Do native Australian small mammals avoid faeces of domestic dogs? Responses of Rattus fuscipes and Antechinus stuartii

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.

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The Response of Small Mammals to Clearing and Burning of Eucalypt Forest in South-eastern Australia

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9790151 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 151 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

GR Friend

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Native Species ◽

Early Summer ◽

Native Forest ◽

Pine Plantation ◽

Eucalypt Forest ◽

Population Turnover ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Antechinus Stuartii ◽

Rattus Fuscipes

Before, during and after a clearing operation for pine plantation establishment, small mammals were trapped on ridges which were to be cleared of all vegetation, and in adjacent gullies which were to be permanently retained under native forest. Rattus fuscipes was the most abundant native species on all grids throughout the study, while R. lutreolus, Antechinus stuartii and A. swainsonii were in low abundance. Clearing in early summer, the breeding season in most of these species, resulted in an acceleration and accentuation of population turnover. Some juveniles and subadults may have moved from the ridges during clearing, while breeding adults remained and probably perished. Populations of R. fuscipes on ridge areas were drastically reduced by clearing and windrowing, but subadults recolonized the affected areas within 1-2 months. Results for the other three native species were inconclusive, due to the few individuals captured at any time during the study. The exotic species Mus musculus began to invade immediately following windrow burning.

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Populations of Four Small Mammals in Radiata Pine Plantations and Eucalypt Forests of North-Eastern Victoria.

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9780305 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 305 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

GC Suckling ◽

A Heislers

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Radiata Pine ◽

Pine Plantations ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

Forest Types ◽

Eucalypt Forest ◽

North Eastern ◽

Antechinus Stuartii ◽

Rattus Fuscipes ◽

Eucalypt Forests

[See also FA 39, 2088] A 2-yr trapping study was made on (a) Rattus fuscipes, (b) Antechinus stuartii, (c) Mus musculus and (d) A. swainsonii in mature eucalypt forest, a narrow stream-side strip of eucalypt forest, and in 3 pine plantations, 8, 22 and 42 yr old. In each area (a) and (d) were largely and (c) always confined to dense native vegetation along streams, whilst (b) was more frequent along streams than on slopes. More animals were found away from streams in young pine plantations than in other forest types.

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Identification of the Filial Relationships of Free-Living Small Mammals by 35Sulfur

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo9830467 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 467 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

CR Dickman ◽

DH King ◽

D.C.D. Happold ◽

M.J. Howell

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Adverse Effects ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Mus Musculus ◽

Half Life ◽

Field Studies ◽

Free Living ◽

Antechinus Stuartii ◽

Rattus Fuscipes ◽

Different Levels

A technique for determining the filial relationships of free-living small mammals is described. The radioisotope 35*sulfur is injected into a lactating mother, and this passes from the milk and is incorporated in the growing hairs of the young. In three species, Mus musculus and Rattus fuscipes (Rodentia) and Antechinus stuartii (Marsupialia), radioactivity in the hairs of the young was detected for up to 130 days after injection of the mother. The technique has the following advantages: (1) the half-life of 35*S is only 87.4 days; (2) 35*S had no evident adverse effects; (3) different treatments, ranging from 0.75 �Ci [27.75 kBq] g-� to 4.25 �Ci [157.25 kBq] g-� body weight of the mothers, resulted in different levels of radioactivity in the hair of the juveniles; consequently, the filial relationships of several mothers and their young may be established. The application of this technique to field studies of small mammals is outlined.

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Powerline Easements: Do They Promote Edge Effects in Eucalypt Forest for Small Mammals?

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr96116 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 737 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Ross L. Goldingay ◽

Robert J. Whelan

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Edge Effects ◽

Native Species ◽

Vegetative Cover ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Terrestrial Mammals ◽

Eucalypt Forest ◽

Hair Sampling ◽

South Wales ◽

Antechinus Stuartii

The distribution and abundance of small terrestrial mammals were assessed in forest adjacent to powerline easements at three different sites in New South Wales. At each site, four transects of 300 m length extended into the forest from the edge of the easement. The abundances of two native species (Antechinus stuartii, Rattus fuscipes) did not differ significantly with distance from the easement but abundances differed markedly among sites. Mammals were captured in only one easement where dense vegetation was present. Feral carnivores, which may mediate edge effects on small mammals, were surveyed by using hair-sampling tubes. Cats and dogs were detected only 50–200 m inside the forest. Foxes were not detected by hair-tubes but were observed on two easements. These results suggest that powerline easements may not create edge effects in eucalypt forest for some native mammal species, although further studies are needed to determine the generality of this conclusion. We recommend that easement management should be more benign to native mammals, given the ubiquity of this form of habitat fragmentation. Promotion of dense vegetative cover and habitat linkages within easements could achieve this.

