Journal articles on the topic 'Forest policy Victoria'
To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Forest policy Victoria.
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Forest policy Victoria.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Greig, P. J. "Forest policy developments in Victoria." Australian Forestry 49, no. 4 (January 1986): 197–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049158.1986.10674479.
Full text
2
Lindenmayer, David, and Chris Taylor. "Diversifying Forest Landscape Management—A Case Study of a Shift from Native Forest Logging to Plantations in Australian Wet Forests." Land 11, no. 3 (March 10, 2022): 407. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land11030407.
Full textAbstract:
Natural forests have many ecological, economic and other values, and sustaining them is a challenge for policy makers and forest managers. Conventional approaches to forest management such as those based on maximum sustained yield principles disregard fundamental tenets of ecological sustainability and often fail. Here we describe the failure of a highly regulated approach to forest management focused on intensive wood production in the mountain ash forests of Victoria, Australia. Poor past management led to overcutting with timber yields too high to be sustainable and failing to account for uncertainties. Ongoing logging will have negative impacts on biodiversity and water production, alter fire regimes, and generate economic losses. This means there are few options to diversify forest management. The only ecologically and economically viable option is to cease logging mountain ash forests altogether and transition wood production to plantations located elsewhere in the state of Victoria. We outline general lessons for diversifying land management from our case study.
3
Bennett, AF, LF Lumsden, JSA Alexander, PE Duncan, PG Johnson, P. Robertson, and CE Silveira. "Habitat Use by Arboreal Mammals along an Environment Gradient in North-eastern Victoria." Wildlife Research 18, no. 2 (1991): 125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9910125.
Full textAbstract:
A total of 1487 observations of nine species of arboreal mammal, Acrobates pygmaeus, Phascolarctos cinereus, Petauroides volans, Petaurus australis, P. breviceps, P. norfolcensis, Pseudocheirusperegrinus, Trichosurus caninus and T. vulpecula, were made during surveys of the vertebrate fauna of northeastern Victoria. Habitat use by each species was examined in relation to eight forest types that occur along an environmental gradient ranging from sites at high elevation with a high annual rainfall, to sites on the dry inland and riverine plains. Arboreal mammals were not evenly distributed between forest types. Three species (P. australis, P. volans and T. caninus) were mainly associated with moist tall forests; two species (P. norfolcensis and T. vulpecula) were primarily associated with drier forests and woodlands of the foothills; the remaining three species (A. pygmaeus, P. breviceps and P. peregrinus) occurred widely throughout the forests. The composition of the arboreal mammal assemblage changed along the environmental gradient, but species displayed gradual changes in abundance with forest type rather than marked discontinuities in distributional pattern. The highest overall frequencies of occurrence of arboreal mammals were in forests typically dominated by a mixture of eucalypt species. The position at first sighting of an animal, and the relative height in the forest stratum, were used to describe the micro-habitats utilised. In general, the microhabitats occupied by each species are consistent with the distribution of their known food resources.
4
Lindenmayer, D. B. "Forest disturbance, forest wildlife conservation and the conservative basis for forest management in the mountain ash forests of Victoria—Comment." Forest Ecology and Management 74, no. 1-3 (June 1995): 223–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0378-1127(94)03524-z.
Full text
5
Kelly, Luke T., and Andrew F. Bennett. "Habitat requirements of the yellow-footed antechinus (Antechinus flavipes) in box - ironbark forest, Victoria, Australia." Wildlife Research 35, no. 2 (2008): 128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr07088.
Full textAbstract:
Understanding the habitat requirements of a species is critical for effective conservation-based management. In this study, we investigated the influence of forest structure on the distribution of the yellow-footed antechinus (Antechinus flavipes), a small dasyurid marsupial characteristic of dry forests on the inland side of the Great Dividing Range, Australia. Hair-sampling tubes were used to determine the occurrence of A. flavipes at 60 sites stratified across one of the largest remaining tracts of dry box–ironbark forest in south-eastern Australia. We considered the role of six potential explanatory variables: large trees, hollow-bearing trees, coppice hollows, logs, rock cover and litter. Logistic regression models were examined using an information-theoretic approach to determine the variables that best explained the presence or absence of the species. Hierarchical partitioning was employed to further explore relationships between occurrence of A. flavipes and explanatory variables. Forest structure accounted for a substantial proportion of the variation in occurrence of A. flavipes between sites. The strongest influence on the presence of A. flavipes was the cover of litter at survey sites. The density of hollow-bearing trees and rock cover were also positive influences. The conservation of A. flavipes will be enhanced by retention of habitat components that ensure a structurally complex environment in box–ironbark forests. This will also benefit the conservation of several threatened species in this dry forest ecosystem.
6
Recher, HA. "Conserving forest biodiversity: A comprehensive multiscaled approach." Australian Mammalogy 25, no. 1 (2003): 113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am03113_br.
Full textAbstract:
DAVID Lindenmayer and Jerry Franklin are the two most influential forest conservation biologists of the past decade and will probably remain so for the coming decade. Each has contributed significantly to forest research, management, biodiversity conservation and policy. Lindenmayer is an Australian based at the Australian National University in Canberra who has worked mainly in the temperate eucalypt forests of Victoria and southeastern New South Wales. Most of his research is wildlife oriented, with an emphasis on arboreal marsupials and the impacts of forest management on forest vertebrates. Franklin is an American at the University of Washington, Seattle in the Pacific Northwest. His research is more botanically oriented, with an emphasis on the impacts of forest management on forest structures (e.g., large trees and logs) and processes. Of the two, Franklin has had the greatest involvement in the political, economic and social processes driving the modern change in forestry practices and attitudes. Together they form a formidable team to present a summary and an analysis of how temperate forests globally can and should be managed. Their goal is not just to enhance biodiversity and other ecological values, but to ensure the long-term sustainability of forest ecosystems. Only when forests are managed sustainably to protect biodiversity can forest managers guarantee the many social and economic benefits derived from the world’s forests, including wood production.
7
Haywood, Andrew, Andrew Mellor, and Christine Stone. "A strategic forest inventory for public land in Victoria, Australia." Forest Ecology and Management 367 (May 2016): 86–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2016.02.026.
Full text
8
Hickey, G. M., and S. Citroen. "A review of the Sustainable Forest Management framework in Victoria, Australia: an innovative example of sub-national forest policy." International Forestry Review 9, no. 4 (December 2007): 901–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1505/ifor.9.4.901.
Full text
9
Bennett, AF, and BJ Baxter. "Diet of the Long-Nosed Potoroo, Potorous-Tridactylus (Marsupialia, Potoroidae), in Southwestern Victoria." Wildlife Research 16, no. 3 (1989): 263. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9890263.
