Phylogeography of the Australian sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps): evidence for a new divergent lineage in eastern Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansoureh Malekian ◽  
Steven J. B. Cooper ◽  
Susan M. Carthew
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Population Subdivision ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Mtdna Diversity ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps

The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) shows considerable variation in external morphology and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity across its distribution in New Guinea and Australia. Here we investigate the phylogeography of P. breviceps in Australia using data from two mitochondrial genes (ND2 and ND4) and a nuclear gene (ω-globin). Phylogenetic analyses revealed the existence of two divergent mtDNA clades that are distributed over distinct geographical regions, one from coastal New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland and a second over the remaining distributional range of the species in Australia. The two groups generally had distinct ω-globin haplotypes that differed by one or two mutational steps. Analyses of Molecular Variation further supported the presence of at least two populations, accounting for 84.8% of the total mtDNA variation and 44% of the ω-globin variation. The general concordance of phylogeographic and population analyses suggests that population subdivision, possibly resulting from the combined influences of aridification after the Pliocene and uplift of the Great Dividing Range has impacted the evolution of P. breviceps. Our results also show that the geographical distribution of the two evolutionary lineages does not correspond with the distribution of the current morphological subspecies and we further propose that they be considered as separate Evolutionarily Significant Units for the purposes of conservation management.

Large fires in Australian alpine landscapes: their part in the historical fire regime and their impacts on alpine biodiversity

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Williams ◽  
Carl-Henrik Wahren ◽  
Arn D. Tolsma ◽  
Glenn M. Sanecki ◽  
Warwick A. Papst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regime ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Fire Monitoring ◽  
Core Habitat ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Large Fires ◽  
Using Data

The fires of summer 2003 in south-eastern Australia burnt tens of thousands of hectares of treeless alpine landscape. Here, we examine the environmental impact of these fires, using data from the Bogong High Plains area of Victoria, and the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales. Historical and biophysical evidence suggests that in Australian alpine environments, extensive fires occur only in periods of extended regional drought, and when severe local fire weather coincides with multiple ignitions in the surrounding montane forests. Dendrochronological evidence indicates that large fires have occurred approximately every 50–100 years over the past 400 years. Post-fire monitoring of vegetation in grasslands and heathlands indicates that most alpine species regenerate rapidly after fire, with >90% of species present 1 year after fire. Some keystone species in some plant communities, however, had not regenerated after 3 years. The responses of alpine fauna to the 2003 fires were variable. The core habitat (closed heathland) of several vulnerable small mammals was extensively burnt. Some mammals experienced substantial falls in populations, others experienced substantial increases. Unburnt patches of vegetation are critical to faunal recovery from fire. There was, however, no evidence of local extinction. We conclude that infrequent extensive fires are a feature of alpine Australia. For both the flora and fauna, there is no quantitative evidence that the 2003 fires were an ecological disaster, and we conclude that the flora and fauna of alpine Australia are highly resilient to infrequent, large, intense fires.

Phylogeography of the freshwater catfish Tandanus tandanus (Plotosidae): a model species to understand evolution of the eastern Australian freshwater fish fauna

2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean R. Jerry
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Phylogeographic Structure ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Australian Freshwater

The geologically complex eastern Australian coastal margin supports the highest taxonomic diversity of freshwater fishes on the continent. However, mechanisms leading to coastal biogeographic patterns are poorly understood. A 399-bp fragment of the hypervariable mtDNA control region was sequenced from populations of eel-tailed catfish (Tandanus tandanus) to determine their phylogeographic structure and to relate this to proposed biogeographic mechanisms and landform evolution. Genetic structure in Tandanus is complex, with haplotypes clustering into three lineages: a phylogenetically distant, northern Queensland clade that is probably a new species; a mid-northern New South Wales clade corresponding to the recently discovered ‘Bellinger’ Tandanus cryptic species; and a third ‘derived’ clade T. tandanus. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that eastern Australian Tandanus originally invaded freshwaters from the coast where volcanic activity in the north and increasing aridity from the Paleocene reduced inter-fluvial connections, causing genetic divergence of northern Queensland and mid-northern New South Wales populations. The haplotypes represented by Murray–Darling drainage T. tandanus were the most derived, indicating that this species originally evolved on the coast and subsequently colonised the Murray–Darling basin. Tandanus in eastern Australia is phylogenetically structured and possibly comprises three species in this region; a pattern potentially shared by other eastern Australian freshwater fishes.

