Nematode parasites of free-living rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.) in eastern Australia

1966 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
JD Dunsmore

(1) Trichostrongylus retortaeformis (Zeder, 1800) in wild rabbits in Australia has been studied by more or less regular sampling of rabbit populations in four climatically different areas of eastern Australia. (2) In a semi-arid locality in north-western New South Wales, T. retortaeformis is rarely found; in a subtropical area of south-central Queensland it was found only in small numbers and many rabbits were apparently free of infection. In an area of the Riverina district of New South Wales most rabbits were infected but parasite numbers were rarely high. The highest levels of infection were recorded at a site in a subalpine area of New South Wales. (3) It was possible to build up a detailed picture of the dynamics of T. retortaeformis in rabbits throughout their lives at Snowy Plains, the subalpine site, in which breeding of rabbits is limited to a relatively few months each year. During their first 6-8 months of life (prior to their first breeding season) male and female rabbits carry moderate numbers of T. retortaeformis with the males carrying somewhat more parasites than the females. During the breeding season T. retortaeformis numbers in female rabbits increase very markedly (about tenfold) while numbers in male rabbits are decreasing to a low level (their lowest during the year). Following breeding, worm numbers in female rabbits drop quite rapidly while those in males increase to a similarly moderate level. Apparently a similar cycle of events occurs during each 12 months of a rabbit's life. (4) At Urana, in the Riverina plain region the cycle of events described above for Snowy Plains could not be seen, although T. retortaeformis was found in moderate numbers. This may have been due to infrequent sampling, lack of a defined rabbit breeding season, or some other factor.

1966 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 635 ◽  
Author(s):  
JD Dunsmore

Numbers of Passalurus ambiguus occurring in each of four geographically and climatically widely separated regions of Australia were studied by regular sampling over 1-3 yr; P. ambiguus was present in varying numbers and incidence in each site. At Snowy Plains, a subalpine site in south-eastern New South Wales, P. ambiguus was present in large numbers and showed a regular cycle of changes in numbers during each of 3 years. The main feature was a peak in numbers of Passalurus during mid-winter, followed, in males, by a gradual fall to a trough in late autumn. In females a second peak in numbers occurred during the breeding period when, for a period of up to several months, the geometric mean count of Passalurus was up to 1000 times greater in females than in male rabbits. This was followed by a drop in numbers until autumn when males and females had similar low numbers of Passalurus. At Urana in the riverine plains of southern New South Wales and at Tero Creek in semi-arid far north-west New South Wales numbers of Passalurus remained low and no definite annual changes were apparent. At Mitchell in subtropical south-central Queensland the numbers of Passalurus also remained low for most of the year but a sharp rise during the spring months suggested that a regular annual pattern might be detectable by more prolonged study.


1966 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 625 ◽  
Author(s):  
JD Dunsmore

Numbers of the stomach worm Graphidium strigosum were estimated in the stomachs of about 2500 rabbits collected from four sites in eastern Australia extending over 1-3 yr of regular sampling. At two of these sites - in the semi-arid far north-west of New South Wales and in subtropical south-central Queensland - G. strigosum was not found. At a third site in the riverine plain region of southern New South Wales G. strigosum was found in 15% of the 470 rabbits examined but it was never found in high numbers in any rabbit. At a subalpine site in south-eastern New South Wales G. strigosum probably infected all rabbits during their life and was often found in high numbers. Numbers of adult stomach worms tended to increase during the first year of the rabbit's life. During each breeding period (which is of 4-6 months duration at this site) female rabbits carried more Graphidium than did male rabbits, although this situation is only of quite short duration and might have been overlooked except by frequent sampling. It is thought that this pattern would be repeated each breeding period throughout the life of the rabbit and is probably of considerable ecological significance for the parasite.


1975 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Myers ◽  
BS Parker

This paper describes a dramatic fall in rabbit populations in a large area of semiarid north-western New South Wales, due to a severe drought, and the increase in numbers which followed. The reduction in numbers differed markedly in different land systems. The areas which supported rabbit populations throughout the study were limited to the proximity of swamps in sandy habitats, and close to drainage channels in stony habitats; populations became extinct over large areas of sandy habitats. In the stony habitats populations increased very rapidly in the 12 months following the breaking of the drought, whereas in the sandy habitats it took c. 3 y before a noticeable increase. The difference was probably a result of differences in survival, due mainly to the effects of predation and to the availability of open warrens. In sandy habitats drift sand buried untenanted warrens very rapidly. The environment affected not only rabbits but also their main predators, the fox and the cat. No cats and very few foxes were observed in stony habitats. The main activities of both species were confined to refuge areas in sandy habitats. The most significant correlation between indices of rabbit numbers and indices of use of rabbit warrens was the number of active burrows per unit area of habitat.