Full textAbstract:
The diet of the long-nosed potoroo, Potorous tridactylus, in south-western Victoria, was investigated by the microscopical identification of faecal remains. P. tridactylus is omnivorous: the main component of the diet was fungi, and other important items included hard-bodied arthropods, vascular plant tissues, seeds and fleshy fruits. There was a seasonal switch in the relative proportions of the main dietary components between the autumn-winter and spring-summer periods of the year. During autumn and winter, the main components were fungi and seeds. In spring and summer, fewer fungi were eaten and the proportions of arthropods, plant tissues, fleshy fruit and flowers in the diet increased. Identification of fungal spores revealed the presence of at least 50 species in the diet, most of which have a hypogeal fruiting habit. Hypogeal fungi form ectotrophic mycorrhizal associations with forest trees and are important in the health and productivity of forests. They lack active mechanisms for spore dispersal and are dependent upon mycophagous animals. The role of mycophagous small mammals, such as P. tridactylus, in the health of forest ecosystems may be more important than previously recognised.
10
Pollock, Laura J., Dan F. Rosauer, Andrew H. Thornhill, Heini Kujala, Michael D. Crisp, Joseph T. Miller, and Michael A. McCarthy. "Phylogenetic diversity meets conservation policy: small areas are key to preserving eucalypt lineages." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 370, no. 1662 (February 19, 2015): 20140007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0007.
Full textAbstract:
Evolutionary and genetic knowledge is increasingly being valued in conservation theory, but is rarely considered in conservation planning and policy. Here, we integrate phylogenetic diversity (PD) with spatial reserve prioritization to evaluate how well the existing reserve system in Victoria, Australia captures the evolutionary lineages of eucalypts, which dominate forest canopies across the state. Forty-three per cent of remaining native woody vegetation in Victoria is located in protected areas (mostly national parks) representing 48% of the extant PD found in the state. A modest expansion in protected areas of 5% (less than 1% of the state area) would increase protected PD by 33% over current levels. In a recent policy change, portions of the national parks were opened for development. These tourism development zones hold over half the PD found in national parks with some species and clades falling entirely outside of protected zones within the national parks. This approach of using PD in spatial prioritization could be extended to any clade or area that has spatial and phylogenetic data. Our results demonstrate the relevance of PD to regional conservation policy by highlighting that small but strategically located areas disproportionally impact the preservation of evolutionary lineages.
11
H. Loyn, Richard. "Birds in patches of old-growth ash forest, in a matrix of younger forest." Pacific Conservation Biology 4, no. 2 (1998): 111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc980111.
Full textAbstract:
Birds were studied at 57 sites in Mountain Ash forests in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia in spring and summer 1995/96. The sites represented 41 patches of old-growth forest (up to 390 ha in size) in a matrix of regrowth mostly from severe fires in 1939 (57 years previously), with multiple sites in the four largest patches of old-growth and eight sites in 1939 regrowth. Relative bird abundance was assessed by an area-search technique. Generalized linear modelling was used to develop predictive models by regressing abundance of groups of bird species against patch size, isolation and some basic habitat and context variables. Total bird abundance (of all species combined) tended to be higher in old-growth patches than in 1939 regrowth, but not significantly. There was no trend in total abundance with patch size or isolation. Fruit-eating birds tended to be commonest in small patches. Bark-foragers and uncommon birds favoured large patches, though the latter were most common in 1939 regrowth. More variation was explained by habitat and context variables such as aspect, altitude and forest structure. Unevenaged forest structure was often associated with small patches. It was concluded that old-growth forest patches can have similar values per hectare for forest birds whether they are large or small. The regrowth forest matrix appears to protect small patches from factors which reduce densities of forest birds in small forest patches in farmland. The data support the current policy of retaining all old-growth ash forest patches. A range of factors should be considered in selecting regrowth stands of various sizes to regrow as old forest of the future, including their intrinsic potential to develop particular habitats and produce a mix of forest stuctures in the landscape.
12
Margrath, RD, and a. Lill. "Age-related Differences in Behaviour and Ecology of Crimson Rosellas, Platycercus elegans, during the Non-Breeding Season." Wildlife Research 12, no. 2 (1985): 299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9850299.
Full textAbstract:
Habitat use, diet and behaviour of adult and immature crimson rosellas were compared in the non-breeding season in a wet sclerophyll forest in southern Victoria. Immature birds occurred mainly at forest edges and were more patchily distributed than adults. They also differed quantitatively in their diet, spent more time feeding and less time resting, and occurred in larger flocks than adults. It is suggested that these dietary and behavioural differences probably result from either enforced use of inferior habitats and food resources, or less efficient foraging.
13
Lindenmayer, D. B., C. I. MacGregor, R. B. Cunningham, R. D. Incoll, M. Crane, D. Rawlins, and D. R. Michael. "The use of nest boxes by arboreal marsupials in the forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria." Wildlife Research 30, no. 3 (2003): 259. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr02047.
Full textAbstract:
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.
14
Incoll, Bill, Alex Maisey, and Jenny Adam. "Ten years of forest restoration in the Upwey Corridor, Dandenong Ranges, Victoria." Ecological Management & Restoration 19, no. 3 (August 13, 2018): 189–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/emr.12329.
Full text
15
Bennett, AF. "Land-Use, Forest Fragmentation and the Mammalian Fauna at Naringal, South-Western Victoria." Wildlife Research 17, no. 4 (1990): 325. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9900325.
Full text
16
Hindell, MA, and AK Lee. "Tree Use by Individual Koalas in a Natural Forest." Wildlife Research 15, no. 1 (1988): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9880001.
Full textAbstract:
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.
17
Berry, Lainie. "Predation rates of artificial nests in the edge and interior of a southern Victorian forest." Wildlife Research 29, no. 4 (2002): 341. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr01022.
Full textAbstract:
Predation rates of nests at human-induced habitat edges may be greater than in forest interior due to differences in predator assemblages and predator activity. I compared the predation rates on 192 artificial nests containing plasticine eggs placed in forest edge and interior sites at Bunyip State Park, Victoria. The nest-predation rates at the forest edge sites were significantly greater (mean = 52–58%) than that at the forest interior sites (mean = 30–39%). The relative rates of predation by birds compared with mammals were significantly greater at forest edge sites (mean = 78–94%) than at forest interior sites (mean = 36–67%). Higher rates of nest predation at forest edges appeared to be due to greater densities of avian predators such as the grey shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica), and/or lower abundances of small mammals. However, biases towards certain predator types may mask real, or create false, patterns in predation rates of artificial nests. A better understanding of how predators respond to artificial nests compared with natural nests is required. Until then, results of predation studies that use artificial nests should be interpreted with caution.
