The Diet of Foxes, Vulpes Vulpes (L.), In Relation to Abundance of Prey Above the Winter Snowline in New South Wales.

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 349 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Green ◽  
WS Osborne

In areas above 1500 m altitude in Kosciusko National Park, New South Wales, between December 1978 and February 1980, the diet of foxes showed strong seasonal trends, with a high occurrence of Orthoptera and Lepidoptera in the snow-free months when these were common, and a general absence of invertebrates when snow covered the area. Small native mammals occurred in the diet in all months and were the winter staple diet; the genera preyed upon were Antechinus, Burramys, Mastacomys and Rattus. Mastacomys fuscus, although less common than Rattus fuscipes, was preyed upon as heavily; the implications of this selective predation are discussed. Foxes showed some selective patterns of predation both in the snow-free months and in winter.

1987 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lunney ◽  
B. Cullis ◽  
P. Eby

This study of the effects of logging on small mammals in Mumbulla State Forest on the south coast of New South Wales included the effects of a fire in November 1980 and a drought throughout the study period from June 1980 to June 1983. Rattus fuscipes was sensitive to change: logging had a significant impact on its numbers, response to ground cover, and recapture rate; fire had a more severe effect, and drought retarded the post-fire recovery of the population. The three species of dasyurid marsupials differed markedly in their response to ground cover, canopy cover, logging and fire. Antechinus stuartii was distributed evenly through all habitats and was not affected by logging, but fire had an immediate and adverse effect which was sustained by the intense drought. A. swainsonii markedly preferred the regenerating forest, and was not seen again after the fire, the failure of the population being attributed to its dependence on dense ground cover. Sminthopsis leucopus was found in low numbers, appeared to prefer forest with sparse ground cover, and showed no immediate response to logging or fire; its disappearance by the third year post-fire suggests that regenerating forest is inimical to the survival of this species. Mus musculus showed no response to logging. In the first year following the fire its numbers were still very low, but in the next year there was a short-lived plague which coincided with the only respite in the 3-year drought and, importantly, occurred in the intensely burnt parts of the forest. The options for managing this forest for the conservation of small mammals include minimising fire, retaining unlogged forest, extending the time over which alternate coupes are logged and minimising disturbance from heavy machinery.


1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 315 ◽  
Author(s):  
JC Mcilroy ◽  
EJ Gifford

Populations of non-target birds and mammals on a semi-cleared grazing property near Braidwood, New South Wales, did not appear to be affected by a trail-baiting campaign against rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, using pellet bait and 1080 poison. Rabbit numbers were reduced by about 90% and those of the fox, Vulpes vulpes, another exotic pest, by about 75%. Populations of both pest species began recovering soon after the campaign, indicating the need for continued control measures.


2021 ◽  
pp. 153-157
Author(s):  
Joanna Sumner ◽  
Margaret L. Haines ◽  
Peter Lawrence ◽  
Jenny Lawrence ◽  
Nick Clemann

The alpine she-oak skink Cyclodomorphus praealtus is a threatened alpine endemic lizard from the mainland of Australia. The species is previously known from disjunct populations in Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales and three isolated localities in the Victorian Alps. The New South Wales and Victorian populations represent separate evolutionarily significant units. In 2011, a fourth Victorian population was discovered. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis and determined that the newly discovered population is discrete and may have been separated from other populations since the end of the last glacial maxima. This population requires separate management.


1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 465 ◽  
Author(s):  
CN Johnson ◽  
PG Bayliss

The kangaroo populations of Kinchega National Park respond differently to shifts in pasture productivity, red kangaroos Macropus rufus being mobile and unevenly distributed with respect to soil and vegetation types, by comparison with the more evenly dispersed western grey kangaroos M. fuliginosus and the sedentary and localized euros M, robustus erubescens. Red kangaroo population classes tend to be differentially distributed, so that large males and heavily lactating females predominate on the seasonally preferred pastures, while other classes tend to predominate elsewhere. This finding has several implications for the management of red kangaroos and for our understanding of their resource ecology and mating systems.


