The use of habitat components by small mammals in eastern Australia

Barnett, J.L.; How, RA; Humphreys, W. F.

doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.1978.tb01177.x

Cited by 80 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(28 reference statements)

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“…Eleven categories of microhabitat were used, nine described previously in Bray (1994). These features have been found to be important in determining the local abundance of many species of small mammals, including the present study species (Barnett et al 1978;Dickman and Woodside 1983;Wilson 1991). Microhabitat descriptions, and sampling methodologies, are given in Table 1.…”

Section: Microhabitat Utilizationmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Barnett et al 1978;Gullan and Robinson 1980;Wilson et al 1986;Monamy 1995), and inferences about the effects of competition have been made at both the community level (Fox 1981(Fox , 1989 and for pairs of coexisting species (Leung 1994;Haering and Fox 1995;Luo et al 1998;Monamy and Fox 1999). Experimental removal studies have demonstrated further for one pair of species, the swamp rat Rattus lutreolus and eastern chestnut mouse Pseudomys gracilicaudatus, that competition is asymmetrical with the swamp rat restricting the smaller species to inferior microhabitats (Higgs and Fox 1993; see also Thompson and Fox 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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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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Section: Microhabitat Utilizationmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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

Maitz

Dickman

2001

Oecologia

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“…Some species, notably birds, may readily traverse gaps between patches of suitable habitat; but for many faunal species, even small habitat discontinuities may pose a distributional barrier, or a severe limitation to free movement (Savidge 1973, Oxley et al 1974, Barnett et al 1978, Campbell 1981, Mader 1984.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat corridors and the conservation of small mammals in a fragmented forest environment

1990

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At Naringal in south-western Victoria, Australia, clearing of the original forest environment has created an agricultural landscape dominated by grazed pastures of introduced grasses. Remnant forest vegetation is restricted to small patches of less than 100 ha in size, that are loosely linked by narrow forested strips along road reserves and creeks. Six native and two introduced species of small terrestrial mammal (< 2 kg) occur within this environment. The native mammals, being dependent upon forest vegetation, were less tolerant to forest fragmentation than were the introduced species that also persist in farmland and farm buildings. The native mammals displayed an increasing frequency of occurrence in successively larger size-classes of forest patches. Those species with the greatest body-weight were the most vulnerable to habitat loss. All species of small mammal occurred in narrow habitat corridors of forest vegetation on roadsides. The resident status, seasonal variation in relative abundance, patterns of reproduction, and movements of each species were monitored in two habitat corridors during a 25-month trapping study. The corridors were found to facilitate continuity between otherwise-isolated populations of small mammals in this locality in two ways: firstly, by providing a pathway for the dispersal of single animals between patches; and secondly, by enabling gene flow through populations resident within the corridors. The small size of forest remnants at Naringal, and the vulnerability of species with low population sizes, emphasize the importance of preserving a mosaic of numerous habitat patches that together will support regional populations of sufficient size for longer-term persistence. The continuity between remnant habitats that is provided by a network of habitat corridors is an essential, and critical, component of this conservation strategy.

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“…Many studies have demonstrated that the richness, distribution and abundance of co-existing small mammal species are influenced by the availability of microhabitats that can be measured by specific habitat variables (eg M'Closkey and Fieldwick 1975, Barnett et al 1978, Porter and Dueser 1982, Kemper and Bell 1985, Fa et al 1992, Laurance 1994. Dueser and Shugart (1978) investigated small mammal microhabitats in more structural detail than other studies by measuring 29 habitat variables around all their forest trap sites.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small mammal microhabitat use in lowland rain forest of north-east Madagascar

Stephenson

1995

Acta Theriol.

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This study describes a systematic small mammal trapping programme in the lowland rain forest of Anandrivola, north-east Madagascar. Trapping in both primary and secondary forest revealed the presence of nine small mammal species. Twenty-six habitat variables measured around each trap site were used to determine microhabitat preferences in the three most common small mammal species. The tenrec Microgale talazaci Major, 1896 was widespread but favoured microhabitats with relatively dense herbaceous growth. The endemic rodent Eliurus webbi Ellerman, 1949 was most often found deep within primary forest, in microhabitats characterized by low herb densities and abundant lianes. The introduced rat Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758) was trapped only in secondary forest, in microhabitats close to the forest edge with dense herbaceous growth. The effects of microhabitat availability on small mammal species distributions and the consequences for conservation are discussed.

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The use of habitat components by small mammals in eastern Australia

Cited by 80 publications

References 25 publications

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

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

Habitat corridors and the conservation of small mammals in a fragmented forest environment

Small mammal microhabitat use in lowland rain forest of north-east Madagascar

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