Evaluation of the Stag-Watching Technique for Census of Possums and Gliders in Tall Open Forest

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 575 ◽  
Author(s):  
AP Smith ◽  
D Lindenmayer ◽  
RJ Begg ◽  
MA Macfarlane ◽  
JH Seebeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Tree Hollows ◽  
Fine Weather ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Central Highlands ◽  
Open Forests ◽  
Leadbeater's Possum ◽  
Direct Counts

Stagwatching involves direct counts of nocturnal animals emerging from tree hollows at dusk. This technique is described and compared with spotlighting and trapping for census of possums and gliders in the tall open forests of the Victorian Central Highlands. Stagwatching detected Leadbeater's possum, the mountain brushtail possum, the sugar glider and the yellow-bellied glider, in greater numbers and at more sites than did spotlighting. Stagwatching was most effective for survey of Leadbeater's possum. Fine weather in spring, summer, or autumn appear to be the best time to stagwatch for this species. All other species were detected by spotlighting at a portion of sites where they were not detected by stagwatching. Underestimation of density by stagwatching was attributed to emergence of some individuals after dark. Further information on activity patterns is required before either stagwatching or spotlighting can be used to estimate the densities of most possum and glider species.

The use of nest boxes by arboreal marsupials in the forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Lindenmayer ◽  
C. I. MacGregor ◽  
R. B. Cunningham ◽  
R. D. Incoll ◽  
M. Crane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Arboreal Marsupials ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Mountain Ash ◽  
The Common ◽  
Central Highlands ◽  
Leadbeater's Possum ◽  
Ringtail Possum

The results are reported of a nest-box study conducted in two locations in the mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria (south-eastern Australia) to compare usage of different nest-box designs located at different heights in trees. A total of 96 nest boxes was established using a rigorous experimental design – two regions (Powelltown and Toolangi State Forests), two forest age classes (20-year post-logging regrowth and 60-year fire- and salvage-logging regrowth), two nest-box designs (large boxes with large entrance holes and small boxes with small entrance holes), and two heights at which nest boxes were attached to trees (3 m and 8 m above the ground). The study entailed setting out four nest boxes at each of 24 sites to meet the design criteria. Evidence of occupancy by vertebrates was recorded in a total of 19 of 96 boxes on 11 of 24 sites site during regular inspections over more than three years. Thirteen boxes were used by Leadbeater's possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri), six by the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami) and seven by the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus). The common ringtail possum and mountain brushtail possum were seen only in high–large boxes but Leadbeater's possum used all but the low–large boxes. There was evidence of spatial dependence in usage patterns, with all four boxes at a given site showing signs of eventually being occupied. Only two nest boxes located in mountain ash forest regenerating after the 1939 wildfires were occupied. Relatively limited use of nest boxes supports concerns about the use of a nest box over large scales and long timeframes as an effective recovery tool for species threatened by the loss and subsequent shortage in the numbers of naturally occurring hollows.

Effect of Fire on the Availability of Hollows in Trees Used by the Common Brushtail Possum, Trichosurus Vulpecula Kerr, 1792, and the Ringtail Possum, Pseudocheirus Peregrinus Boddaerts, 1785.

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 449 ◽  
Author(s):  
GB Inions ◽  
MT Tanton ◽  
SM Davey
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Burnt Area ◽  
Eucalyptus Marginata ◽  
Tree Hollows ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽  
The Common ◽  
Ringtail Possum

Characteristics of trees used for shelter during the day by brushtail and ringtail possums were identified in a study in open forest dominated by Eucalyptus marginata and E. calophylla in the Perup Fauna Nature Reserve, SW Western Australia. The effect of high-intensity fire on the availability of trees used by the possums was studied by comparing a burnt area (36 ha) with an unburnt area (22 ha) one and 32 months after the fire. Suitable hollows were used by possums regardless of the species, condition, height or size of the tree. Hollows deeper than 1 m were used significantly more frequently than shallow ones. Hollows of suitable size appear to develop in E. marginata when trees reach a mean age of about 300 yr, and in E. calophylla when trees reached a mean age of about 200 yr. The average age of trees inhabited by possums could be as high as 500 yr for E. marginata and 400 yr for E. calophylla. About 3 trees/ha were used by possums for diurnal refuge; the distribution of these trees was random. Fire of high intensity (1000-1400 kW/m) destroyed 38% of the trees previously inhabited by possums; the damage to other inhabited trees was related to their condition and the intensity of fire. In the longer term, high-intensity fire increased the rate of formation of hollows by direct excavation or by providing new sites for fungal and termite infestation. Thirty-two months after the fire, the average age of trees containing suitable hollows was estimated to be about 100 yr less than before the fire because of the destruction of older trees and the formation of new hollows, or the deepening of existing ones, in younger trees.

Bewertung lichter Wälder im Kanton Zürich und der Nutzen für das Projektmanagement | Evaluation of open forest in Canton Zurich and its significance for project management

2006 ◽  
Vol 157 (8) ◽  
pp. 303-309
Author(s):  
René Bertiller ◽  
Andreas Keel ◽  
Hans-Peter Stutz
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Open Forests ◽  
Initial Results ◽  
The Way

In 2004, the canton of Zurich possessed 376 hectares of uninterrupted open forest. Such stretches of forest provide essential habitats for animal species that favour both light and heat. Standardised surveys, and available data relative to existing flora and fauna has greatly facilitated the evaluation of the forest's vegetation and inhabitants. This contribution presents both the methods used, and the initial results. The advantages and disadvantages of the so called LiWa-indicator are discussed,and the way this evaluation method can be used to manage the plan of action entitled «Open forests in Canton Zurich»is illustrated.

