Small Mammals and Habitat Disturbance in Open Forest of Coastal New-South-Wales .1. Population Parameters

1990 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
CM Kemper
1981 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
RA How

In adjacent areas in north-eastern New South Wales, T. vulpecula occurs in the open forest and woodland and T. caninus occurs in the closed and tall open forest; both species are found in the pine plantation. T. vulpecula has a single breeding season in autumn when all females 1 y old and older reproduce. The young become independent around 175 days old and disperse at up to 2 y old. Mortality is low (15%) among dependent young but considerably higher among independent dispersing individuals. T. caninus also has a single autumn breeding season. The young become independent around 240 days old but disperse after 18-26 months, females moving before males. Mortality is high (56%) among dependent young but less so among subadults. An adult sex ratio of parity is the result of a higher survival among subadult males than females offsetting the reverse in adults. Some 2-y-old and all 3-y-old females reproduce but a few older females fail to breed in certain years. There is evidence that the high mortality of dependent young and failure of older females to breed is associated with offspring of previous years remaining in the population. Adult males and females appear to form a pair-bond. Population parameters of T. vulpecula described from other areas show considerable variation; this flexibility in population strategy explains the species' success in occupying a diversity of habitats and rapidly colonizing new areas.


1987 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lunney ◽  
B. Cullis ◽  
P. Eby

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.


1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa C. Pope ◽  
Andy Sharp ◽  
Craig Moritz

Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies (YFRW) Petrogale xanthopus have declined in numbers since European settlement from past hunting for skins, habitat disturbance and predation and competition with feral animals (Gordon et al. 1978, 1993; Copley 1983; Henzell 1990). This has led to the species being classed as potentially vulnerable to extinction in Australia (Kennedy 1992), and endangered in New South Wales (Schedule 1, Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995).


1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 629 ◽  
Author(s):  
SV Biggs

Small mammals and reptiles were surveyed by trapping in uncropped and cropped parts of two dry lakebeds in semi-arid New South Wales, Australia, in spring 1992 and 1993. Four species of native small mammals (18 individuals) were captured in uncropped parts of the lakebeds, compared with two individuals of one species in cropped parts of the lakebeds. A total of 38 reptiles (seven species) was caught at the uncropped sites compared with 10 individuals (four species) at the cropped sites. Small mammals were absent where the soil was scarified and bare between crop cycles. The habitat requirements of small mammals (particularly Planigale gilesi) and reptiles need to be provided for when cropping lakebeds. The most effective way to do this is to leave wide strips of uncropped soil at the edges of lakebeds, and patches of uncropped country that are connected to the strips, on lakebeds.


2000 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 256 ◽  
Author(s):  
SV Briggs ◽  
JA Seddon ◽  
SA Thornton

Intermittently and occasionally flooded lakes are common in arid and semi-arid Australia. The wetldry nature of these lakes means that they provide habitat for terrestrial fauna when dry and aquatic fauna when flooded. The fauna of dry lakes in western New South Wales is largely unknown. This study reports on species of small mammals and reptiles trapped in a dry lake in south-western New South Wales, and contrasts them with species trapped in surrounding woodland and shrubland habitats. Information on bird species in these habitats was also drawn on. Small mammals, reptiles and birds showed considerable partitioning between the habitats in the study area. The dry lake provided the main habitat for the two small mammals Smznthopsis crassicaudata and Planlgale gdesi. Reptiles were most speciose and most abundant in the blue bush (Maireana spp.) shrubland, but some reptile species were mainly or entirely confined to the dry lake habitats, or to black box (Eucalyptus largzjlorens) woodland. Birds in the study region were most abundant and most speciose in the black box woodland, with some species confined to blue bush shrubland. The study showed that conservation of all the habitats investigated is necessary to retain the suite of vertebrate species that occupy these landscapes. Key words: small mammals, reptiles, birds, arid zone, dry lake, shrubland, woodland, biodiversity: Australia


2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Jarman ◽  
Lee R. Allen ◽  
Dennis J. Boschma ◽  
Stuart W. Green

In 1313 scats of the spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus, collected over 5 years from the gorge country of north-eastern New South Wales, the most frequent and abundant items were derived from mammals and a restricted set of insect orders. These quolls also ate river-associated items: waterbirds, eels, crayfish, aquatic molluscs and even frogs. Macropods contributed most of the mammal items, with possums, gliders and rodents also being common. Some food, particularly from macropods and lagomorphs, had been scavenged (as shown by fly larvae). The most frequent invertebrates were three orders of generally large insects Coleoptera, Hemiptera and Orthoptera, which were most frequent in summer and almost absent in winter scats. Monthly mean numbers of rodent and small dasyurid items per scat were inversely related to these large insects in scats. The numbers of reptile items were inversely related to the numbers of mammal (especially arboreal and small terrestrial mammal) items per scat, thus types of items interacted in their occurrences in monthly scat samples. Frequencies of most vertebrate items showed no seasonal, but much year-to-year, variation. This quoll population ate four main types of items, each requiring different skills to obtain: they hunted arboreal marsupials (possibly up trees), terrestrial small mammals and reptiles (on the ground), and seasonally available large insects (on trees or the ground), and scavenged carcases, mostly of large mammals but also birds and fishes (wherever they could find them).


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-271
Author(s):  
Garry Daly

Surveys were conducted for the Giant Burrowing Frog Heleioporus australiacus within 50 km of Nowra, on the south coast of New South Wales using a variety of methods. Thirty-eight 250 m transects were surveyed at night for 30 min each and 0–12 adult frogs were detected during these searches. Additional diurnal searches for tadpoles proved to be the most efficient method to detect the species and locate breeding sites. Of 102 sites surveyed, fragmented populations were found at 27 by the presence of tadpoles and adult frogs. The vegetation at these sites was woodland and open forest with a dense shrublayer of heath, but was often ecotonal. Forty-six percent of the sites were within 100 m of cliff edges/waterfalls. The lithology of sites where the frog was found varied from Hawkesbury, Nowra and Snapper Point sandstones. The exception was a population south of Ulladulla that occurs on undifferentiated sediments, but at that site exposed sandstone and a sandy overlay was present. The location of tadpoles indicated that adults were highly selective of the section of drainage line used for breeding. Often these sites consisted of a few small pools in non-perennial creeks. Breeding behaviour was associated with late summer and autumn rain, but in some sites reproduction did not occur annually. Based on distribution and habitat preference, the region has five discrete populations. Urban development has fragmented populations.


1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
T.M. Bubela ◽  
C.R. Dickman ◽  
A.E. Newsome

Foxes were studied from January 1991 to January 1993 in 167 square kilometres of the alpine and subalpine areas of Kosciusko National Park, New South Wales, Australia (36 24' S, 148 26' E, 1260-2238 m altitude). The study area encompassed two ski resorts. This study confirmed the varied nature of the diet of the red fox. Foxes are mainly insectivorous during snow-free months, but also prey upon three small mammal species, Antechinus swainsonii, Mastacomys fuscus and Rattus fuscipes. Direct observations indicate that human refuse from ski resorts is food for foxes in winter. It is probable that this supplementary food source sup- ports a higher density fox population than would occur in its absence. The management implications for populations of native small mammals of predation and supplementary food for foxes are discussed. We recommend that the impact of red fox predation on small mammals, particularly M. fuscus be assessed and that action be taken to limit the availability of human refuse to foxes in winter.


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