18
Lindenmayer, D. B., R. D. Incoll, R. B. Cunningham, M. L. Pope, C. F. Donnelly, C. I. MacGregor, C. Tribolet, and B. E. Triggs. "Comparison of hairtube types for the detection of mammals." Wildlife Research 26, no. 6 (1999): 745. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr99009.
Full textAbstract:
We compare detection rates of different species of mammals by three types of hairtubes in both the mountain ash forests of the central highlands of Victoria and a range of wet forest types at Tumut in southern New South Wales. The types of hairtubes were a small-diameter PVC pipe, a large-diameter PVC pipe and a newly constructed tapered hair funnel. Data were analysed for brown antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), bush rat (Rattus fuscipes), common wombat (Vombatus ursinus), swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) and common and mountain brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula and T. caninus). The most effective hairtube type (i.e. the one yielding the highest number of detections) varied between species: small hairtubes forR. fuscipes, hair funnels for Trichosurus spp., and large hairtubes for V. ursinus and W. bicolor. For A. stuartii, the most effective hairtube type differed between the two study regions (hair funnels in Victoria and small hairtubes at Tumut). Detection by more than one hairtube type at a given plot was uncommon. Our findings have important implications for field surveys and how data gathered from such studies are interpreted. For example, if the aim of field survey is to detect a wide range of species then several types of hairtubes may need to be deployed.
19
Campbell, Susan, Linda F. Lumsden, Roger Kirkwood, and Graeme Coulson. "Day roost selection by female little forest bats (Vespadelus vulturnus) within remnant woodland on Phillip Island, Victoria." Wildlife Research 32, no. 2 (2005): 183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr04039.
Full textAbstract:
The day roosting behaviour of the little forest bat (Vespadelus vulturnus), Australia’s smallest bat, was investigated in the context of the planned removal of dead timber within managed woodlands on Phillip Island, Victoria. Between August 1999 and March 2000, 14 female little forest bats were fitted with VHF microtransmitters and tracked to a total of 16 roost trees. All roosts were located in dead timber, 11 in severely decayed remains of eucalypt trees, and five in dead sections of live trees. Roost trees were compared with randomly chosen trees from within the available habitat, for a range of tree characteristics. Female little forest bats selected roosts in trees with dead timber offering many hollows and reduced canopy cover. Furthermore, roost trees were located in areas (0.1-ha plots) with higher densities of these types of trees than in the available habitat. However, there was no difference in the height or diameter of roost trees or roost plots compared with available habitat. Emergence time from roosts was strongly associated with civil twilight (when the centre of the sun is 6° below an ideal horizon), and the number of bats exiting a single roost tree ranged from 1 to 120 (median = 20). Dead trees provide critical roosting habitat and we recommend retention of dead standing trees for conserving little forest bat roosts in managed woodlands.
20
Lindenmayer, David B. "Old forest, new perspectives—Insights from the Mountain Ash forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria, south-eastern Australia." Forest Ecology and Management 258, no. 4 (July 2009): 357–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2009.01.049.
Full text
21
Smith, A. P., and D. B. Lindenmayer. "Forest succession and habitat management for Leadbeater's possum in the State of Victoria, Australia." Forest Ecology and Management 49, no. 3-4 (June 1992): 311–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0378-1127(92)90143-w.
Full text
22
Cheal, DC. "The Diets and Dietary Preferences of Rattus-Fuscipes and Rattus-Lutreolus at Walkerville in Victoria." Wildlife Research 14, no. 1 (1987): 35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9870035.
Full textAbstract:
The diets of Rattus fuscipes and R. lutreolus from a site in central southern Victoria were investigated by faecal analysis. R. lutreolus was predominantly herbivorous; in heath it selected the basal stems of certain cyperaceous herbs, and in forest it ate non-sclerophyllous grasses. Fungi were an important dietary component and seed might be eaten in some quantity for a short time in spring and early summer. R. fuscipes showed little dietary overlap with R. lutreolus; in forest it was reliant on fungi and fibrous plant material from particular grasses; in heath it relied on particular cyperaceous species in winter, and ate primarily fleshy fruit, seed and arthropods in summer. Dietary preferences are compared with the relative abundance of diet items in the habitat. Both species are selective, and this selectivity changes with season. The effects of the availability of preferred diet items on the species' distributions are discussed.
23
Nelson, JL, and BJ Morris. "Nesting Requirements of the Yellow-Tailed Black-Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus Funereus, in Eucalyptus Regnans Forest, and Implications for Forest Management." Wildlife Research 21, no. 3 (1994): 267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9940267.
Full textAbstract:
The nesting requirements of the yellow-tailed black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) were studied at 68 sites in Eucalyptus regnans forest in the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland, Victoria. Nest trees were located and their characteristics related to forest stand variables. Eighteen nest hollows were found. Nest trees had a mean diameter at breast height of 2.5 m, a mean estimated age of 221 years, a mean height of 58 m and for live nest trees a mean crown diameter of 22 m. The currently proposed rotation time for silvicultural systems of 80-150 years will reduce the number of hollow-bearing trees suitable for nesting yellow-tailed black-cockatoos. Adequate numbers of trees must be retained in logged areas and wildlife corridors and reserves, and protected to ensure a continual supply for yellow-tailed black-cockatoos and other hollow-dependent species. If agonistic behaviour is operating between female yellow-tailed black-cockatoos, nesting potential may be enhanced if trees retained on coupes are evenly distributed rather than clumped. Silvicultural systems that facilitate the protection of trees retained on coupes would benefit the conservation of the yellow-tailed black-cockatoo.
24
Lindenmayer, DB, K. Ritman, RB Cunningham, JBD Smith, and D. Horvath. "A method for predicting the spatial distribution of arboreal marsupials." Wildlife Research 22, no. 4 (1995): 445. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9950445.
Full textAbstract:
A method is described for predicting the spatial distribution of arboreal marsupials. The approach is demonstrated using a statistical habitat association model for the greater glider (Petauroides volans), developed in the mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of the central highlands of Victoria. The method is applied to predict the spatial distribution of P. volans in the Ada Forest Block, using forestinventory data on the values of the two significant variables in the statistical model (the age of a stand of forest and the abundance of large trees with hollows in a 3-ha area). The application of the model enabled values for the estimated probability of occurrence of P, volans (with a 95% confidence interval) to be generated for each of approximately 2200 3-ha pixels in the Ada Forest Block. A kernel smoothing procedure was then applied to allow for the spatial dependence implicit in these data. The standard measures of statistical uncertainty employed in our analysis revealed substantial variation in the predicted probability of occurrence of P. volans, even though the terms in the statistical relationship were highly significant. However, whilst the model is unable to reliably predict the occurrence of P. volans at any given 3-ha site, tests of the performance of the model showed that it performed well when the results of field surveys were aggregated over many sites. The results of our analysis emphasise the importance of including measures of uncertainty in spatial predictions generated from statistical models.