Ecology of the Feral Cat, Felis catus (L. ), in South-Eastern Australia I. Diet

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 537 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Jones ◽  
BJ Coman
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
New South ◽  
European Rabbit ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Eastern Highlands ◽  
Ringtail Possum

Diets were determined for feral cats from the Victorian Mallee, Kinchega National Park in western New South Wales, and the Victorian eastern highlands. The percentages by weight of introduced mammals eaten (mainly European rabbit and house mouse) were 85, 64 and 45 for Mallee, Kinchega and eastern highland cats, respectively, of which rabbit contributed 74, 56 and 43% respectively to the total diets. The weights of native mammals eaten were 2% and 4% for Mallee and Kinchega cats; the species found were common brushtail possum, planigales and bats. For eastern highland cats the weight of native mammals eaten was 40% and at least 11 species were represented: the most important being southern bush rat (16%), common ringtail possum (8%), common brushtail and/or mountain brushtail possums (5%), brown antechinus (470) and sugar glider (4%). The weights of birds eaten were 9, 18 and 13% for Mallee, Kinchega and eastern highland cats. Less important foods were reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods and annelids; some food, both carrion and human food scraps, was scavenged. Seasonal changes in composition of the diet were evident in Mallee cats.

Use of tall wooden poles by four species of gliding mammal provides further proof of concept for habitat restoration

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
Brendan D. Taylor ◽  
Jonathan L. Parkyn
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
New South ◽  
Population Connectivity ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
The Road ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Squirrel Glider ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps ◽  
Petaurus Australis

Tall wooden poles (glide poles) and rope canopy-bridges are frequently installed along new highways in Australia to maintain population connectivity for gliding mammals. Knowledge of the use of these structures is rudimentary. We monitored two pairs of glide poles and a canopy-bridge over three years at Port Macquarie, New South Wales. The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) and the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) were collectively detected on 12–18% of nights on the pole pairs compared with 1% on the rope-bridge. The feathertail glider (Acrobates frontalis) was detected on 3% of nights on the pole pairs compared with 0.2% on the rope-bridge. The yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis) was detected twice on one pole. Our results demonstrate that gliding mammals readily use glide poles. Further research is needed to resolve whether glide poles can mitigate the barrier effect of the road canopy gap.

The Subgeneric Composition of Eucalypt Forest Stands in a Region of South-Eastern Australia

1983 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
MP Austin ◽  
RB Cunningham ◽  
JT Wood
Keyword(s):  
Forest Ecology ◽  
New South ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Reverse Situation ◽  
Using Data

Pryor's rule that mixed stands of eucalypt forest consist of species from different subgeneric groups was tested statistically using data from a vegetation survey of part of the South Coast of New South Wales. The plot data were stratified by environmental regions, and expressed in terms of the subgeneric combinations of the two most abundant tree species. The categories recognized were the eucalypt subgenera Monocalyptus, Symphyomyrtus and Corymbia, plus Angophora and others. The results suggest that: (a) subgenera are characteristic of certain environmental regions; (b) combinations of subgenera are not random; (c) a modification of Pryor's rule is applicable to three of the four regions studied; and (d) in addition, certain combinations of subgenera occur more frequently than expected by chance, e.g. Monocalyptus occurs as the most abundant species, with Symphomyrtus as subordinate, more frequently than the reverse situation. The results accord with recent reviews of eucalypt forest ecology but there are many plots with a composition of three species from the same subgenus. Biological explanations for Pryor's rule must also take account of these exceptions and the tendency for Symphyomyrtus species to be subdominant to Monocalyptus in the coastal region.

