Mammal Species Diversity in Australian Heathlands: the Importance of Pyric Succession and Habitat Diversity

Fox, Barry J.

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-68935-2_24

Cited by 29 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This successional trajectory is similar to those seen in fire succession studies, where M. domesticus was the first species to recolonise recently disturbed areas (e.g. Fox, 1983;Fox et al, 2003;Wilson and Moloney, 1985), followed by R. lutreolus or a dasyurid species (Fox, 1983) depending on factors such as other species present, the density of vegetation (Fox and Fox, 1984;Monamy and Fox, 2000), and the intensity of disturbance (Fox and Fox, 1984). Driessen (1999) also found M. fuscus colonised burnt areas within 2 and 3 years following fire, which is consistent with the present study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Recolonisation of powerline corridor vegetation by small mammals: Timing and the influence of vegetation management

Clarke

White

2008

Landscape and Urban Planning

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Recolonisation of powerline corridor vegetation by small mammals: Timing and the influence of vegetation management

Clarke

White

2008

Landscape and Urban Planning

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“…If shrubs, ground cover and litter are removed the reduction in forest complexity results in a corresponding reduction in diversity and abundance of small mammals (e.g. Recher et al 1974;Braithwaite and Gullan 1978;Fox 1978Fox , 1981Fox , 1982Fox , 1983Friend 1979;Newsome and Catling 1979;Catling 1986;. Catling (1991) identified P. novaehollandiae, R. lutreolus and R. fuscipes as being disadvantaged by the reduction of habitat complexity after disturbance such as fire.…”

Section: Covermentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The population responses of animals to fire have often been studied (e.g. Recher et al 1974;Fox 1981Fox , 1982Fox , 1983, and the recent reviews by Catling (1991), Friend (1993), Whelan (1995) and Wilson (1996) provide excellent summaries of population and community responses of small mammals to fire in Australia. Generally, however, patterns of response rather than mechanisms behind population recovery have been investigated, and evidence linking population recovery with changes in the post-fire environment is often weak or circumstantial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Mechanisms of recovery after fire by rodents in the Australian environment: a review

Sutherland¹,

Dickman²

1999

Wildl. Res.

136

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Possible impacts and mechanisms of response by Australian rodents to fire are identified and discussed in relation to the literature. Although there is considerable information on patterns of population response, there is little concerning the effect of fire on individual behaviour, mortality, or interactions at the community level. The evidence that links observed responses of rodents to habitat variables is largely correlative, and theories on mechanisms of recovery are often simplified or speculative. Experimental manipulations of resources, competitive interactions and predation rates are proposed as the best way to clarify which factors are most influential upon individuals, populations and communities in the post-fire environment.

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“…In Tasmania, for example, R. lutreolus uses very moist areas with dense ground cover (Norton 1987;Monamy 1995). On mainland Australia, Fox (1983) noted that the pre-fire habitat of R. fu- Fig. 6 The daily appearance rate (number of animals per day) of new R. fuscipes (mean±SE) in control and experimental sites, before (filled bars) and after (open bars) the removal of R. lutreolus (n=2 for control and experimental sites) ing paired dyad encounters between individuals of Microtus, Peromyscus and Clethrionomys in a large, seminatural enclosure, Grant (1970Grant ( , 1971 suggested that interspecific aggression between heterospecifics could explain the habitat use of Peromyscus and Clethrionomys in the field depending on the presence or absence of Microtus spp.…”

Section: Habitat Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Competition and habitat use in native Australian Rattus: is competition intense, or important?

Maitz

Dickman

2001

Oecologia

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This study investigates patterns of habitat use and competition in sympatric populations of the bush rat, Rattus fuscipes, and swamp rat, R. lutreolus, in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia. Radiotracking showed that the home ranges of R. fuscipes tended to occupy woodland more than those of R. lutreolus, whereas use of heath and sedgeland by both species was equal. Home range overlaps were less between the two species than between individuals of R. lutreolus. Trap-captures showed that both species used structurally complex microhabitats, but also that R. fuscipes occupied relatively drier sites with denser leaf litter and taller canopy than R. lutreolus. In a field enclosure containing equal parts dense sedge and woodland, both species spent most time in the sedge. R. lutreolus frequently initiated agonistic behaviour and dominated its smaller congener; subordinate individuals fled or vocalized loudly. To test whether the observed patterns of habitat use of R. fuscipes resulted from habitat selection or competition with R. lutreolus, a field experiment was carried out in which the latter species was removed from two study sites but maintained in two controls. Following removal, the capture rate of R. fuscipes increased some 6.5-fold in sedgeland habitat that had been occupied formerly by R. lutreolus, while capture rates in sedge in the control sites remained unchanged. The rapidity of the habitat shift implicates current or intense competition, mediated by interference. Although interference is a costly process, it may benefit the dominant R. lutreolus by allowing priority of access to preferred moist habitats containing important food or shelter resources. Conversely, R. fuscipes may tolerate interference if it benefits from even temporary access to moist habitats, can reliably detect and avoid R. lutreolus prior to encounters, or has access to drier woodland areas under-used by the dominant species. We suggest finally that extensive gene flow in R. fuscipes may preclude adaptive shifts in habitat preferences in local populations that are sympatric with R. lutreolus, thus reducing the importance of competition but maintaining its intensity over time.

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Mammal Species Diversity in Australian Heathlands: the Importance of Pyric Succession and Habitat Diversity

Cited by 29 publications

References 22 publications

Recolonisation of powerline corridor vegetation by small mammals: Timing and the influence of vegetation management

Recolonisation of powerline corridor vegetation by small mammals: Timing and the influence of vegetation management

Mechanisms of recovery after fire by rodents in the Australian environment: a review

Competition and habitat use in native Australian Rattus: is competition intense, or important?

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