25
Ward, S. J. "The efficacy of nestboxes versus spotlighting for detecting feathertail gliders." Wildlife Research 27, no. 1 (2000): 75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr99018.
Full textAbstract:
A series of spotlight transects were carried out over a two-year period within a 7-ha area of the Wombat State Forest, Victoria, which contained nestboxes used by feathertail gliders, Acrobates pygmaeus. Spotlighting was carried out on foot through open forest, not along tracks, and only one feathertail glider was detected in 13.8 h of spotlighting. The nestboxes were checked on days following spotlighting surveys and 72 captures of feathertail gliders were made over the same two- year period. Spotlighting can provide important information on the biology of feathertail gliders when used in long-term scientific studies by experienced spotlighters. However, it is an unsatisfactory technique for broad surveys of feathertail gliders, and nestboxes provide a better technique but require a longer time-frame and additional cost.
26
Moro, D. "The Distribution of small mammal species in relation to heath vegetation near Cape Otway, Victoria." Wildlife Research 18, no. 5 (1991): 605. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9910605.
Full textAbstract:
A trapping study of small mammals within heath communities near Cape Otway was conducted during April-August 1989. The purpose was to describe the distribution patterns of several small mammals in relation to a floristic and structural description of the vegetation. Two species of rodent (Rattus lutreolus, R. fuscipes), two species of dasyurid (Antechinus stuartii, A. minimus) and one species of bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) were trapped frequently enough for statistical analysis. A. stuartii was trapped significantly more often in the Heathy Open-forest than in the Closed Heath community, in contrast to A. minimus and R. lutreolus, which were captured significantly more often in Closed Heath. There was no significant difference in the distributions of R. fuscipes and I. obesulus between communities. Within the Closed Heath community only R. fuscipes displayed significant distribution patterns between sub-communities. In the Heathy Open-forest the distribution of captures among sub-communities varied significantly for both species of Antechinus and for R. lutreolus. Floristic and structural cues, as well as ground cover, were associated with the spatial distribution of dasyurid and rodent species. Bandicoot dispersion was associated only with vertical vegetation diversity. The importance of interspecific avoidance in contributing to the observed distribution patterns of both dasyurid and rat species cannot be dismissed.
27
Gillespie, GR, and GJ Hollis. "Distribution and habitat of the spotted tree-frog, Litoria spenceri Dubois (Anura : Hylidae), and an assessment of potential causes of population declines." Wildlife Research 23, no. 1 (1996): 49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9960049.
Full textAbstract:
An extensive survey of the distribution and abundance of the spotted tree frog, Litoria spenceri, was conducted throughout its range in the Central and Eastern Highlands of Victoria and parts of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory between November 1991 and April 1994. Of the 64 streams surveyed, Litoria spenceri was recorded along 16, 15 in Victoria and one in New South Wales. The species was located along six streams in which it had not been recorded before, but could not be found along four streams in which it had previously been recorded. The survey failed to detect L. spenceri at historical sites on four other streams but located it elsewhere along those streams. Frogs were located predominantly in association with rocky banks adjacent to fast flowing water. Most populations occurred in dissected mountainous country, generally in areas with limited access and disturbance. Analysis of disturbance histories at individual sites and within catchments supporting the species indicates an association between the contraction in distribution and a number of human disturbances to forest and riparian habitats.
28
Dexter, Nick, and Andy Murray. "The impact of fox control on the relative abundance of forest mammals in East Gippsland, Victoria." Wildlife Research 36, no. 3 (2009): 252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr08135.
Full textAbstract:
Predation by European red foxes is believed to be the major cause of the extinction and decline of a large number of native medium-sized terrestrial mammals in Australia. We examined the impact of poisoning of foxes on the relative abundance of a group of medium-sized mammals in an experiment conducted in three large forest blocks in south-eastern Australia. The blocks consisted of paired sites, as follows: one site where poison baiting was used to control foxes (treatment site) and one where foxes were not controlled (non-treatment site). At all six sites, the population responses of a range of mammals were measured, and compared between treatment and non-treatment sites. The relative fox abundance, as indexed by bait-take, declined during the course of the study at treatment sites and to a lesser extent at non-treatment sites. The decline in bait-take at non-treatment sites was most likely due to treatment sites acting as ecological traps, so that reduced intra-specific competition attracted foxes from non-treatment to treatment sites, where they were subsequently poisoned. There was a significant treatment effect for the abundances of total mammals, long-nosed potoroos, southern brown bandicoots and common brushtail possums, with higher abundances at treatment sites than at non-treatment sites. Common ringtail possums increased in abundance during the course of the study, with no significant difference between treatment and non-treatment sites. There was no significant effect of time or treatment on the abundance of long-nosed bandicoots. The increase in the abundance of native mammals at treatment sites was most likely due to a lower predation pressure by foxes brought about by fox control, and the smaller increase in abundance in non-treatment blocks was likely due to the ecological-trap effect because of fox baiting at treatment sites. The present study demonstrated that broad-scale fox control can lead to increases in the abundance of native mammals in forested habitats, without recourse to aerial baiting or fences. The study also demonstrated that the influence of fox control on the fox abundance can extend well beyond the perimeter of the area baited.
29
A. McAlpine, C., D. B. Lindenmayer, T. J. Eyre, and S. R. Phinn. "Landscape surrogates of forest fragmentation: Synthesis of Australian Montreal Process case studies." Pacific Conservation Biology 8, no. 2 (2002): 108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc020108.
Full textAbstract:
Habitat loss and fragmentation are key biodiversity indicators of the Montreal Protocol for monitoring progress towards ecologically sustainable forest management. Over the last 15 years, an array of landscape metrics have been developed as spatial measures of habitat loss and fragmentation. However, most metrics require rigorous empirical testing if they are to provide scientifically credible information to managers and policy makers. We present a synthesis of three Australian case studies for developing Montreal Indicator 1.1e, fragmentation of forest type, each representing different levels of landscape modification: St Mary State Forest, south-east Queensland; Tumut, southern New South Wales; and the Central Highlands, Victoria. Collectively, the studies found that no single landscape metric captured the response of the target species and fauna assemblages, or served as a reliable ecological surrogate for the conservation of a large set of species. Rather, species demonstrated a diversity of responses to habitat loss and fragmentation. Fragmentation effects were more important for the Tumut study, but not important for the Central Highlands study. Stand-scale habitat variables and area of suitable habitat were dominant explanatory variables for the St Mary study. Differences in observed response are partly explained by: (i) differences in landscape structure, particularly the proportion of preferred forest habitat remaining; (ii) differences in the ecology of target species; and (iii) the insensitivity of the landscape measures. Based on the outcomes of the three case studies, we propose principles for developing landscape surrogates for conserving biodiversity in Australia's eucalypt forest landscapes.