Taxonomic revision of south-eastern Australian giant burrowing frogs (Anura: Limnodynastidae: Heleioporus Gray)

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5016 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-489
Author(s):  
MICHAEL J. MAHONY ◽  
TRENT PENMAN ◽  
TERRY BERTOZZI ◽  
FRANK LEMCKERT ◽  
ROHAN BILNEY ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Genetic Introgression ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
The North ◽  
Area Of Occupancy ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Small Streams ◽  
Eastern Australia

The rarely encountered giant burrowing frog, Heleioporus australiacus, is distributed widely in a variety of sclerophyll forest habitats east of the Great Dividing Range in south-eastern Australia. Analyses of variation in nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial ND4 gene and thousands of nuclear gene SNPs revealed the presence of two deeply divergent lineages. Multivariate morphological comparisons show the two lineages differ in body proportions with > 91% of individuals being correctly classified in DFA. The two lineages differ in the number and size of spots on the lateral surfaces and the degree by which the cloaca is surrounded by colour patches. The mating calls are significantly different in number of pulses in the note. The presence of a F2 hybrid in the area where the distribution of the two taxa come into closest proximity leads us to assign subspecies status to the lineages, as we have not been able to assess the extent of potential genetic introgression. In our sampling, the F2 hybrid sample sits within an otherwise unsampled gap of ~90km between the distributions of the two lineages. The nominate northern sub-species is restricted to the Sydney Basin bioregion, while the newly recognised southern subspecies occurs from south of the Kangaroo Valley in the mid-southern coast of New South Wales to near Walhalla in central Gippsland in Victoria. The habitat of the two subspecies is remarkably similar. Adults spend large portions of their lives on the forest floor where they forage and burrow in a variety of vegetation communities. The southern subspecies occurs most commonly in dry sclerophyll forests with an open understory in the south and in open forest and heath communities with a dense understory in the north of its distribution. The northern subspecies is also found in dry open forests and heaths in association with eroded sandstone landscapes in the Sydney Basin bioregion. Males of both taxa call from both constructed burrows and open positions on small streams, differing from the five Western Australian species of Heleioporus where males call only from constructed burrows. Using the IUCN Red List process, we found that the extent of occupancy and area of occupancy along with evidence of decline for both subspecies are consistent with the criteria for Endangered (A2(c)B2(a)(b)).  

Integrative taxonomic investigation of Petaurus breviceps (Marsupialia: Petauridae) reveals three distinct species

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teigan Cremona ◽  
Andrew M Baker ◽  
Steven J B Cooper ◽  
Rebecca Montague-Drake ◽  
Alyson M Stobo-Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Morphological Evidence ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Taxonomic Approach ◽  
Morphological Differences ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps

Abstract The Australian sugar glider, Petaurus breviceps s.l., is widely distributed across eastern and northern Australia. Examination of historical and contemporary collections of Petaurus specimens and phylogenetic analyses have revealed considerable taxonomic diversity within the genus. We aimed to utilize an integrative taxonomic approach, combining genetic and morphological evidence, to resolve the taxonomy of Australian gliders currently recognized as Petaurus breviceps. Herein, we confirm the existence of three distinct species: P. breviceps, P. notatus comb. nov. and P. ariel comb. nov.. Petaurus breviceps and P. notatus are each represented by major mtDNA lineages in P. breviceps, while P. ariel forms a sister-lineage to P. norfolcensis and P. gracilis. Subtle morphological differences distinguish P. breviceps from the closely related P. notatus, while the morphological distinctions between P. ariel and its genetically similar sister-taxa, P. norfolcensis and P. gracilis, are more obvious. Given the purported broad geographic distribution of the taxon, P. breviceps s.l. was not listed as threatened, but dividing this taxon into three species has important conservation implications for all taxa in the group, particularly given the lamentable record for mammal extinctions in Australia. Concerted and targeted conservation efforts are necessary to preserve these distinct, newly described species.

