A live-trapping of Australian brush-tailed possums, Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr), in the Orongorongo Valley, Wellington, New Zealand

1973 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
MC Crawley
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Capture Site ◽  
Live Trapping ◽  
Indigenous Forest ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Initial Capture

A live-trapping study of a population of Australian brush-tailed possums, Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr), in indigenous forest of the Orongorongo Valley, Wellington, N.Z., was carried out from March 1966 to November 1968. In 14 ha of podocarp-mixed broadleaf forest, 301 possums (150; 151) were individually marked and repeatedly captured in a series of trapping periods. The population comprised residents and transients of both sexes with sub- adults forming the bulk of the latter, particularly in spring. The estimated population density varied from 10.6 per ha in November 1966 to 6.4 per ha in August 1968. There was one well-defined season of births each autumn and a few births in winter. On average, 73% (67-92%) of mature females produced pouch young each year. Females resident throughout the study had the highest breeding success (79%). Achievement of sexual maturity was delayed; no females bred until they were 2 yr old, and some not even at 3 yr. Losses occurred at all stages of the life history and averaged 62% between the pouch young and subadult stages; thus only 28 subadults per 100 females were recruited. Adult losses averaged 26% per annum. Adult males (mean weight 2.46 kg) were heavier than adult females (2.33 kg). Weights varied seasonally, with males heaviest in summer and lightest in spring, and females heaviest in winter and lightest in summer. Possums of both sexes were rather sedentary, with males (95% of captures within 115 m of the initial capture site) being less so than females (95 % of captures within 90 m of the initial capture site). More than half of the captures (55% for males, 62% for females) were made within 30 m of the site of initial capture. Males moved farther in autumn and summer than in other seasons, while females did so in autumn and winter. Subadults were apparently more sedentary than adults. Home ranges of adult males (mean 0.81 ha) were significantly larger than those of adult females (0.46 ha). Considerable overlapping of the ranges of both sexes occurred, and territorial behaviour was not conspicuous. The dispersion of the population remained the same throughout the study although the component individuals changed. The results of the present study are compared with those of similar studies in New Zealand and Australia, and the dynamics of the Orongorongo Valley possum population are discussed with reference to variable rates of reproduction and mortality.

Spacing, movements, and habitat selection of the river otter in boreal Alberta

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 1314-1324 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Reid ◽  
T. E. Code ◽  
A. C. H. Reid ◽  
S. M. Herrero
Keyword(s):  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Movement Rates ◽  
River Otters ◽  
Aquatic Mammal ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Bog Lakes ◽  
Selection Of

Seasonal spacing patterns, home ranges, and movements of river otters (Lontra canadensis) were studied in boreal Alberta by means of radiotelemetry. Adult males occupied significantly larger annual home ranges than adult females. Males' ranges overlapped those of females and also each other's. In winter, home ranges of males shrank and showed less overlap. Otters often associated in groups, the core members typically being adult females with young, or adult males. Otters tended to be more solitary in winter. In winter, movement rates of all sex and age classes were similar, and much reduced for males compared with those in other seasons. These data indicated a strong limiting effect of winter ice on behaviour and dispersion. We tested the hypothesis that otters select water bodies in winter on the basis of the suitability of shoreline substrate and morphology for dens with access both to air and to water under ice. Intensity of selection was greatest in winter, with avoidance of gradually sloping shorelines of sand or gravel. Adults selected bog lakes with banked shores containing semi-aquatic mammal burrows, and lakes with beaver lodges. Subadults selected beaver-impounded streams. Apart from human harvest, winter habitats and food availability in such habitats are likely the two factors most strongly limiting otter density in boreal Alberta.

Distribution, Prevalence, and Epidemiology of Bovine Tuberculosis in Brushtail Possums, Trichosurus-Vulpecula, in the Hohonu Range, New-Zealand

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 651 ◽  
Author(s):  
JD Coleman
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Lymph Node ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Bovine Tuberculosis ◽  
Infected Animal ◽  
Disease Prevalence ◽  
Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Autumn And Winter

Over a 12-month period, 1467 brushtail possums were trapped and then killed or were poisoned along sampling lines on pasture-forest margins and in nearby forest. An additional 334 possums were shot on adjacent farm land. All possums were necropsied, and 141 had macroscopic lesions typical of bovine tuberculosis. Infected possums occurred most commonly in small foci of 2-5 individuals along pasture-forest margins; the furthest from pasture that an infected animal was taken was 4050 m. Lesions occurred in possums of all ages in both sexes, but disease prevalence was highest in immature males and during autumn and winter. Infected possums bred as successfully as non-infected individuals, but were of lighter body weight. Macroscopic lesions occurred in a wide range of visceral and lymph node sites. Lesions were most common in the lungs and axillary nodes, and occasionally formed open sinuses from which infected possums could shed M. bovis readily, and thus were likely to be highly infective. Evidence suggested that disease transmission occurs most frequently on pasture-forest margins, where possum numbers are greatest and possum and cattle mix most freely.