30
Johnson, Matthew, Paul Reich, and Ralph Mac Nally. "Bird assemblages of a fragmented agricultural landscape and the relative importance of vegetation structure and landscape pattern." Wildlife Research 34, no. 3 (2007): 185. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr06103.
Full textAbstract:
Many of the world’s agricultural areas have greatly reduced levels of natural vegetation. This results in highly fragmented mosaic landscapes with multiple land-use types. We examined the importance of vegetation and landscape pattern by comparing the bird assemblages of riparian zones, non-riparian forest patches, and pasture in a fragmented agricultural landscape in south-eastern Australia. Bird surveys were conducted every four weeks at 27 sites in the Goldfields region of central Victoria for one year. The landscape context (position and shape of patches) and vegetation attributes were measured for each site. We found that bird assemblages strongly differed among these landscape elements. Mean abundance was significantly greater at forested patches, and there was a three-fold reduction in species richness at pasture sites. Bird assemblage structure was influenced substantially more by vegetation than by the landscape context of sites. Our results indicate that riparian vegetation is a key element for avian diversity, even in massively altered landscapes. The restoration of riparian vegetation and its connectivity with adjacent forest types would greatly benefit bird assemblages in agricultural areas.
31
Troy, S., and G. Coulson. "Home range of the swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor." Wildlife Research 20, no. 5 (1993): 571. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9930571.
Full textAbstract:
Home range in the swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor (Marsupialia : Macropodoidea) was examined using radio-tracking in a 150-ha remnant of mixed eucalypt forest at Healesville, Victoria. Three methods were used to calculate home-range size: minimum convex polygons, fourier transform MAP(O.95) and MAP(0.50) estimation, and harmonic mean 50% isopleths and 95% isopleths. The minimum convex polygon method produced the largest estimate of home-range area (16.01 +/-.45 ha). Each method required a different number of fixes before home-range area estimates reached an asymptote. These data showed that W. bicolor have small, overlapping home ranges and that the shape of the home range varied between individuals. Home-range area was larger than previously reported for this species, and there was no significant difference between the sexes in home-range size.
32
Bennett, AF. "Microhabitat use by the long-nosed potoroo, Potorous tridactylus, and other small mammals in remnant forest vegetation, south-western Victoria." Wildlife Research 20, no. 3 (1993): 267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9930267.
Full textAbstract:
Microhabitat use by the long-nosed potoroo, Potorous tridactylus, and six other species of small mammal was studied in remnant forest vegetation in south-western Victoria, Australia. Throughout its geographic range, P. tridactylus is consistently associated with dense vegetation in the ground and shrub strata. However, at a local scale, captures of P. tridactylus were not clearly associated with a particular floristic group, and were not strongly correlated with any structural feature of the vegetation. Rather, individuals utilised a range of sites of differing floristic composition and vegetation density. Dense cover provided diurnal shelter and protection from predators, whereas food resources were most abundant in adjacent more open areas. The use of vegetation mosaics or ecotones that allow the inclusion of contrasting microhabitats within an individual home range appears to be characteristic of potoroids in temperate environments. Such mosaics may result from topographic or edaphic variation, or from sera1 successional stages in vegetation following disturbance. Of the other small mammals, the bush rat, Rattus fuscipes, and the brown antechinus, Antechinus stuartii, favoured floristic groups that provided dense low cover. Captures of the swamp rat, Rattus lutreolus, were clumped, and centred on several sites along the forest edge on impeded drainage where potential foods were common. The long-nosed bandicoot, Perameles nasuta, and the southern brown bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus, were uncommon and clear microhabitat preferences were not displayed. The house mouse, Mus musculus, was of transient occurrence, mostly during autumn, and no obvious habitat preference was apparent. The quality and availability of microhabitats in remnant vegetation, together with landscape structure, are important in ensuring the persistence and conservation of small mammals in fragmented landscapes.
33
Lock, M. L., and B. A. Wilson. "The distribution of the New Holland mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) with respect to vegetation near Anglesea, Victoria." Wildlife Research 26, no. 4 (1999): 565. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr97050.
Full textAbstract:
The distribution and abundance of the New Holland mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) was assessed at Anglesea, Victoria, between February 1995 and October 1996. Twenty sites were trapped within the Forest Road Flora Reserve during April and May 1995. The twenty sites were distributed over four vegetation communities, and four successional post-fire ages. Pseudomys novaehollandiaewas found at only four sites, two located in heathy woodland vegetation, and two within a regenerating pine plantation. All four sites had a post-fire age of 7-9 years. Sites inhabited by P. novaehollandiae were found to have a high floristic richness of heath plants, and density of the understorey vegetation was greatest at a level below 20 cm. The population density of P. novaehollandiae was found to be high (10-20 ha-1 ) during early 1995 but declined after June 1995 to 3-10 ha-1 . Home ranges of males and females were similar and overlap occurred amongst individuals at the four sites, indicating that the populations on the four grids formed a single contiguous population.
34
Munks, S. "The Breeding biology of Pseudocheirus peregrinus viverrinus on FLinders ISland, Bass Strait." Wildlife Research 22, no. 4 (1995): 521. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9950521.
Full textAbstract:
Reproduction in Pseudocheirus peregrinus viverrinus in coastal teatree woodland on Flinders Island was seasonal. The main birth season was from May to August. The mean duration of lactation was 29 weeks. The duration of lactation for multiparous females that bred twice in a year was significantly shorter than that of multiparous single breeders. In general the young left the pouch during early spring and were fully weaned by the early summer months. In contrast to populations of P. peregrinus inhabiting similar woodland in Victoria only a few multiparous females (6-9%) gave birth to a second litter in the springlsummer months on Flinders Island. The mean litter size (1.84) and annual fecundity of the population (1.91 offspring per female) were lower than those reported for three populations of Pseudocheirus peregrinus in Victoria. It is suggested that the low occurrence of spring/summer births and low fecundity of P. p. viverrinus on Flinders Island may be related to the age and nutrient status of their coastal teatree forest habitat. The body mass of P. p. viverrinus was higher than previously recorded for P. peregrinus. The adult body mass of females ranged from 948 to 1082 g. Adults showed seasonal variation in body mass with most females losing weight during the late spring and summer months coincident with late lactation. It is proposed that the larger body size of P. p. viverrinus on Flinders Island is a result of release from predation pressure and/or interspecific competition.