Use of Tree Hollows by Two Sympatric Gliding Possums, The Squirrel Glider, Petaurus norfolcensis and The Sugar Glider, P. breviceps.

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
B.J. Traill ◽  
A. Lill
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Nest ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Tree Hollows ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Squirrel Glider ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps ◽  
Artificial Nest Boxes

Populations of the Squirrel Glider, Petaurus norfolcensis and the Sugar Glider, P. breviceps, are often sympatric and the two species are potential competitors for tree hollows. Their use of hollows and artificial nest-boxes was examined in a Box-Ironbark forest where natural hollows are scarce due to past forestry practices. We found gliders used hollows in the boles and branches of trees and in coppicing stumps. There was considerable interspecific overlap in the use of hollows and nest-boxes, both by gliders and other birds and mammals. Both gliders preferred hollows and nest-boxes with narrow entrances (<50 mm diameter). Petaurus breviceps preferred nest-boxes and possibly natural tree hollows with entrances too narrow for the larger P. norfolcensis. When abundant nest-boxes of this type were introduced at the study site, P. breviceps numbers increased and then decreased when the nest-boxes were removed. The results suggest that the larger P. norfolcensis monopolise the best available hollows. Petaurus breviceps numbers may have been limited by a lack of suitable hollows.

The use of topographic fire refuges by the greater glider (Petauroides volans) and the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami) following a landscape-scale fire

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence E. Berry ◽  
Don A. Driscoll ◽  
Samuel C. Banks ◽  
David B. Lindenmayer
Keyword(s):  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Crown Fire ◽  
Eucalyptus Regnans ◽  
Additional Work ◽  
Arboreal Marsupials ◽  
Mountain Ash ◽  
Central Highlands ◽  
Burnt Areas

We examined the abundance of arboreal marsupials in topographic fire refuges after a major fire in a stand-replacing crown-fire forest ecosystem. We surveyed the abundance of arboreal marsupials across 48 sites in rainforest gullies burnt to differing extents by the 2009 fires in the mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of the Victorian Central Highlands, Australia. The greater glider (Petauroides volans) was less abundant within the extent of the 2009 fire. The mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami) was more abundant within the extent of the 2009 fire, particularly within unburnt peninsulas protruding into burnt areas from unburnt edges. Our results indicate that fire refuges may facilitate the persistence of some species within extensively burnt landscapes. Additional work should seek to clarify this finding and identify the demographic mechanisms underlying this response.

Parasites and pathology of the respiratory tracts of native and feral mammals in Australia - a review.

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
DM Spratt
Keyword(s):  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Wild Mammals ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Frontal Sinuses ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps

This paper summarizes knowledge of the biodiversity and pathology associated with parasites of the respiratory tract of wild mammals, including feral species, in Australia. Representatives of 21 genera of nematodes distributed in the superfamilies Trichostrongyloidea, Metastrongyloidea, Thelazioidea, Filarioidea, Trichinelloidea and Muspiceoidea are included. Larval stages of the cestode, Echinococcus granulosus, occur in the lungs of macropodids and feral pigs (Sus scrofa). Trematodes occur in the lungs of dugongs (Dugong dugon) and in the cranial sinuses and blowholes of dolphins. Pentastomes occur in the lungs of the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) and in the frontal sinuses of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Nymphal stages of the latter have been found in the lungs of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and nymphs of a pentastome of tree pythons occur in the lungs of the northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus). Pneumonyssid mites occur in the lungs of the northern brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula arnhemensis) and an undescribed speleognathine mite has been found in the lungs of P. breviceps. Trombiculid, tydeoid, dermanyssid and halarachnid mites are endoparasitic in the nasal sinuses of rodents, antechinuses, possums, gliders, elephant seals and fur seals. Larvae of oestrid bot-flies occur in the trachea of macropodids and in the nasal sinuses of camels (Camelus dromedarius). Host specificity in these parasites represents the full spectrum from species specific to class catholic with the intranasal chigger, Ascoschoengastia rattus, occuring in metatherian and eutherian mammals as well as varanid lizards. Similarly, pathological changes associated with these parasites range from inapparent to verminous bronchitis and bronchiolitis resulting in mortalities or severely impaired respiratory reserve or hypoxia precipitating death.

Distribution, Habitat and Conservation Status of the Squirrel Glider Petaurus-Norfolcensis (Petauridae, Marsupialia) in Victoria

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
PW Menkhorst ◽  
BW Weavers ◽  
JSA Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Carbohydrate Source ◽  
Acacia Dealbata ◽  
The Common ◽  
Squirrel Glider ◽  
A Site ◽  
Open Forests ◽  
Mixed Age

The results of a trapping and spotlighting survey in Victoria of the squirrel glider, Petaurus norfolcensis, coupled with examination of historical records showed that the species is restricted to the Riverine Plains, Northern Uplands and northern slopes of the Western Highlands. Within these regions squirrel gliders inhabit remnant woodlands or open-forests which have mature or mixed-age stands of more than one eucalypt species, or riparian open-forests of Eucalyptus camaldulensis. The mixed-species stands which support squirrel gliders invariably include gum-barked and high nectar-producing species including some which flower in winter. The riparian open forests typically contain mature Acacia dealbata which may provide an important winter carbohydrate source. The squirrel glider was often the only arboreal mammal detected at a site; if another species was present it was usually the common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula. Other petaurids rarely occurred at the same site. We suggest that in Victoria the ecological tolerance of the squirrel glider is narrow 'and that the species should be considered vulnerable because most of its habitat has been cleared for farming. Commercial exploitation of timber and grazing of stock in much of the remaining habitat places further stress upon the small, fragmented populations of this species.

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