RelictBettongia lesueurwarrens in Western Australian deserts

Abstract

The Boodie or Burrowing Bettong Bettongia lesueur became extinct on the Australian mainland by about 1960 but, in some areas, left evidence of its previous distribution in the form of relict landscape features, which remain widespread in arid areas with hard soils. We recorded the location of landscape features ('mounds'), which we attributed to B. lesueur, in the western deserts during the 1980s and 1990s. There were two types of mounds -large, irregular shaped mounds of calcrete or clayey soils that were accumulated spoil from warren digging and smaller, regular, and largely circular mounds on lateritic surfaces. We mapped mounds, which are visible as obvious features in an otherwise often monotonous landscape, during vehicular traverses of desert tracks over a 10-15 year period. Mound density along one 215 km traverse in the northern Gibson Desert was 5.9±0.96 km -2 . We measured attributes of both types of mound in the Gibson Desert. The former persist as warrens (often occupied by Rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus), have many entrances, are often large in aerial extent, and often associated with rock capping. The latter are largely symmetrical mounds, smaller (typically < 20 m in diameter), and with soil penetrability typically far greater than surrounding soil that often has a hard pan.

An outback oasis: the ecological importance of bilby burrows

“…data). Similarly, boodies (Bettongia lesueur), a burrowing marsupial of a similar size to bilbies, dig extensive warrens, and if dug into calcrete substrate, may remain in the landscape for over 30 years (Burbidge et al, 2007). Given bilbies show little site fidelity (Johnson, 1989), the ecological 'footprint' of an individual is likely much larger than its home range, as it includes the burrows it has previously excavated.…”

“…Given their abundance when present, it is therefore unsurprising that a range of species have been recorded using bilby burrows, including echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), brush-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus blythi), spinifex hopping mice (Notomys alexis) and sand goannas (Varanus gouldii), as well as a range of invertebrates, including hemipterans and coleopterans (Read et al, 2008;Hofstede & Dziminski, 2017). Under the right conditions, burrows of some species can last for over 30 years (Witz, Wilson & Palmer, 1991;Burbidge, Short & Fuller, 2007;Hofstede & Dziminski, 2017), and even abandoned burrows are still used by a range of species (Witz et al, 1991;Hofstede & Dziminski, 2017). Burrowing animals can therefore create long-lasting habitat and refuge legacy.…”

Ongoing unraveling of a continental fauna: Decline and extinction of Australian mammals since European settlement

“…However, it is not only bones that now lost mammals have left behind. The large and distinctive, but now abandoned, mounds and burrow complexes of the boodie Bettongia lesueur (a 1.2-kg rat-kangaroo, now restricted to a few small islands and reintroduced populations in mainland fenced areas) occur extensively and abundantly across the Australian Outback, and their crumbling remnants are readily visible from ground and aerial surveys or satellite images (44). The similarly now abandoned large (to 6 m 3 ) constructions of the two species (one now extinct, the other threatened and with a current range of <1% of its former distribution) of stick-nest rats (Leporillus apicalis and Leporillus conditor) have remained across much of the Outback decades after the loss of their builders (45).…”

Soil‐disturbance by native animals plays a critical role in maintaining healthy Australian landscapes

“…Relict Burrowing Bettong warrens in the Gibson Desert are known to have also harboured varanids, the Western Quoll ( Dasyurus geoffroii ) and Brushtail Possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) (Burbidge et al . 1988; Burbidge et al . 2007).…”

“…The Rabbit and Burrowing Bettong are known to co-habit warrens (Robley et al 2002;Read et al 2008). Relict Burrowing Bettong warrens in the Gibson Desert are known to have also harboured varanids, the Western Quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii) and Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) (Burbidge et al 1988;Burbidge et al 2007).…”