Feral Cats (Felis Catus L.) On New Zealand Farmland. Ii. Seasonal Activity.

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 707 ◽  
Author(s):  
NPE Langham
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Seasonal Activity ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Resident Population

The activity patterns of a resident population of 15 feral cats (Felis catus L.) on New Zealand farmland were investigated from March 1984 until February 1987 by radiotelemetry. Females could be divided into two separate groups: (1) those denning in barns and (2) those denning in the swamp and willows. Females denning in barns were mainly nocturnal except in spring and summer when rearing kittens. Barn cats moved significantly further between dusk and dawn, except in autumn-winter, than those denning in swamp and willows which were active over 24 h. When not breeding, related females occupied the same barn. In both groups, the home range of female relatives overlapped. Males ranged over all habitats, and dominant adult males moved significantly further and had larger home ranges than other males in all seasons, except in summer when they rested, avoiding hot summer days. Only adult males were active during the day in spring and autumn-winter. The importance of a Zeitgeber in synchronising cat activity with that of the prey is examined. The significance of female den site is discussed in relation to proximity of food, predators, social behaviour and male defence.

Home-Range Size and Fidelity of Western Grey Kangaroos (Macropus Fuliginosus) Living in Remnants of Wandoo Woodland and Adjacent Farmland.

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
GW Arnold ◽  
DE Steven ◽  
A Grassia ◽  
J Weeldenburg
Keyword(s):  
Home Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
The Core ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Radio Transmitters ◽  
Core Areas ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Eucalyptus Wandoo ◽  
Older Males

The home ranges were studied from 1977 to 1981 of western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) living in a 300-ha remnant of wandoo [Eucalyptus wandoo] surrounded by farmland at Baker's Hill, Western Australia. The M. fuliginosus population varied from 140 to 200 animals during the study. In 1979, four females (>30 kg) and 2 adult males (31 kg and 47 kg) were fitted with radio-transmitters and their movements recorded. The home ranges of these animals varied from 39 to 70 ha; the average overlap in the area used during the day and that used at night was 16.4%. Many of the kangaroos fed on farmland at night. The night ranges of 51 marked kangaroos were recorded using a spotlight. The animals showed a strong fidelity to their home ranges. Only 3 males (about 5-yr-old) shifted their night ranges; the centres of the ranges moved only 600-800 m. Older males had significantly larger night ranges than younger males and females. Individual females and the younger males showed preferences for using particular access points to get onto farmland; the older males showed no preferences. The core areas of the night ranges of many adult females overlapped closely in 'groups', but there was no evidence of 'mob' home ranges that were socially separated.

scholarly journals Home range of the Tropidurid lizard Liolaemus lutzae: sexual and body size differences

1999 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. F. D. ROCHA
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Mutual Exclusion ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Janeiro State

The home range of the Tropidurid lizard Liolaemus lutzae, an endemic species of the costal sand dune habitats of Rio de Janeiro State, was studied in the beach habitat of Barra de Maricá restinga, Maricá County. Home ranges were studied using a mark-recapture technique in a delimited area at the beach habitat. I considered for estimates and analysis the home ranges of those lizards with a minimum of four positions. The size of L. lutzae home ranges varied according to the segment of the population. The mean home range size of adult males (x = 59.8 ± 33.7 m²) was significantly larger than that of adult females (x = 22.3 ± 16.1 m²). Juvenile mean home range size was significantly smaller than that of adult males, but did not differ from that of adult females (t = 1.058; p = 0.149). The overlap between male home ranges was usually low (3.6%), being in general only peripheral. Conversely, there was a considerable overlap between home ranges of adult females with those of adult males, the home range areas of two or three females being enclosed in the home range of one adult male. The small overlap between home ranges of adult males suggested mutual exclusion. The observed between-sex differences in the size of L. lutzae home range may be explained by the sexual dimorphism in body size in this species, and by the need of adult males to establish larger areas so as to include many females in their areas, during the reproductive season. The differences in home range along ontogeny probably result from differences in body size of the different segments of the population, due to trophic differences (carnivory and herbivory levels), and the dispersal of young after birth. Because L. lutzae is omnivorous, but primarily herbivorous when adult, and due to its sit-and-wait foraging behavior (mainly on arthropods), it does not need to move around over large areas to find food, which in turn reduces the area necessary for it to live.