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Records of the Mammal Survey Group of Victoria, 1966-80, on the Distribution of Terrestrial Mammals in Victoria

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9820177 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 177 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

JWF Hampton ◽

AE Howard ◽

JBJL Poynton

Keyword(s):

Vulpes Vulpes ◽

The Other ◽

Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽

Terrestrial Mammals ◽

Pseudocheirus Peregrinus ◽

Antechinus Stuartii ◽

Rattus Fuscipes ◽

Hydromys Chrysogaster ◽

Eleven Species ◽

Mammal Survey

Records collected by the Mammal Survey Group of Victoria between 1966 and 1980 have been used to map the distributions of 48 species of mammals in Victoria. Data were collected by trapping, spotlighting and chance encounters. On the basis of these records, 11 species were widespread: these are Tachyglossus aculeatus, Omithorynchus anatinus, Antechinus stuartii, Trichosurus vulpecula, Pseudocheirus peregrinus, Macropus giganteus and M. fuliginosus, Wallabia bicolor, Hydromys chrysogaster, Rattus fuscipes, Mus musculus and Vulpes vulpes. Eleven species were very restricted: these are Antechinus minimus, Perameles gunnii, Cercartetus lepidus, Gymnobelideus leadbeuteri, Macropus robustus, Pseudomys apodemoides, P. shortridgei, P. fumeus, P. novaehollandiae, Mastacomys fuscus and Notomys mitchelli. The other 26 species have distributions between these two extremes.

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Ecology of Small Mammals in Coastal Heathland at Anglesea, Victoria

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9860397 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 397 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

BA Wilson ◽

AR Bourne ◽

RE Jessop

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Vegetation Type ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Common Species ◽

Early Spring ◽

Late Winter ◽

Habitat Differences ◽

Antechinus Stuartii ◽

Marked Decline ◽

The Difference

Aspects of ecology and reproduction of small mammals in a heathland community near Anglesea were investigated in the field by means of mark-recapture trapping. Population size, animal movements and reproductive state were estimated. The floristic and structural habitat preferences were also determined. The most common species were Antechinus stuartii, A. minimus maritimus, Sminthopsis leucopus, Rattus fuscipes assimilis and R. lutreolus. For Antechinus the populations were maximal throughout February-June (A. stuartii) and December-June (A. minimus) inclusive. A marked decline in numbers of Antechinus during late winter and early spring was associated with the total loss of males from the population. The maximal numbers of animals (per hectare) were 21 (A. stuartii), 14 (A. m. maritimus), 14 (R. f. assimilis) 7 (R. lutreolus), and 8 (S. leucopus). Young were born to A. m. maritimus during August, and 1 month later to A. stuartii. R. f. assimilis bred during late winter and spring, and S. leucopus from September to November. None of the species showed an overall preference for any floristic or structural vegetation type. This study confirms male 'die-off' in A. m. maritimus. The data also indicate that the difference in breeding times of A. m. maritimus between Anglesea and Dartmoor, Vic., is due to climatic or habitat differences rather than to sympatry with A. stuartii.

