The response of arboreal marsupials to long‐term changes in forest disturbance

Animal Conservation - Tập 24 Số 2 - Trang 246-258 - 2021
David B. Lindenmayer1,2, Wade Blanchard1, David Blair3,2, Lachlan McBurney2, Chris Taylor1, Benjamin C. Scheele1,2, Martin J. Westgate1, Natasha Robinson1,2, Claire N. Foster1
1Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2National Environmental Science Program Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
3Deceased

Tóm tắt

AbstractQuantifying the long‐term population trajectory of species and the factors affecting these trends is a fundamental part of animal conservation. We describe the results of a long‐term investigation of temporal changes in the occurrence of arboreal marsupials in the wet eucalypt forests of south‐eastern Australia. The assemblage includes habitat specialists such as the vulnerable greater glider Petauroides volans and the critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum Gymnobelideus leadbeateri, as well as common and widespread taxa. Using data gathered between 1997 and 2018, we quantified relationships between site occupancy of four marsupial species and spatio‐temporal site and landscape‐level variables, including the number of hollow‐bearing trees at a site, and the extent of fire and logging in the surrounding landscape. We found evidence that: (1) The number of hollow‐bearing trees (which are critical den sites for arboreal marsupials) has declined substantially in the past two decades. (2) There was a decline in all species of arboreal marsupials. (3) The presence of all species of arboreal marsupials was positively linked to the number of large old hollow‐bearing trees at a site. (4) The extent of logging disturbance in the landscape surrounding a site had a positive impact on the sugar glider Petaurus breviceps but a negative effect on Leadbeater’s possum. This suggests that ongoing logging will have further negative impacts on Leadbeater’s possum. (5) The presence of the greater glider and sugar glider declined with increasing amounts of fire in the landscape. Negative fire effects are a concern as montane ash forests are increasingly susceptible to high‐severity wildfires. Stronger efforts are needed to reduce the extent and frequency of logging and fire disturbance in mountain ash forests to protect arboreal marsupial populations.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

10.1111/aec.12583

Ambrose G.J.(1982). An ecological and behavioural study of vertebrates using hollows in Eucalypt branches. Ph.D.Melbourne:La Trobe University.

Ashton D.H., 1981, fire and the Australian biota, 339

10.1126/science.aax9387

10.1071/WR9840041

10.18637/jss.v080.i01

10.32614/RJ-2018-017

10.1073/pnas.1704949114

Debus S.J.S., 2009, The owls of Australia: a field guide to Australian night birds

Department of Environment and Primary Industries, 2014, Victorian Bushfires Severity Map 2009 (Polygons) Malbourne

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, 2019, Logging history overlay of most recent harvesting activities

10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110316-022612

Frelich L.E., 2005, Forest dynamics and disturbance regimes. Studies from temperate evergreen‐deciduous forests

10.1214/ss/1177011136

10.1071/9780643090033

10.1126/sciadv.1500052

How R.A., 1972, The ecology and management of Trichosurus spp. (Marsupialia) in N.S.W

10.1111/ele.12387

IPBES (Intergovernmental Science‐policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), 2019, IPBES Global Assessment Summary for Policymakers

Lindenmayer D.B., 2002, Gliders of Australia. A natural history

10.1016/S0378-1127(97)00231-4

10.1071/ZO9960625

10.1017/S0814062600001865

10.1016/0006-3207(91)90063-F

10.1890/1051-0761(1997)007[0625:DACOTW]2.0.CO;2

10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00171-4

10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.022

10.1890/120220

10.1016/j.foreco.2017.02.014

10.7882/AZ.2017.028

10.1016/j.foreco.2018.08.013

10.1016/j.biocon.2018.04.007

10.1016/j.biocon.2018.03.007

10.1016/j.foreco.2019.117656

10.1038/536143a

10.1016/S0378-1127(99)00066-3

McComb L.B., 2018, Feral cat predation on Leadbeater’s possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) and observations of arboreal hunting at nest boxes, Aust. Mammal., 41, 462

Morrison M.L., 2006, Wildlife‐habitat relationships. Concepts and applications

10.1111/ele.13361

10.1371/journal.pone.0192819

Office of the Premier of Victoria, 2019, Securing the future for forestry industry workers

R Core Team, 2018, R: a language and environment for statistical computin

10.1007/BF00683223

10.2307/1938471

Savill P.S., 1993, Silviculture in windy climates, Commonw. Forestry Abstr., 44, 473

10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.06.084

10.1126/science.aav0379

10.1071/ZO18021

10.1111/aec.12805

10.1111/conl.12122

10.1111/j.1469-185X.2011.00216.x

10.1007/s11222-016-9696-4

VicForests, 2019, Approved timber release plan 2019

Whelan R.J., 1995, The ecology of fire

10.1111/aec.12594

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Animal Conservation

Tập 24 Số 2

246-258

Thông tin tác giả