35
Martin, R. W. "Overbrowsing, and decline of a population of the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, in Victoria. I. Food preference and food tree defoliation." Wildlife Research 12, no. 3 (1985): 355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9850355.
Full textAbstract:
Tree usage by koalas as a measure of foliage preference was analysed for 2 yr in an open forest near Walkerville, Victoria, containing 3 Eucalyptus species. At the start of the study, there was significant defoliation of E. ovata. The koalas showed a significant preference for this species, which became increasingly defoliated as the study progressed. The preference for E. ovata decreased in the second year of the study, probably as a result of a decline in available foliage. It also changed seasonally, with koalas showing a stronger preference for E. ovata in autumn and winter than in spring and summer. The preference for E. radiata and E. obliqua was greater in summer, when these species were producing abundant new growth. It is suggested that the koalas select foliage so as to maximize their intake of crude protein.
36
Wills, Timothy J., and Alex S. Kutt. "The effect of targeted high-threat weed control on wet forest understorey vegetation in the Central Highlands region, Victoria." Ecological Management & Restoration 17, no. 3 (September 2016): 250–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/emr.12236.
Full text
37
Lindenmayer, David B., and Chris Taylor. "New spatial analyses of Australian wildfires highlight the need for new fire, resource, and conservation policies." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 22 (May 18, 2020): 12481–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2002269117.
Full textAbstract:
Extensive and recurrent severe wildfires present complex challenges for policy makers. This is highlighted by extensive wildfires around the globe, ranging from western North America and Europe to the Amazon and Arctic, and, most recently, the 2019–2020 fires in eastern Australia. In many jurisdictions, discussions after significant losses of life, property, and vegetation are sometimes conducted in the absence of nuanced debates about key aspects of climate, land, and resource management policy. Improved insights that have significant implications for policies and management can be derived from spatial and temporal analyses of fires. Here, we demonstrate the importance of such analyses using a case study of large-scale, recurrent severe wildfires over the past two decades in the Australian state of Victoria. We overlaid the location of current and past fires with ecosystem types, land use, and conservation values. Our analyses revealed 1) the large spatial extent of current fires, 2) the extensive and frequent reburning of recently and previously fire-damaged areas, 3) the magnitude of resource loss for industries such as timber and pulplog production, and 4) major impacts on high conservation value areas and biodiversity. These analyses contain evidence to support policy reforms that alter the mode of forest management, target the protection of key natural assets including unburnt areas, manage repeatedly damaged and potentially collapsed ecosystems, and expand the conservation estate. Our mapping approach should have applicability to other environments subject to large-scale fires, although the particular details of policy reforms would be jurisdiction, ecosystem, and context specific.
38
Green, K., A. T. Mitchell, and P. Tennant. "Home range and microhabitat use by the long-footed potoroo, Potorous longipes." Wildlife Research 25, no. 4 (1998): 357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr97095.
Full textAbstract:
Long-footed potoroos were studied at two widely-separated sites in Victoria, one in regenerating eucalypt forest in East Gippsland and the other in old-growth forest in Central Gippsland. Trap-revealed use of microhabitat at Bellbird (East Gippsland) showed a change from the 1980s to 1990s, with an increased amount of foraging in more open, drier areas. Over the same period, there was an increase in the size of home range of animals and a near-doubling of the minimum numbers of animals known to be alive on the trapping grid at Bellbird. These changes occurred over a period when few environmental changes occurred on the grid other than control of feral predators. Radio-tracking data from 12 animals at the two sites showed a similar trend in use of microhabitat by most animals, but there was individual variation. Differences between the sites were that home-range size was smaller at the Riley trapping grid (Central Gippsland), there was greater overlap in home range, and animals there foraged for significantly shorter bouts. This confirmed earlier speculation from reproductive and dietary studies that there is better quality habitat at Riley, but the sites were so dissimilar that differences in home range and foraging could not be ascribed to either the logging regime or to geographical differences between the sites.
39
Isaac, Bronwyn, John White, Daniel Ierodiaconou, and Raylene Cooke. "Response of a cryptic apex predator to a complete urban to forest gradient." Wildlife Research 40, no. 5 (2013): 427. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr13087.
Full textAbstract:
Context Urbanisation is one of the most damaging landscape-scale disturbance processes leading to significant and potentially irreversible changes in biodiversity. How apex predators respond to urbanisation is poorly understood, largely because of their low density and low detectability. Given the important functional roles of apex predators in ecosystems, it is critical that research investigates how they respond to urbanisation, and how urban systems can be designed to better support apex predators. Aims The present research aims to examine how an avian apex predator, the powerful owl, responds to a complete urban–forest gradient in southern Victoria, Australia. Specifically, the research aims to understand the environmental attributes that drive habitat suitability for powerful owls across the urban–forest gradient. Methods Using a total of 683 independent field- and atlas-derived records of powerful owls across the study site, the research takes a presence-only modelling approach. The presence points were modelled against a series of geospatial variables that were determined a priori on the basis of the known ecology of powerful owls. Key results Potential powerful owl habitat declined in a dramatic fashion in response to increasing levels of urbanisation, ranging from 76% of the forest landscape to 21% of the urban landscape. Powerful owl habitat availability across the urban–forest gradient is positively influenced by tree cover, productivity (normalised difference vegetation index) and proximity to river systems and riparian vegetation. Conclusions Presence-only modelling has provided a useful way for investigating the response of an apex predator to a gradient of urbanisation. Although powerful owl habitat availability is negatively reduced by urbanisation, there is significant scope to manage urban landscapes to either maintain or improve the availability of habitat across the gradient. Implications High resource-requiring species, such as apex predators, have the capacity to be detrimentally affected by urbanisation processes. Presence-only modelling, however, provides a useful tool for investigating how these difficult-to-detect species are affected by urbanisation, and ultimately inform how landscapes can be managed to maximise habitat availability for apex predators.
40
Radford, James Q., and Andrew F. Bennett. "Terrestrial avifauna of the Gippsland Plain and Strzelecki Ranges, Victoria, Australia: insights from Atlas data." Wildlife Research 32, no. 6 (2005): 531. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr04012.