The proximate causes of male-biased natal emigration in Columbian ground squirrels

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 204-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darwin R. Wiggett ◽  
David A. Boag
Keyword(s):  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Spermophilus Columbianus ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Study Support ◽  
Proximate Causes ◽  
Natal Home ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Columbian Ground Squirrels

The results of this study support the hypothesis that male-biased emigration of yearling male Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus) is socially induced. The likelihood of emigration from both the natal site and the natal colony was correlated with parameters of social structure and behavior. Agonism by the mother and (or) neighboring adult females, in association with parturition and lactation, apparently caused the initial shifts of yearling males away from their natal home ranges. After these shifts, yearling males that lived in areas where the number of neighboring males (both adult and yearling) was high relative to the number of females emigrated to areas within the natal colony that were more female-biased (intracolony emigration), or emigrated from the natal colony (intercolony emigration). Reduced numbers of adult males apparently resulted in lower rates of emigration by yearling males. Among the latter, emigrants appeared to be subordinate to non-emigrants. We discuss these findings in light of current hypotheses concerning the proximate and ultimate causes of emigration in ground-dwelling sciurids.

Demography of a population of Peromyscus leucopus

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Harland ◽  
Peter J. Blancher ◽  
John S. Millar
Keyword(s):  
Peromyscus Leucopus ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Adult Mice ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Young Of The Year ◽  
Juvenile Males ◽  
Initial Capture

Livetrapping and removal trapping were used to monitor a population of Peromyscus leucopus. Breeding adult arid young of the year females averaged 2.0 and 1.1 litters per year, respectively. Nest mortality was 12–31%, while 58% of the juveniles disappeared within 2 weeks after weaning. The rate of disappearance of juvenile males (77%) was higher than that of juvenile females (44%); the greater loss of males was attributed to mortality. Loss of subadult and adult mice within 2 weeks after initial capture averaged 45 and 51%, respectively, and did not differ between the sexes. However, more males than females were recorded as entering the trapping grids, indicating that males tend to explore new areas more than females. Among resident mice, adult males had the highest rate of disappearance (0.31/week) while adult females had the lowest (0.05/week).

The life history of Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus (Phalangeridae) in the jarrah forest of south-western Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 265 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Wayne ◽  
C. G. Ward ◽  
J. F. Rooney ◽  
C. V. Vellios ◽  
D. B. Lindenmayer
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
The Body ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Testis Size ◽  
Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Eucalyptus Marginata ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Western Australian

The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is noted for its morphological, biological and ecological variability across its range. Despite having suffered substantial population declines since European settlement, relatively little has been published on the south-western Australian subspecies, the koomal (T. v. hypoleucus). This study reports morphological, reproductive and general life-history data from an 18-month study of a population in the southern jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest at Chariup (part of Perup), near Manjimup, in south-western Australia. As one of the smallest subspecies, adult males of T. v. hypoleucus averaged 1616 g and females averaged 1470 g. Sexual dimorphism also occurred with head length and pes length, but not tail length. A single autumn breeding season occurred in both 2002 and 2003, in which all adult females bred and produced a single young between February and May. The onset of autumn births was associated with the end of the summer drought. Unlike many other Trichosurus populations, no spring breeding pulse or ‘double-breeding’ events were observed. At least 83% of pouch young survived to pouch emergence. The growth rate of offspring was initially linear, but became curvilinear and approached an asymptote after ~5 months. Most females bred for the first time when they were 1 year old. On the basis of testis size, males also matured at 1 year old. The body condition of adult males, but not adult females, changed significantly over time and followed an apparently seasonal pattern in which their condition was poorest in winter and best in summer. While many of the life-history traits of the Chariup population were similar to those of other south-western Australian populations of T. v. hypoleucus, the most striking variations included age at maturity, extent of spring breeding pulse and female fecundity. Further comparisons with conspecifics elsewhere in Australia and New Zealand also highlight the variability exhibited by T. vulpecula across its range. Some aspects of the biology of T. v. hypoleucus were particularly similar to those observed for T. v. arnhemensis in northern Australia.