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Population-Changes in Sminthopsis-Leucopus (Gray) (Marsupialia, Dasyuridae), and Other Small Mammal Species, in Forest Regenerating From Logging and Fire Near Bega, New-South-Wales

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9870275 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 275 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

D Lunney ◽

E Ashby

Keyword(s):

New South ◽

Management Option ◽

Population Changes ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Disturbed Habitat ◽

Preferred Habitat ◽

South Wales ◽

Antechinus Stuartii ◽

Rattus Fuscipes ◽

Small Mammal Species

A population of the white-footed dunnart Sminthopsis leucopus was studied from 1981 to 1983 in a forest that had been logged in 1979, burnt in 1980, and was drought-affected throughout the study. S. leucopus bred in this disturbed habitat but did not persist when the vegetation regrew and became dense. Pouch young were present in August, September and October 1981. There was no evidence of polyoestry in the field, although breeding potential may have been suppressed by a combination of the drought and habitat change. There were few brown antechinus Antechinus stuartii present at any time. The population of the bush rat Rattus fuscipes increased as its preferred habitat of dense vegetation grew. An irruption of the house mouse Mus rnusculus in autumn 1982 coincided with a brief respite from the drought. The differing responses of these species to the same set of environmental conditions illustrates that no one management option in such forests will be optimal for all species of small mammals. The conclusion drawn here for the conservation of S. leucopus in forests subject to woodchip logging and fire is to stagger the forestry operations to ensure that not all parts of the forest are covered with dense regrowth at any one time.

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A 10-year demographic study of a small mammal community in the Australian Alps

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo15033 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 63 (5) ◽

pp. 338 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

D. C. D. Happold

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Life Histories ◽

High Fecundity ◽

Annual Variations ◽

Subalpine Zone ◽

Australian Alps ◽

Small Mammal Community ◽

Rattus Fuscipes ◽

Interannual Fluctuations ◽

Population Numbers

This paper describes a 10-year study of the community of two species of small rodents (Mastacomys fuscus, Rattus fuscipes) and one species of dasyurid marsupial (Antechinus swainsonii) in the subalpine zone of the Australian Alps. Each species exhibited differing life-histories with respect to population numbers, intra- and interannual fluctuations in numbers, reproduction, proportion of young in the population, winter survival, immigration and longevity. Of the two species of rodents, M. fuscus had the lowest population numbers, was the least fecund, had the highest rate of survival, and the smallest fluctuations in numbers. A. swainsonii was the least numerous species, and the winter die-off of males and the high fecundity of females resulted in much greater fluctuations in numbers than for either rodent. For all species, there were interannual variations in most demographic parameters, suggesting considerable flexibility in response to annual variations in the environment. None of the three species is known to hibernate, nor is there any evidence of cyclicity, as shown by some species of subarctic and arctic small mammals. Comparisons are made with subalpine small mammals in other parts of the world and the influence of the subalpine environment in determining population numbers is considered.

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Effects of winter food supplementation on reproduction, body mass, and numbers of small mammals in montane Australia

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z00-110 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 78 (10) ◽

pp. 1775-1783 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Peter B Banks ◽

Chris R Dickman

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Interference Competition ◽

Peanut Butter ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Food Supplementation ◽

High Quality ◽

Additional Food ◽

Winter Food ◽

Antechinus Stuartii

We used a food-supplementation experiment to test the hypothesis that small-mammal populations are food-limited during winter in southeastern Australia. We trapped small mammals along 120- to 150-m transects at 12 creek and 12 ridgetop sites (representing high- and low-quality habitats) for 2 months prior to winter and 2 months during winter. High-quality food (peanut butter, honey, oats, and dried cat food) was provided ad libitum for 7 weeks during winter at four sites in each habitat. Eight sites were provided with empty feeding tubes and eight were untreated. Seven weeks of food supplementation caused numerical increases of 4.0- and 5.0-fold for the rodents Rattus fuscipes and Rattus lutreolus, respectively. Increases were due largely to immigration, and were only observed in the high-quality creek habitats (R. lutreolus were exclusively captured at creek sites). Food supplementation also led to an increase in body mass and reversed the hiatus in winter breeding for rodents. These results suggest that populations of both species are limited by winter food availability. However, survival rates (indexed from recapture rates) were not affected by food supplementation. Mean body mass of the marsupial Antechinus stuartii also increased with food supplementation, but other demographic parameters showed no response; numbers declined at creek sites after additional food was provided. Trapping-revealed measures of interspecific association showed that A. stuartii avoided areas of high rat numbers after additional food was provided. It is thus likely that interference competition from the much larger and more abundant rodents forced A. stuartii out of the food-supplemented creek sites, hence mediating the direct effects of food supplementation on this species.

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