Gradient analysis of macropod distribution in open forest and woodland of eastern Australia

Southwell, Colin; Cairns, S. C.; Pople, Anthony; Delaney, R.

doi:10.1046/j.1442-9993.1999.241954.x

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This hypothesis is supported by studies that have shown that some groups of birds (Martinsen and Whitham 1994;Poulsen 2002), mammals (Southwell et al 1999;Williams et al 2002), and amphibians (Atauri and Lucio 2001) respond positively to the physiognomic complexity of host plants and, furthermore, by studies that have shown a positive effect of taxonomic diversity of host plant species on the associated communities (Siemann et al 1998;Beals 2006).…”

Section: Habitat Heterogeneitymentioning

confidence: 86%

Oak canopy arthropod communities: which factors shape its structure?

Valencia-Cuevas

Tovar-Sánchez

2015

Rev. Chil. de Hist. Nat.

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Canopy of forest ecosystems has been recognized as a habitat that supports a wide variety of plants, vertebrates, invertebrates, and microbes. Within the invertebrate group, arthropods are characterized by their great abundance, diversity, and functional importance. Particularly in temperate forests, species of the genus Quercus (oaks) are one of the most important tree canopy groups, for its diversity and dominance. Different studies have shown that the oak canopy contains a high diversity of arthropods suggesting their importance as habitat for this group of organisms. In this review, we investigated the factors that determine the establishment, organization, and maintenance of arthropod communities in the oak canopy. In general, it was found that there is a lack of literature that addresses the study of oak canopy arthropod communities. Also, the following patterns were found: (a) the research has covered a wide variety of topics; however, there are differences in the depth to which each topic has been analyzed, (b) there are ambiguous criteria to define the structure of the canopy, (c) groups with different habitat preferences belonging to different guilds and uneven development stages have been studied, avoiding generalizations about patterns found, (d) the standardization in sampling techniques and collection has been difficult, (e) bias exists towards the study of phytophagous insects belonging to the Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera orders, and (f) there are few studies in other groups of arthropods, for example, acorn borers, whose activity has an impact on the fitness and dispersion of the host plants. Finally, we propose that the detection and study of patterns in oak canopy communities can be of great value to propose management and conservation strategies in these forests.

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Section: Habitat Heterogeneitymentioning

confidence: 86%

Oak canopy arthropod communities: which factors shape its structure?

Valencia-Cuevas

Tovar-Sánchez

2015

Rev. Chil. de Hist. Nat.

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“…The upper part of the park has a large area of rupestrian habitats and grasslands, with just a few forest patches that have a more abrupt transition to open vegetation, minimizing the productivity and niche availability and consequently species richness. The area of open grasslands in the upper part of RPSP is unfavorable to the determining factors of species richness, such as complexity (August 1983), habitat heterogeneity (Southwell et al 1999, Williamset al 2002 and primary productivity (Waide et al 1999, Jetz et al 2009, Sandomet al 2013.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generally, heterogeneous habitats provide the conditions for the establishment of a large number of species (Kerr and Packer 1997, Kreft and Jetz 2007, Stein et al 2014. In fact, a review of studies on environmental heterogeneity and diversity found that 85% of the publications arrived at a positive correlation between heterogeneous ecosystems and species richness (Tews et al 2004), including mammals (e.g., Southwell et al 1999, Williams et al 2002. Among the exceptions to this is the work of August (1983), who did not find a positive relationship between habitat heterogeneity (as defined by the horizontal variation within a habitat) and mammal species richness in the Venezuelan llanos, even though habitat complexity (as defined by the vertical stratification of the habitat) in his data was positively correlated with richness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of vegetation physiognomy, elevation and fire frequency on medium and large mammals in two protected areas of the Espinhaço Range

