Longevity, reproductive effort and movements of three sympatric Australian arid-zone geckos

1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 307 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Read
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Home Ranges

Three sympatric diplodactyline geckos were studied in chenopod shrubland over a six-year period in northern South Australia. Females of each species were significantly larger than males. Rhynchoedura ornata and Diplodactylus conspicillatus, both termite specialists, consistently produced multiple clutches of two eggs in a long breeding season each year, whereas the reproductive output of D. stenodactylus, a dietary generalist, was more erratic. Females of the two Diplodactylus species bred in three consecutive years, whilst R. ornata seldom lived for more than two years. Mean relocation distances ranged from 26 to 35 m, which suggests that some individuals of all species maintained home ranges. However, many individuals of each species, especially R. ornata, were apparently transitory over areas greater than the 1-ha study site.

The ecology of sympatric scincid lizards (Ctenotus) in arid South Australia

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 617 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Read
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Olympic Dam

Ctenotus skinks are the most diverse and abundant diurnal reptile genus at Olympic Dam, in the South Australian arid zone. The home range, demography, reproduction and diet of five syntopic Ctenotus species was studied over a 6-year period in chenopod shrubland. Longevity frequently exceeded three years in C. regius, four years in C. schomburgkii and five years in C. leonhardii, with a 7-year-old specimen of C. leonhardii being recorded. Females of most species tended to be larger and lived longer than males. Two eggs were typically laid by each species in early summer. Annual reproductive effort, particularly in C. leonhardii, varied considerably depending upon the prevailing environmental conditions. All local species apparently occupied home ranges, with maximum recapture radii in different species of 40–60 m. Ctenotus appear to be unspecialised insectivores, although plant material and lizards are sometimes eaten by the larger species.

Dingo interactions with exotic mesopredators: spatiotemporal dynamics in an Australian arid-zone study

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 529 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Schroeder ◽  
M. M. Lewis ◽  
A. D. Kilpatrick ◽  
K. E. Moseby
Keyword(s):  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Dynamic Interaction ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Apex Predators

Context Apex predators occupy the top level of the trophic cascade and often perform regulatory functions in many ecosystems. Their removal has been shown to increase herbivore and mesopredator populations, and ultimately reduce species diversity. In Australia, it has been proposed that the apex predator, the dingo (Canis dingo), has the potential to act as a biological control agent for two introduced mesopredators, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the feral cat (Felis catus). Understanding the mechanisms of interaction among the three species may assist in determining the effectiveness of the dingo as a control agent and the potential benefits to lower-order species. Aims To test the hypotheses that feral cats and foxes attempt to both temporally avoid dingoes and spatially avoid areas of high dingo use. Methods Static and dynamic interaction methodologies based on global positioning system (GPS) telemetry data were applied to test temporal and spatial interactions between the two mesopredators (n = 15) and a dingo pair (n = 2). The experimental behavioural study was conducted in a 37-km2 fenced enclosure located in arid South Australia. Key results The dynamic interaction analysis detected neither attraction nor avoidance between dingoes and cats or foxes at short temporal scales. There was no suggestion of delayed interactions, indicating that dingoes were not actively hunting mesopredators on the basis of olfactory signalling. However, static interaction analysis suggested that, although broad home ranges of cats and foxes overlapped with dingoes, core home ranges were mutually exclusive. This was despite similar habitat preferences among species. Conclusions We found that avoidance patterns were not apparent when testing interactions at short temporal intervals, but were manifested at larger spatial scales. Results support previous work that suggested that dingoes kill mesopredators opportunistically rather than through active hunting. Implications Core home ranges of dingoes may provide refuge areas for small mammals and reptiles, and ultimately benefit threatened prey species by creating mesopredator-free space. However, the potential high temporal variation in core home-range positioning and small size of mutually exclusive areas suggested that further work is required to determine whether these areas provide meaningful sanctuaries for threatened prey.