Population responses of small and medium sized mammals to fox control at Jervis Bay, southeastern Australia

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Dexter ◽  
Paul Meek ◽  
Steve Moore ◽  
Matt Hudson ◽  
Holly Richardson
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Black Rat ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps ◽  
Fox Control

At Jervis Bay, strategic pest programmes to control the Red Fox Vulpes vulpes have been in place on the Beecroft Weapons Range (BWR) Beecroft Peninsula, New South Wales since 1995 and Booderee National Park (BNP) Bherwerre Peninsula, Jervis Bay Territory since 1999. As an integral component of the BWR plan, monitoring terrestrial and arboreal mammals has been carried out and demonstrated a significant increase in the abundance of Common Ringtail Possum Pseudochelrus peregrinus, Long-nosed Bandicoot Perameles nasuta, and Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes. There was no significant change in the abundance of Brown Antechinus Antechinus stuartii, Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps or Black Rat (R. raltus). At BNP changes in population abundance of mammals were not monitored, but a comparison of the abundance of terrestrial mammals between the fox baited BNP and the adjacent un-baited Jervis Bay National Park (JBNP) showed Long-nosed Bandicoots, Bush Rat and Brown Antechinus to be in higher abundance in BNP than JBNP. Scat analysis further supported this finding (Roberts et aI, 2006), We assert that these combined findings are evidence that terrestrial native fauna have responded positively to continued fox control on both peninsulas, thus proving that measuring prey responses are a positive measure of success for strategic pest control programmes.

Can Flower-Feeding Marsupials Meet Their Nitrogen Requirements on Pollen in The Field?

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 383
Author(s):  
I.G van Tets
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Arboreal Marsupials ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Cercartetus Nanus ◽  
Pollen Density ◽  
A Site ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps ◽  
Barren Grounds

Two arboreal marsupials, the eastern pygmy possum (Cercartetus nanus) and the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) have exceptionally low maintenance nitrogen requirements on pollen diets. This study compares their nitrogen requirements with the density of Banksia pollen that is available in the Barren Grounds Nature Reserve, New South Wales, a site where both species are known to forage on Banksia inflorescences. The pollen density was sufficiently high that both species were capable of meeting their maintenance nitrogen requirements on pollen whenever Banksia spp. were in flower. C. nanus required a smaller proportion of its home range than P. breviceps to do so and pollen was likely to be of much greater nutritional significance to both species in winter than in summer. This corresponds closely with the results of field studies comparing the diets of these mammals at different times of the year. Pollen is an important source of nitrogen for flower-feeding marsupials but its importance will vary between species depending on the marsupial's requirements, its body size and on the quantity of pollen that is available.

Phylogeny and distribution of the mayfly genus Austrophlebioides Campbell & Suter (Ephemeroptera:Leptophlebiidae)

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faye Christidis ◽  
John C. Dean
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Wet Tropics ◽  
Cladistic Analyses ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Distributional Limits

The mayfly genus Austrophlebioides Campbell & Suter, 1988 is endemic to Australia and is widely distributed in eastern Australia and Tasmania. Here, the phylogenetic relationships among species of Austrophlebioides are investigated using cladistic analyses based on morphological characters of the nymph and adult, and the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus is presented. The results from the phylogenetic analyses support the recognition of three monophyletic species-groups: the ‘rieki’, ‘pusillus’ and ‘marchanti’ clades. The ‘pusillus’ clade is the sister-group to the ‘rieki’ clade, and the clade comprising these two groups is sister to the ‘marchanti’ clade. Minimal overlap was observed in the geographic distribution of the three Austrophlebioides clades. The ‘rieki’ clade is confined to the Wet Tropics bioregion of north-eastern Queensland. The ‘pusillus’ clade is distributed from central-eastern Queensland to Victoria. The ‘marchanti’ clade occurs in southern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Distributional limits of the three clades correspond with the presence of recognised biogeographic barriers (Burdekin Gap, Hunter Valley and Bass Strait) suggesting that vicariance has been important in the differentiation of the group and in determining present-day distributions of species.

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