Pinho

Ferreira

Paglia³

2017

Zoologia

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ABSTRACT. The objectives of this study were to determine the richness of medium and large mammal species in two protected areas of the Espinhaço Mountain Range, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil; and to investigate the factors affecting the occurrence of those species. To accomplish that we placed 49 camera traps activated by heat and motion at Rio Preto State Park (RPSP) and 48 at Sempre Vivas National Park (SVNP). We also collected data on three environmental variables: vegetation physiognomy, elevation and wildfire frequency, to evaluate the influence of these factors on species richness and use intensity (inferred from camera trap detection rate) by large mammals. We recorded 23 large mammal species in the two parks combined. The lowest species richness was found at the rupestrian habitat of RPSP, and in the open grasslands of SVNP. The forest and savannah physiognomies were used more intensively by large mammals. Species richness was higher and use was greater at lower elevations of RPSP. In SVNP, fire frequency did not affect species richness or use intensity. The savannah habitat had very similar richness compared to the forests of the two protected areas. The high species richness and use intensity observed in these forest habitats highlights the importance of riparian environments in the Cerrado biome. The highest species richness and use intensity observed at low elevation follows patterns found in the literature, probably due to variation in the vegetation, which results in greater resource availability. Although rupestrian habitats at high elevations of the Espinhaço Range are known to have a high degree of endemism for some taxa, large mammal richness and use were not high in this habitat. These results indicate that the protection of native vegetation at lower elevations is crucial for the long-term conservation of large mammals in the Espinhaço Range. KEY WORDS. Cerrado, campo rupestre, species richness, use of habitat, wildfire.

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“…Common wallaroos and eastern grey kangaroos were found at mean densities of 1 individual/km 2 . As a comparison, in southern Australia, eastern grey kangaroos and common wallaroos have been recorded at densities above 30 individuals/km 2 (Southwell et al 1999). Likewise, red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) have been found at similar densities in the arid southern rangelands of Australia (Caughley et al 1977, Cairns et al 1991.…”

Section: Abundance Of Macropods In Australiamentioning

confidence: 93%

Large-Herbivore Distribution and Abundance: Intra- And Interspecific Niche Variation in the Tropics

Ritchie

Martin

Krockenberger

et al. 2008

Ecological Monographs

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Abstract. Determining the biological and environmental factors that limit the distribution and abundance of organisms is central to our understanding of the niche concept and crucial for predicting how species may respond to large-scale environmental change, such as global warming. However, detailed ecological information for the majority of species has been collected only at a local scale, and insufficient consideration has been given to geographical variation in intraspecific niche requirements. To evaluate the influence of environmental and biological factors on patterns of species distribution and abundance, we conducted a detailed, broadscale study across the tropical savannas of northern Australia on the ecology of three large, sympatric marsupial herbivores (family Macropodidae): the antilopine wallaroo (Macropus antilopinus), common wallaroo (M. robustus), and eastern grey kangaroo (M. giganteus). Using information on species abundance, climate, fire history, habitat, and resource availability, we constructed species' habitat models varying from the level of the complete distribution to smaller regional areas. Multiple factors affected macropod abundance, and the importance of these factors was dependent on the spatial scale of analyses. Fire regimes, water availability, geology, and soil type and climate were most important at the large scale, whereas aspects of habitat structure and interspecific species abundance were important at smaller scales. The distribution and abundance of eastern grey kangaroos and common wallaroos were strongly influenced by climate. Our results suggest that interspecific competition between antilopine wallaroos and eastern grey kangaroos may occur. The antilopine wallaroo and eastern grey kangaroo (grazers) preferred more nutrientrich soils than the common wallaroo (grazer/browser), which we relate to differences in feeding modes. The abundance of antilopine wallaroos was higher on sites that were burned, whereas the abundance of common wallaroos was higher on unburned sites. Future climate change predicted for Australia has the capacity to seriously affect the abundance and conservation of macropod species in tropical savannas. The results of our models suggest that, in particular, the effects of changing climatic conditions on fire regimes, habitat structure, and water availability may lead to species declines and marked changes in macropod communities.

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Gradient analysis of macropod distribution in open forest and woodland of eastern Australia

Cited by 26 publications

References 30 publications

Oak canopy arthropod communities: which factors shape its structure?

Oak canopy arthropod communities: which factors shape its structure?

Influence of vegetation physiognomy, elevation and fire frequency on medium and large mammals in two protected areas of the Espinhaço Range

Large-Herbivore Distribution and Abundance: Intra- And Interspecific Niche Variation in the Tropics

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