Managing confined populations: the influence of density on the home range and habitat use of reintroduced burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur)

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme R. Finlayson ◽  
Katherine E. Moseby
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
High Density ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Reproductive Condition ◽  
Behavioural Changes

The home range, reproductive condition and warren and habitat use of reintroduced female burrowing bettongs was compared within two enclosures in the Arid Recovery Reserve at estimated densities of 2.75 and 7.5 bettongs km–2. Bettongs at both densities exhibited similar behaviour, with females using an average of 2.7 warrens over six months and home ranges averaging 29 and 35 ha in the low- and high-density enclosure respectively. All five female bettongs studied in the low-density enclosure were carrying pouch young at the beginning and end of the six-month study but only one of the five females in the high-density enclosure was carrying pouch young after six months. Higher food availability may have accounted for the higher reproductive effort and slightly smaller home ranges observed in the low-density enclosure. Female bettongs at both densities favoured dune habitat over chenopod swales and all burrows were in dune habitat. Although some differences in reproductive output were observed, it is likely that densities are not yet high enough to cause significant behavioural changes.

scholarly journals Seasonal Decline in Leukocyte Concentrations and Reproductive Output in Female Great Tits (Parus Major)

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 829-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Dubiec ◽  
Magdalena Witek ◽  
Mariusz Cichoń
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Breeding Parameters ◽  
High Reproductive Effort ◽  
Leukocyte Counts ◽  
Seasonal Decline ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Leukocyte Concentration

Abstract We studied the relationship between breeding parameters and leukocyte counts (number of cells in 1 mm3 of blood) in Great Tit (Parus major) females. To exclude potential effects on leukocyte concentration of high reproductive effort related to nestling provisioning, we collected blood samples from females at the end of their incubation period. Early-breeding females had greater blood counts of total leukocytes, lymphocytes, and heterophils than birds starting their clutches late in the season. Reproductive success, measured as the number of successfully fledged young, declined over the breeding season and showed no association with total leukocyte concentration. Number of leukocytes was not related to female condition measured as residuals from the regression of body weight on tarsus length. Moreover, the concentration of leukocytes did not predict the probability that a female would survive to the following breeding season. Disminución Estacional en las Concentraciones de Leucocitos y en el Rendimiento Reproductivo en Parus major

Patterns of movement in the small dasyurid (Ningaui yvonneae)

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren G. Bos ◽  
Susan M. Carthew
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Average Distance ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Movement Behaviour ◽  
Population Composition ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Time Of Year ◽  
Breeding Seasons

The movement behaviour of a small dasyurid (Ningaui yvonneae) was investigated using mark–recapture data collected over 28 months from a population in the Middleback Ranges, South Australia. We were particularly interested in assessing variability in patterns of movement between the sexes and across seasons, as this has potentially important implications for population composition and dynamics. The species was found to be fairly mobile, with frequent and sometimes large movements relative to the size of the animal (up to 900+ m). Average distances moved between recaptures within and between trap sessions were 84 m and 160 m respectively, with nearly half of all recorded movements being between trapping grids (i.e. >80 m). Relatively high recapture rates (many separated by more than 100 days) and measures of site fidelity indicated that the species was not particularly transitory, but probably establishes large and/or drifting home ranges. However, patterns of movement varied considerably according to sex and the time of year. Female N. yvonneae were generally more sedentary than males, with few females moving between trapping grids, and most short-term movements (<100 days apart) being less than 70 m. Movements of females for which the records were separated by more than 100 days tended to be larger, with an average between-capture distance >200 m. In contrast, males often moved between trapping grids, even over short periods. Some short-term movements were more than 600 m in length, and the average distance moved within trapping sessions was >100 m. During the breeding season, males more than doubled the average distances moved between recaptures, when they were presumably roaming in search of females. For females, movement distances were similar during the prebreeding and breeding seasons, but were significantly smaller in the postbreeding season, when they were caring for young.

scholarly journals Effects of seed-rich habitat provision on territory density, home range and breeding performance of European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
JENNY C. DUNN ◽  
ANTONY J. MORRIS ◽  
PHILIP V. GRICE ◽  
WILL J. PEACH
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Food Limitation ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Breeding Performance ◽  
Ranging Behaviour ◽  
Local Abundance ◽  
Turtle Dove ◽  
Human Habitation ◽  
Territory Density ◽  
Streptopelia Turtur