1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. D. J. Penrose ◽  
R. H. Martin

Summary. This study compared 2 mechanisms that delay the development of early-sown wheat, winter habit and sensitivity to photoperiod. To conduct this study, ear emergence dates were recorded for serial sowings of 15 wheats over 4 consecutive years at Temora, New South Wales, comprising 36 sowings in total. Ear emergence was measured as day of the year, and in both thermal and photothermal time from sowing. The timing of ear emergence was first considered in 3 wheats that were insensitive to photoperiod and vernalisation. In contrast to thermal time, the duration from sowing to ear emergence did not vary with sowing time when measured in photothermal units. Such a measurement is essential for the study of mechanisms whose effect in delaying development is a function of sowing time. These results were obtained using a more simply calculated measure of photothermal time than has been previously reported. For early-sown wheat, winter habit was found to more strongly delay ear emergence and provide greater flexibility in sowing time than responsiveness to photoperiod. Our study provided evidence that winter habit is a more attractive method of delaying ear emergence in early-sown wheat than photoperiod sensitivity. This finding supports the continued breeding of winter wheats for early sowings in the south-central wheat belt of New South Wales.


2006 ◽  
Vol 285 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 245-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. McHenry ◽  
B. R. Wilson ◽  
J. M. Lemon ◽  
D. E. Donnelly ◽  
I. G. Growns

1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
LW Braithwaite ◽  
M Maher ◽  
SV Briggs ◽  
BS Parker

Populations of waterfowl of three game species, the Pacific black duck Anus superciliosa, grey teal A. gibberifrons, and maned duck Chenonetta jubata, were assessed by aerial survey in October 1983 within a survey region of 2 697 000 km2 of eastern Australia. The numbers of each species were assessed on all surface waters of over 1 ha, and on a sample of smaller surface waters within 10 survey bands each 30 km wide and spaced at intervals of 2� latitude from 20�30' to 38�30'S. The area within the survey bands was 324 120 km2, which gave a sampling intensity of 12.0% of the land surface area. The area of features shown as wetlands or water impoundments within the survey bands on 1 : 2 500 000 topographic maps was 19 200 km2 or 11.2% of the total area of these features in the survey region. The area of surface waters surveyed was assessed at 465 300 ha. Assessments of populations of each species were tallied for wetlands by grid cells of 6 min of 1� longitude along the survey bands (258-309 km2 depending on latitude). Distributions were then mapped, with log*10 indices of populations in each cell. Distributions of the black duck and grey teal showed a pattern of intense aggregation in limited numbers of cells, that of the maned duck was more evenly distributed. The major concentrations of the Pacific black duck were recorded in northern New South Wales and the south-eastern, western, central eastern and central coastal regions of Queensland; those of the grey teal were in south-western, western and northern New South Wales and central-eastern Queensland; the maned duck was broadly distributed over inland New South Wales with the exception of the far west, inland southern Queensland, and central northern Victoria.


2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 313 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Catling ◽  
R. J. Burt ◽  
R. I. Forrester

Statistical models are presented of the distribution and abundance of ground-dwelling mammals in eucalypt forests in relation to environmental variables within an area of approximately 24 000 km2 in north-eastern New South Wales. Environmental variables are defined as climatic or topographic variables that may be useful to map the distribution of fauna. The environmental variables examined were season, temperature, rainfall, elevation, lithology, steepness of slope, position on slope, aspect and landform profile. The probability of recording some species was higher in spring than autumn and many species were in highest abundance in areas of low temperature (high elevation). Although aspect was a significant variable in a number of models, no species was absent from any aspect category. Mid-slopes down to and including creeks and drainage lines were particularly important for many species, as were areas with flatter terrain. Although we have modelled environmental variables only there will no doubt be longer-term interactions between habitat and environmental variables. Fundamentally, environmental variables will determine the type of habitat present at a site, and the distribution of canopy communities, at least, can be predicted from environmental variables. However, other studies have shown for ground-dwelling mammals that environmental variables contribute little and it is the state of the habitat locally, and particularly the understorey, that determines their presence and abundance at a site. The results are discussed in relation to similar models using habitat variables and in relation to the use of such models in the management of ground-dwelling fauna in forests.


2002 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. L. Sutherland ◽  
I. T. Graham ◽  
R. E. Pogson ◽  
D. Schwarz ◽  
G. B. Webb ◽  
...  

1980 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 261 ◽  
Author(s):  
IR Bock

The Australian Mycodrosophila fauna comprises 21 species distributed in northern and eastern Australia to southern New South Wales. Only one species, M. argentifrons Malloch, is previously described from Australia; the south-east Asian species M. separata (de Meijere) is recorded for the first time. The remaining 19 species are new: adequate material has been available to permit the description and naming of 18 of them.


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