Patterns of co‐occurrence among arboreal marsupials in the forests of central Victoria, southeastern Australia

Abstract

Patterns of co-occurrence were examined among the suite of species of arboreal marsupials that inhabit the montane ash forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria, southeastern Australia. The data used in our analyses were counts of different species of arboreal marsupials derived from stagwatching surveys of 152 sites throughout the Central Highlands region. Our work investigated both the number of species that tend to occur together, as well as identity ofthe taxa in such associations. A total of eight different species of arboreal marsupials were recorded from field surveys of montane ash forests: Leadbeater's Possum {Gymnobelideus leadbeateri), Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps). Yellow-bellied Glider {Petaurus australis). Greater Glider {Petauroides volans). Mountain Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus caninus), Feathertail Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus). Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrimis), and Eastern Pygmy Possum {Cercartetus nanus).Large assemblages of taxa were rare and no sites supported the full array of species of arboreal marsupialsthe maximum number of species recorded on a given 3 ha site was five. The results of our analyses indicated that if any one species of arboreal marsupials was present at a site, then on average 1.5 other taxa will co-itihabit that site. The exception was the Common Ringtail Possum. When this species was detected, few other arboreal marsupial taxa tended to be recorded with it. Principal Co-ordinates Analysis showed that although combinations of animals comprised of either Mountain Brushtail Possum, Leadbeater's Possum, or Greater Glider were often recorded, there were no strong patterns in the identities of co-occurring taxa. This finding, together with the result that most taxa in these forests typically cooccurred with one or two other species, indicates that none of the arboreal marsupials inhabiting the montane ash forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria would be a good surrogate for (or 'indicator' of), the presence ofthe suite of other species in the assemblage.

Species’ surrogacy for conservation planning: caveats from comparing the response of three arboreal rodents to habitat loss and fragmentation

“…However, relatively mature forest with rich understory will guarantee habitat for the three species. Nevertheless, landscape planning should always integrate forest management to ensure that an adequate habitat is provided in the selected areas, unlike other areas where it was not possible to satisfy the requirements of the diVerent arboreal species (Lindenmayer and Cunningham 1997).…”

“…Arboreal mammals, such as arboreal marsupials, tree squirrels and dormice are often threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation (Lindenmayer and Cunningham 1997;Koprowski 2005). In European regions, various single-species studies have been carried out, suggesting similar responses in this guild of mammals (e.g.…”

An objective and quantitative methodology for constructing an index of stand structural complexity

“…Key species have had limited success because robust relationships between potential indicator species, or groups of species, and total biodiversity have not been well established (Duelli and Obrist, 2003;Lindenmayer and Cunningham, 1997;Yen, 1987;Majer, 1983). On this basis, Margules et al (2002) concluded that there was no compelling evidence that groups of species could be used to represent biodiversity as a whole.…”

Vertebrate species assemblages and species sensitivity to logging in the forests of north-eastern New South Wales

“…Large forest owls and marsupial gliders have also been nominated as potential indicators of the status of other old-forest dependent species on the basis of their ecological requirements for old, hollow trees, their large body sizes, large spatial requirements, degree of arboreality, use of specialised food resources, and their known or suspected sensitivity to intensive logging (Kavanagh, 1991;Milledge et al, 1991). Lindenmayer and Cunningham (1997) analysed the patterns of cooccurrence of seven species of arboreal marsupials living within one forest vegetation type in Victoria, concluding that none of the arboreal marsupials encountered would be a good surrogate for, or indicator of, the presence of the suite of other species in the assemblage because most sites supported only few species (and species differed in their membership of functional groups).…”