Full textAbstract:
The rate and spatial scale at which natural environments are being modified by human land-uses mean that a regional or national perspective is necessary to understand the status of the native biota. Here, we outline a landscape-based approach for using data from the ‘New Atlas of Australian Birds’ to examine the distribution and status of avifauna at a regional scale. We use data from two bioregions in south-east Australia – the Gippsland Plain and the Strzelecki Ranges (collectively termed the greater Gippsland Plains) – to demonstrate this approach. Records were compiled for 57 landscape units, each 10′ latitude by 10′ longitude (~270 km2) across the study region. A total of 165 terrestrial bird species was recorded from 1870 ‘area searches’, with a further 24 species added from incidental observations and other surveys. Of these, 108 species were considered ‘typical’ of the greater Gippsland Plain in that they currently or historically occur regularly in the study region. An index of species ‘occurrence’, combining reporting rate and breadth of distribution, was used to identify rare, common, widespread and restricted species. Ordination of the dataset highlighted assemblages of birds that had similar spatial distributions. A complementarity analysis identified a subset of 14 landscape units that together contained records from at least three different landscape units for each of the 108 ‘typical’ species. When compared with the 40 most common ‘typical’ species, the 40 least common species were more likely to be forest specialists, nest on the ground and, owing to the prevalence of raptors in the least common group, take prey on the wing. The future status of the terrestrial avifauna of the greater Gippsland Plains will depend on the extent to which effective restoration actions can be undertaken to ensure adequate representation of habitats for all species, especially for the large number of species of conservation concern.
41
Cunningham, R. B., D. B. Lindenmayer, C. MacGregor, S. Barry, and A. Welsh. "Effects of trap position, trap history, microhabitat and season on capture probabilities of small mammals in a wet eucalypt forest." Wildlife Research 32, no. 8 (2005): 657. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr04069.
Full textAbstract:
In this study, we use data drawn from a series of trapping events on four 0.5-ha trapping grids surveyed in the wet eucalypt forests of central Victoria, south-eastern Australia, to identify relationships between capture probabilities and several factors of interest for three species of small mammals that are common throughout the forests of this region: the agile antechinus (Antechinus agilis), the dusky antechinus (Antechinus swainsonii) and the bush rat (Rattus fuscipes). The design of our study – four regular trapping grids – generated spatio-temporal data with binary responses and many covariates. We used powerful and relatively new statistical methodology to deal with the spatio-temporal dependence patterns in the data – analytical problems that are common in trapping data such as these modelled here. Although A. agilis, A. swainsonii and R. fuscipes are among the best studied mammals in Australia, our data analysis produced new perspectives on their probability of being captured. In particular, we quantified how capture probability is affected by trap position within a trapping grid, day of capture in a sequence of trapping days, history of trap occupancy over time by different species and sexes of those species, time of the year or season, and microhabitat attributes. Our insights are discussed in terms of their consequences for trapping protocols that might be applied in the field.
42
Kariuki, Maina. "Modelling the impacts of various thinning intensities on tree growth and survival in a mixed species eucalypt forest in central Gippsland, Victoria, Australia." Forest Ecology and Management 256, no. 12 (December 2008): 2007–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2008.07.035.
Full text
43
Kambouris, Peter J., Rodney P. Kavanagh, and Kelly A. Rowley. "Distribution, habitat preferences and management of the yellow-bellied glider, Petaurus australis, on the Bago Plateau, New South Wales: a reassessment of the population and its status." Wildlife Research 40, no. 7 (2013): 599. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr13021.
Full textAbstract:
Context A population of yellow-bellied glider on the Bago Plateau, near Tumbarumba, was listed as an Endangered Population in 2008 under the New South Wales (NSW) Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. The listing was based on limited data that suggested that the population is geographically and genetically distinct and its habitat in decline. Aims To review the validity of the endangered-population listing following the collection of new data on its distribution, habitat preferences and responses to logging. Methods Surveys for the yellow-bellied glider were conducted at a subset of sites established in 1995 on the Bago Plateau as well as across parts of the neighbouring Kosciuszko National Park, which had not been surveyed previously. The distribution of suitable habitat throughout these areas was evaluated. Key results The yellow-bellied glider was recorded at 29% of 48 sites resurveyed in 2010, 54% of which were previously occupied in 1995. Most changes in glider occupancy occurred at sites that had not been logged during the intervening period. The gliders preferred forest types dominated by montane gums (Eucalyptus dalrympleana, E. viminalis, E. camphora, E. pauciflora and E. stellulata) and used forest types of montane gums mixed with E. robertsonii or E. delegatensis in proportion to their availability across the landscape. The gliders were not observed to use monospecific stands of E. delegatensis. The yellow-bellied glider was also recorded frequently in Kosciuszko National Park. E. dalrympleana was consistently represented in the distribution of this species across the NSW Snowy Mountains. Conclusions Yellow-bellied glider site occupancy was not related to timber harvesting. Its habitat was not restricted by elevation or confined within Bago and Maragle State Forests by the Tumut River Gorge, Blowering and Talbingo Dams, as previously thought. We estimated that there is a large population of the gliders occupying up to 440 000 ha of contiguous habitat across the broader Snowy Mountains region of NSW, extending also into ACT and Victoria. Implications The listing of the Bago Plateau portion of this population as an endangered population appears inconsistent with relevant listing criteria and requires review.
44
Van Der Meer, Peter J., Paul Dignan, and Andrea G. Saveneh. "Effect of gap size on seedling establishment, growth and survival at three years in mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell.) forest in Victoria, Australia." Forest Ecology and Management 117, no. 1-3 (May 1999): 33–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0378-1127(98)00471-x.
Full text
45
Wilson, BA. "The Ecology of Pseudomys novaehollandiae (Waterhouse, 1843)." Wildlife Research 18, no. 2 (1991): 233. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9910233.
Full textAbstract:
The distribution, habitat preferences and population ecology of Pseudomys novaehollandiae in the Eastern Otways, Victoria, were studied from 1985 to 1989. The species has a patchy distribution and was captured at only four sites in heathy woodland-open forest. The population density of the species was low (0-3.1 ha-1) and the breeding season was from spring to summer. The vegetation on two trapping grids was classified into five floristic groups. Four small mammal species (Rattus lutreolus, Antechinus stuartii, Mus musculus and P. novaehollandiae) exhibited preferences for different floristic groups. There was evidence that P. novaehollandiae interacted, or competed, with M. musculus in one floristic group. Pseudomys novaehollandiae preferred two floristic groups which had high floristic diversity. Within these groups the species was associated with low dense vegetation cover. The decline of populations of P. novaehollandiae in this study is likely to be related to post-fire successional changes in the vegetation: either to loss of plant species diversity, or to loss of particular species or to low vegetation cover. Strategic burning of small areas within the preferred floristic vegetation is recommended to maintain a mosaic of suitable successional ages for the conservation of this endangered species.
46
Cooke, R., R. Wallis, F. Hogan, J. White, and A. Webster. "The diet of powerful owls (Ninox strenua) and prey availability in a continuum of habitats from disturbed urban fringe to protected forest environments in south-eastern Australia." Wildlife Research 33, no. 3 (2006): 199. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr05058.
