referred to the NSW Koala Research Committee (KRC) for review in mid 1999 due to the political profile of the study area. The KRC assessed the project protocols and reviewed the original guidelines incorporating some of the protocols used in the Pine Creek project. The outcome is a new set of protocols for P. cinereus research within NSW which are more explicit and restrictive than those applied to P. cinereus research elsewhere or to research on other species. In their current form the new guidelines require a substantial investment in time, equipment, personnel and finance; factors that may deter or restrict future, comprehensive ecological research on P. cinereus populations. They inadequately provide for some practices we believe important in minimising the invasiveness of P. cinereus capture. We propose amendments to the guidelines in the areas of personnel required, behavioural assessment, capture methods, processing safety and tracking frequency. We suggest that these amendments will render the guidelines more accessible to a broader range of projects, and easier to apply under field conditions while preserving the intent to maintain P. cinereus welfare and research best practice.

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Tree Use by Individual Koalas in a Natural Forest.

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9880001 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

MA Hindell ◽

AK Lee

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Home Range ◽

Tree Species ◽

Natural Forest ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽

Preferred Species

The home ranges and species of trees used by 20 koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) were determined in a forest in Victoria containing 6 Eucalyptus spp. Eight animals showed a preference for a tree species from those available within their home ranges. Four koalas preferred E. viminalis, 2 E. ovata and 2 E. macrorhyncha. Preference for tree species was detected only where the preferred species was in low abundance within the animal's home range. These observations confirm that koalas may show individual differences in the species of food trees they prefer. E. viminalis, the preferred species of this population, was the predominant tree species within the home range of 15 of the koalas, which may account for the lack of evidence of preference in the majority of animals.

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