1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Catling ◽  
R. J. Burt

The distribution and abundance of ground-dwelling mammals in the major vegetation alliances in the eucalypt forests within an area of c. 24000 km2 in north-eastern New South Wales were examined. Data for 33 species of mammal from 21 areas containing 30 vegetation alliances were collected. Four notable aspects of the data were the absence or low abundance of the introduced fox (Vulpes vulpes), the widespread distribution and abundance of the cat (Felis catus), the diversity and abundance of medium-sized native mammals and the diversity of small mammals. Although differences occurred between areas and alliances, there was no significant difference in the number of native and introduced species. The ground-dwelling mammals present in the eucalypt forests of north-eastern New South Wales were more diverse and in greater abundance than those found in forests of south-eastern New South Wales. However, some species, such as the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), appear to be in urgent need of protection and management if they are to persist.


1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 559 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Saunders

The demography of a sub-alpine population of feral pigs was examined at Kosciusko National Park in south-eastern New South Wales. Reproductive data and age structures indicated a seasonal pattern of breeding, most births occurring in summer and autumn. It is proposed that a decreasing availability of high protein food in the autumn and winter months caused reduced rates of conception. Sows produced 0.84 litters per year with postnatal mortality as high as 85%. The population appeared relatively stable at a density of 1.6 pigs kg-2. Hunting, although illegal in a national park, removed 4.4-15.4% of pigs each year. The overall health and body condition of pigs was good, with no evidence of heavy parasitic burdens or disease. Age-specific body weight and body length in this study were greater than those reported for pigs in semi-arid wester New South Wales.


1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew F. Le Brocque ◽  
Rod T. Buckney

The relationships between stand structure and floristic composition were examined from data collected from 100 quadrats on two soil types: Hawkesbury sandstone and Narrabeen group soils, occurring within Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South Wales. Floristic composition was determined using the frequency of species occurring within nine concentric sub-quadrats of total area 500 m2. Stand structure was determined by a multivariate classification scheme utilising the foliage projective cover of eight strata within each quadrat. The patterns in floristic composition and stand structure were examined through multivariate analyses. Procrustes analysis of non-metric multidimensional scaling ordinations of both the stand structure and composition data showed floristic composition gradients to be well recovered by the structure data. Similar gradients were evident in both vegetation attributes, between and within the two soil types, with the rank order of community types across the ordinations being the same. However, some important differences were evident between the ordinations of floristic composition and stand structure between and within soil types. A number of floristically dissimilar communities exhibited very similar multivariate structural characteristics. In particular, two floristically distinct communities on different soil types were indistinguishable in terms of their structural characteristics. The multivariate analyses suggest a possible convergence of some compositionally distinct communities towards a common structural formation.


Zootaxa ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 536 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETRA ERBE ◽  
HANNELORE HOCH

Two new epigean species of the cixiid genus Solonaima Kirkaldy, which is endemic in eastern Australia, are described from Queensland (Lamington National Park) and New South Wales (Rosebank): S. nielseni n. sp. and S. monteithia n.sp.


1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 339 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Priddel ◽  
G Wellard ◽  
N Shepherd

Between July 1979 and November 1980 a total of 261 red kangaroos, Macropus rufus, (216F; 45 M) and 170 western grey kangaroos, M. fuliginosus, (136F;34M) were caught and tagged with individually recognisable collars. Between July 1979 and January 1986, 1751 sightings of tagged individuals were recorded. Information gained from these sightings was used to assess how far each kangaroo ranged. More than 90% of individuals of either species did not range far (<9 km for reds; <6 km for western greys) even when local pastures were severely depleted during drought. A few individuals dispersed much further-up to 323 km. On average, red kangaroos ranged further than western greys. Kangaroos on Kinchega National Park ranged no less or no further than those on an adjacent pastoral leasehold. At least 17 tagged individuals crossed the macropod-deterrent fence surrounding Kinchega; several crossed repeatedly. Dispersal of kangaroos from Kinchega was slight, supporting the hypothesis of Bayliss (1985) that dispersal has no significant impact on population dynamics.


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