Full textAbstract:
This study investigates the diet of six breeding pairs of powerful owls in the Yarra Valley Corridor in Victoria, Australia, and compares prey consumption with prey availability. The six sites represent a continuum of habitats, ranging from urban Melbourne, through the urban fringe interface to a more forested landscape. We found that powerful owls in the Yarra Valley Corridor are reliant almost exclusively on arboreal marsupial prey as their preferred diet, with 99% of their overall diet comprising four arboreal marsupial species. These four species (the common ringtail possum, common brushtail possum, sugar glider and greater glider) were also the most abundant species observed while spotlighting; however, their abundance varied along the continuum. There was a strong positive relationship with the presence of these species in the diet and their site-specific availability, indicating that the powerful owl is a generalist hunter, preying on the most available prey at a given site and in a given season. This study suggests that food resources are high in these disturbed urban fringe sites and it is unlikely that food availability in urban environments will limit the potential survival of urban powerful owls.
47
Lindenmayer, D. B., R. B. Cunningham, C. F. Donnelly, B. E. Triggs, and M. Belvedere. "Factors influencing the occurrence of mammals in retained linear strips (wildlife corridors) and contiguous stands of montane ash forest in the Central Highlands of Victoria, southeastern Australia." Forest Ecology and Management 67, no. 1-3 (August 1994): 113–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0378-1127(94)90011-6.
Full text
48
Lindenmayer, DB, RC Lacy, VC Thomas, and TW Clark. "Predictions of the impacts of changes in population size and environmental variablitity on Leadbeater's possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri McCoy (Marsupialia: Petauridae) using population viability analysis: an application of the computer program VORTEX." Wildlife Research 20, no. 1 (1993): 67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9930067.
Full textAbstract:
Population Viability Analysis (PVA) uses computer modelling to simulate interacting deterministic and stochastic factors (e.g. demographic, genetic, spatial, environmental and catastrophic processes) that act on small populations and assess their long-term vulnerability to extinction. The computer program VORTEX was used in a PVA of Leadbeater's possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri McCoy, an endangered arboreal marsupial that is restricted to the montane ash forests of the central highlands of Victoria. PVA was used to examine the impacts of changes in the size of subpopulations and the effects of environmental variation. Our analyses demonstrated that an annual linear decline in the carrying capacity in all or parts of the habitat will lead to the extinction of G. leadbeateri in those areas. Mean time to extinction was related to the rate of annual decrease. This conclusion is of practical and management importance as there is presently a decline in suitable habitat because of an annual loss of more than 3.5% of trees with hollows, which provide nest sites for G. leadbeateri. Because nest sites are a factor that limits populations of G. leadbeateri, the species could be lost from large areas within the next 50 years. PVA was also used to determine the viability of populations in areas, such as oldgrowth forest, where there is not likely to be a steady decline in habitat carrying capacity resulting from the loss of trees with hollows. This allowed an analysis of the cumulative impacts of small population size, environmental variation and genetic factors, which showed that, for a 100-year projection, simulated populations of 200 animals or more remained demographically stable and experienced a less than 10% decline in predicted genetic variability. However, the relatively simplified nature of population modelling and the suite of assumptions that underpin VORTEX mean that the probability of extinction of populations of this size may be greater than determined in this study. As a result, it is possible that only populations of more than 200 animals may persist in the long term where suitable habitat can be conserved or established and subsequently maintained without a reduction in carrying capacity.
49
Mansfield, C., A. H. Arnold, T. L. Bell, and A. York. "Habitat characteristics of a threatened arboreal marsupial and its resource use in a degraded landscape: the brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa tapoatafa) in central Victoria, Australia." Wildlife Research 44, no. 2 (2017): 153. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr16104.
Full textAbstract:
Context Habitat loss and degradation has contributed significantly to the decline of many species worldwide. To address this loss, we first require a comprehensive understanding of habitat requirements and resource-use patterns of the species under threat. Aims The study aimed to quantify variation in the habitat of a species threatened by habitat loss and degradation, the brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa tapoatafa), by measuring several physical characteristics of trees and ground cover, as well as to determine potential foraging resource preferences using abundance data from a long-term monitoring study. Methods Phascogale monitoring surveys were conducted over a 13-year period from 2000 to 2012. Habitat variables characterising tree communities, ground cover and coarse woody debris were used to develop explanatory models of phascogale abundance at the site scale. Tree species preference by foraging phascogales was evaluated by comparing usage (trees on which they were captured) and availability. Key results The highest overall animal abundance was at sites characterised by associations of red stringybark, red box, grey box and broad-leaved and narrow-leaved peppermints. At these sites, red stringybark and grey box trees were of small diameter and tended to have small hollows. These sites also had low average tree height, low grass and/or herb and shrub cover and low volumes of coarse woody debris. From a resource-use perspective, phascogales foraged preferentially on certain species of Eucalyptus. Conclusions Our study suggests that phascogale abundance is highly spatially and temporally variable, most likely as a response to heterogeneity in habitat and foraging resources operating at a range of spatial scales. Implications This study has provided new information concerning spatial patterns of phascogale abundance and resource use within a forested area in central Victoria that has been subjected to multiple disturbances. Currently, the composition and age structure of tree communities and ground habitats are a response to severe disturbance due to past mining and harvesting activities. Successful conservation of this threatened species could be enhanced through active management of this forest to maintain the ongoing supply of nesting hollows and foraging resources.
50
Rees, Michael, and David Paull. "Distribution of the southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) in the Portland region of south-western Victoria." Wildlife Research 27, no. 5 (2000): 539. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr99045.
Full textAbstract:
The southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) occurs across the periphery of southern and eastern Australia as a series of isolated regional populations. Historical records and recent surveys conducted for I. obesulus indicate that it has disappeared or decreased significantly from many parts of its former range. Vegetation clearance, habitat fragmentation, feral predators and fire have all been implicated in the decline of the species. This paper examines the distribution of I. obesulus in the Portland region of south-western Victoria. Historical records of I. obesulus were compiled from the specimen collection of Museum Victoria, the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife, Portland Field Naturalists’ Club records and anecdotal sources. Field surveys were conducted to determine the current distribution of I. obesulus in the study area based on evidence of its foraging activity. The historical records reveal limited information: most are clustered around centres of human activity, indicating observational bias. The field surveys demonstrate that I. obesulus occurs in the Portland region as a series of local populations. Each local population is associated with a patch of remnant native vegetation separated from neighbouring patches by dispersal barriers. Within these habitat remnants the occurrence of the species is sporadic. Approximately 69% of the potential habitat is managed by the Forests Service, 31% is managed by Parks Victoria, and less than 0.5% is held under other tenures. Spatial isolation of habitat remnants, fires and feral predators are the main threats to I. obesulus in the Portland region.