Fine-scale changes in spatial habitat use by a low-density koala population in an isolated periurban forest remnant
| Autor: | J. Guy Castley, Jean-Marc Hero, Alexa Mossaz, Gregory W. Lollback |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Genetic diversity education.field_of_study biology Ecology Population biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Eucalyptus tindaliae 010601 ecology Habitat Phascolarctos cinereus biology.animal Low density Animal Science and Zoology Scale (map) education Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics |
| Zdroj: | Australian Mammalogy. 40:84 |
| ISSN: | 0310-0049 |
| DOI: | 10.1071/am16036 |
| Popis: | Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations in south-east Queensland are in decline. Although various studies have looked at broad-scale tree preference and habitat quality, there has been little attempt to quantify fine-scale activity shifts from one year to the next or examination of activity at the mesoscale. This study quantified koala activity levels in a 909-ha forest patch at Karawatha Forest Park, in south Brisbane. The Spot Assessment Technique was used to quantify activity and tree selection on 33 long-term monitoring plots in 2009 and 2010. In total, 843 trees were searched and koala pellets were found underneath 34 and 47 trees in 2009 and 2010, respectively. A higher proportion of pellets was found underneath Eucalyptus tindaliae and E. fibrosa and there was weak selection for larger trees. A low occurrence of revisits and a minor shift in activity distribution from 2009 to 2010 indicate that the koala population exists at a low density. Rapid declines in koala populations are occurring in primary habitats. Hence, stable low-density koala populations are important for maintaining genetic diversity and connectivity in fragmented urban landscapes. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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