Dietary changes in response to population reduction in the possum Trichosurus vulpecula in New Zealand

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Sweetapple ◽  
Wendy A. Ruscoe ◽  
Graham Nugent
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽  
Dietary Changes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Indigenous Forest

Context Efforts to protect or restore degraded plant communities by population control of invasive herbivores frequently fail to achieve their goals. Aims We seek to quantify changes in diet of an introduced herbivore, the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), following population control, and determine how these may contribute to variable responses in plant condition. Methods Stomach contents of possums from five areas of indigenous forest in northern New Zealand were analysed to measure diet before and after the application of possum control. Key results The contribution of fruit, and foliage of some early successional forest species, to total possum diet increased up to 27-fold following possum population control. This was accompanied by declines in consumption of the main pre-control possum foods (foliage from common canopy trees). Dietary changes were a combination of an immediate response to control (1 year) and a strengthening of these initial changes with increasing time since control. Conclusions Possums in the study areas changed diet following population control, from a diet dominated by foliage of common canopy tree species to one dominated by fruits, and foliage of uncommon early successional plants. Pest control instantaneously increased the per capita availability of all foods, and probably permitted absolute increases in some foods through plant recovery, enabling possums to substitute scarce, high-preference foods for abundant but less preferred canopy foliage. Implications Following control of a pest herbivore, dietary changes reduce benefits for the most vulnerable preferred plant foods, but enhance benefits for less favoured plants. Intense pest control can permit some recovery of highly preferred foods, despite increased per capita consumption of these foods by survivors of control.

Investigating brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) home-range size determinants in a New Zealand native forest

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 316 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Richardson ◽  
C. Rouco ◽  
C. Jewell ◽  
N. P. French ◽  
B. M. Buddle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽  
Age And Sex

Context The Australian brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) introduction to New Zealand has exacted a heavy toll on native biodiversity and presented the country with its greatest wildlife reservoir host for bovine tuberculosis (TB). Management efforts to control both possums and TB have been ongoing for decades, and the biology of possums has been studied extensively in Australia and New Zealand over the past 50 years; however, we still do not have a clear understanding of its home-range dynamics. Aims To investigate determinants of home range size by using a uniquely large dataset in the Orongorongo Valley, a highly monitored research area in New Zealand and compare our findings with those of other studies. Methods Possum density was estimated, for subpopulations on four 13-ha cage-trap grids, by the spatially explicit capture–mark–recapture analysis of trapping data from 10 consecutive months. Home ranges were estimated from trap locations using a 100% minimum convex polygon (MCP) method for 348 individuals and analysed with respect to grid, age and sex. Key results Mean (standard error) possum density, estimated as 4.87 (0.19), 6.92 (0.29), 4.08 (0.21) and 4.20 (0.19) ha–1 for the four grids, was significantly negatively correlated with mean MCP home-range size. Grid, age, and the interaction of age and sex were significantly related to home-range size. Older possums had larger home ranges than did younger possums. When ‘juvenile cohort’ and ‘adult cohort’ data were analysed separately, to investigate the significant interaction, males in the ‘adult cohort’ had significantly larger home ranges than did females, with the grid effect still being apparent, whereas neither sex nor grid effects were significant for the ‘juvenile cohort’. Conclusions Our findings indicate that, in addition to density, age and sex are likely to be consistent determinants of possum home-range size, but their influences may be masked in some studies by the complexity of wild-population dynamics. Implications Our findings have strong implications regarding both disease transmission among possums and possum management. The fact that adult males occupy larger home ranges and the understanding that possum home range increases as population density decreases are an indication that males may be the primary drivers of disease transmission in possum populations. The understanding that possum home range increases as population density decreases could be a direct reflection of the ability of TB to persist in the wild that counteracts current management procedures. If individuals, and particularly males, infected with TB can withstand control measures, their ensuing home-range expansion will result in possible bacteria spread in both the expanded area of habitation and new individuals becoming subjected to infection (both immigrant possums and other control survivors). Therefore, managers should consider potential approaches for luring possum males in control operations.

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