Differential habitat use by a local population of subadult common dunnarts, Sminthopsis murina, following wildfire in coastal wet heath, New South Wales, Australia
Vaughan Monamy A B C and Barry J. Fox AA School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
B Current address: Centre for Environmental Restoration and Stewardship, Australian Catholic University, PO Box 968, North Sydney, NSW 2059, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: v.monamy@mackillop.acu.edu.au
Wildlife Research 32(7) 617-624 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR04105
Submitted: 1 November 2004 Accepted: 22 August 2005 Published: 24 November 2005
Abstract
Little has been published about Sminthopsis murina, a small insectivorous marsupial encountered infrequently during trapping studies. Individuals favour vegetation associations found in recently burnt heathlands and forests; however, individuals rarely remain in such areas long enough for repeated capture. We report an unusual occurrence of habitat fidelity by a dense population of subadult S. murina in coastal wet heath, New South Wales, Australia. Individuals were captured repeatedly in the first 16 months following wildfire (30 subadults trapped 154 times: recapture rate = 80%). Densities peaked 10 months after fire at 3.75 individuals ha–1. More males than females were captured (23 males, 7 females). Habitat analyses revealed differential use of regenerating coastal wet heathland by S. murina. Significantly more captures were made in areas of high soil moisture in the first six months following fire. Captures then decreased in these areas but increased where soil moisture had been lower and where vegetation had been growing more slowly. Beyond the 1995/96 breeding season, regenerating vegetation became increasingly dense and less patchy and captures of S. murina ultimately declined to zero. This paper records a rare opportunity to examine habitat preferences of a single cohort of subadult S. murina. Habitat use may have been determined by the presence of a narrow range of vegetation structure.
Acknowledgments
This work has been supported in part from Australian Research Council grants to BJF (particularly A1/9330222 and A19700994), and was conducted with the permission of New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service and the University of New South Wales Animal Care and Ethics Committee. We thank the ACU National Institute for the Advancement of Research for time release to write this manuscript, and Dr Miranda Gott and Dr Jennifer Taylor for worthwhile comments that improved an early draft of this paper.
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