Related Papers
Austral Ecology
The responses of small mammals to patches regenerating after fire and rainfall in the Simpson Desert, central Australia
2008 •
Christopher Dickman
Journal of Arid Environments
The responses of small mammals and lizards to post-fire succession and rainfall in arid Australia
2004 •
Christopher Dickman
Ecological Management & Restoration
Cross-cultural systematic biological surveys in Australia’s Western Desert
Biological Reviews
Resource pulses and mammalian dynamics: conceptual models for hummock grasslands and other Australian desert habitats
2009 •
Christopher Dickman
Australian Mammalogy
The status of non-volant mammals along a rainfall gradient in the south-west Kimberley, Western Australia
2012 •
Tony Start
To assess the current status of mammals in relation to mean annual rainfall and to improve knowledge of the original mammalian assemblages in tropical Western Australia, extant terrestrial mammals and subfossil mammalian remains were sought along a rainfall gradient in two parallel ranges in the Kimberley, Western Australia. As expected, extant mammal species richness decreased with decreasing rainfall. Data from other studies in higher-rainfall areas complemented this conclusion and a parallel decline in trap success implied an overall decline in abundance, although numbers of two rodents (Rattus tunneyi and Zyzomys argurus) were highly variable. Small rodents were rare. Subfossil deposits were biased by accumulation processes, with most attributable to tytonid owls. They largely consisted of rodent and, to a lesser extent, small dasyurid bones and there was a high level of consistency in the proportional composition of many common species across the rainfall gradient. Most deposit...
The biology and palaeontology of the Peramelemorphia: a review of current knowledge and future research directions
Kenny Travouillon, Natalie Warburton
Bandicoots and bilbies (Marsupialia : Peramelemorphia) represent the dominant omnivorous clade of Australasian marsupials and, as ground-dwelling, small-to medium-sized mammals, have not fared well in the 200 years since European settlement. Unlike large or charismatic marsupial species, the cryptic nature of bandicoots and bilbies tends to keep them out of the public eye, at a time when public interest plays a significant role in conservation efforts. The inconspicuous 'rat-like' appearance of many bandicoots and a generalist ecological strategy belie a complex biology of adaptive traits and evolutionary diversity. For a few species these biological traits have enabled them to make use of urban environments. In the main, however, peramelemorphians are facing ongoing pressure from introduced predators and human impacts. Basic biological information for many species, particularly those from New Guinea, is still lacking. In this review, we examine advances in the knowledge of the biology of this group over the past 25 years including anatomical, physiological and ecological studies. We also provide a comprehensive review of the fossil records of bandicoots in order to provide an up-to-date platform for future studies. From this work, it is clear that there is still much to be done regarding the taxonomy and biology of these animals before a more detailed understanding of the evolutionary history of this group can be elucidated.
Wildlife Research
Long-term dynamics of rodent populations in arid Australia: the influence of rainfall
1999 •
Christopher Dickman
Australian Mammalogy
Terrestrial mammals of the south-western Little Sandy Desert, Western Australia
2013 •
Tony Start
The mammal fauna of the south-western Little Sandy Desert was systematically surveyed during three visits to each of five sites at three locations representing the array of surfaces in the biogeomorphic landscape of the study area. A fourth, less systematic, expedition revisited one location and sampled two new ones. Nineteen extant, native species and seven exotic species were recorded. Fourteen extant species were below the Critical Weight Range (CWR), two (both large macropods) were above it and three (a monotreme, a rodent and a dasyurid) were within it. Another five CWR species may persist but were not recorded. An additional 19 species, all within the CWR, are thought to have occurred in the area but are now presumed extinct or locally extinct; we recorded evidence for the former presence of four of them. Surface type was an important determinant of habitat and spatially minor surfaces were disproportionately diverse but differed in their relevance to indigenous and exotic spe...
Australian Mammalogy
Verifying bilby presence and the systematic sampling of wild populations using sign-based protocols – with notes on aerial and ground survey techniques and asserting absence
2019 •
Glen Gaikhorst
The recognition of sign such as tracks, scats, diggings or burrows is widely used to detect rare or elusive species. We describe the type of sign that can be used to confirm the presence of the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) in comparison with sign that should be used only to flag potential presence. Clear track imprints of the front and hind feet, diggings at the base of plants to extract root-dwelling larvae, and scats commonly found at diggings can be used individually, or in combination, to verify presence, whereas track gait pattern, diggings in the open, and burrows should be used to flag potential bilby activity but not to verify presence. A protocol to assess potential activity and verify bilby presence is provided. We provide advice on the application of a plot-based technique to systematically search for sign and produce data for the estimation of regional occupancy. Digging and burrow activity can be readily detected from the air but systematic ground-based assessment t...
Journal of Arid Environments
A fresh framework for the ecology of arid Australia
2011 •
David Roshier, R. McAllister
A revised set of propositions about ecology in arid Australia is presented, based on research literature since publication of Stafford Smith and Morton (1990). Fourteen propositions distil our argument that most features of the Australian deserts are explicable in terms of two dominant physical and climatic elements: rainfall variability, leading to extended droughts and occasional flooding rains; and widespread nutrient poverty. Different landscapes within the arid zone show these features to varying degrees, and so it is important to think about different places separately when considering our propositions. Plant life-histories strongly reflect temporal patterns of soil moisture; because Australian deserts receive more variable rainfall than most others, there is a distinctive spectrum of life-histories. Low levels of phosphorus (together with abundant soil moisture on irregular occasions) favour plants producing a relative excess of carbohydrate (C). In turn, C-rich plant products sometimes lead to fire-prone ecosystems, assemblages dominated by consumers of sap and other C-based products, and abundant detritivores (particularly termites). Fluctuations in production due to variable rainfall provide openings for consumers with opportunistic life-histories, including inhabitants of extensive but ephemeral rivers and lakes. Most consumer species exhibit some dietary flexibility or utilise more dependable resources; these strategies give rise to greater stability in species dynamics and composition of assemblages than might first be imagined under the variable rainfall regime. Aboriginal people have had long-standing ecological influence as they accessed resources. For each proposition we suggest the extent to which it is ‘different’, ‘accentuated’ or ‘universal’ in comparison with other deserts of the world, recognising that this categorisation is in need of critical testing. Further tests of each proposition are also suggested to fill the many gaps that still exist in our knowledge of the structure and functioning of Australia’s deserts.