Summary Conservation measures providing food-rich habitats through agri-environment schemes (AES) have the potential to affect the demography and local abundance of species limited by food availability. The European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur is one of Europe’s fastest declining birds, with breeding season dietary changes coincident with a reduction in reproductive output suggesting food limitation during breeding. In this study we provided seed-rich habitats at six intervention sites over a 4-year period and tested for impacts of the intervention on breeding success, ranging behaviour and the local abundance of territorial turtle doves. Nesting success and chick biometrics were unrelated to the local availability of seed-rich habitat or to the proximity of intervention plots. Nestling weight was higher close to human habitation consistent with an influence of anthropogenic supplementary food provision. Small home ranges were associated with a high proportion of non-farmed habitats, while large home ranges were more likely to contain seed-rich habitat suggesting that breeding doves were willing to travel further to utilize such habitat where available. Extensively managed grassland and intervention plot fields were selected by foraging turtle doves. A slower temporal decline in the abundance of breeding males on intervention sites probably reflects enhanced habitat suitability during territory settlement. Refining techniques to deliver sources of sown, natural, and supplementary seed that are plentiful, accessible, and parasite-free is likely to be crucial for the conservation of turtle doves.

The spatial dynamics of White-browed Babbler groups in a fragmented agricultural landscape

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter G. Cale
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Group Movements

White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus groups occupying linear strips of vegetation had breeding territories that were smaller in area and had longer linear dimensions than those occupying patches. A group's non-breeding home range was larger than its breeding territory. Groups occupying linear/patch home ranges expanded the linear extent and area of their home ranges more than those within other home range configurations. Some groups moved during the non-breeding season and this was more likely to occur if the group occupied a remnant with a low abundance of invertebrates during summer. Some groups that moved returned prior to the next breeding season, but the majority were never seen again. New groups moved into the study sites and established in vacant home ranges. This suggests that those groups that left the study sites may have established new home ranges elsewhere. Breeding site fidelity was lower in groups that had failed in previous breeding attempts. Therefore, group movements were influenced by the feeding and breeding quality of the habitat. However, the configuration of the local population also influenced group movements with those groups on the edge of a local population being more likely to move than those in the interior. New groups were formed by two processes; group dispersal, where groups generally filled a vacant home range, and group budding, which involved the splitting of a large group. Group dispersal maintained group densities while group budding increased the density of groups in a local population. These two processes were common, producing localized fluctuations in the density of groups. Since babbler groups contain only one breeding pair, changes in group density represent changes in effective population size. Therefore, group dynamics may be important to the persistence of local populations of White-browed Babblers, especially in landscapes that have suffered from habitat loss and fragmentation.

Subaqueous speleothems from the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, as palaeohydrological archives for the arid zone

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calla Gould-Whaley ◽  
Russell Drysdale ◽  
Jan-Hendrick May ◽  
John Hellstrom ◽  
Hai Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arid Zone ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Middle Latitude ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Human Migration ◽  
Dispersal Patterns ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Flinders Ranges ◽  
Ecosystem Changes

&lt;p&gt;Australia is the driest continent outside of Antarctica yet relatively little is known about its long-term moisture history. Many local palaeoclimate archives suffer preservation problems, particularly in the arid centre of the continent, where weathering and erosion leave behind an incomplete record. In an attempt to redress the paucity of arid-zone palaeoclimate records, we investigate &amp;#8216;pendulites&amp;#8217;, subaqueous speleothems that grow episodically according to fluctuations in local groundwater levels. At Mairs Cave (central Flinders Ranges, South Australia), pendulites have formed around stalactites. During the first sustained episode of drowning, the stalactite is veneered by subaqueous calcite, sealing it and preventing further stalactitic growth after water levels fall. Once sealed, the pendulites only record periods of persistent drowning, assumed to correspond to major pluvial episodes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Age data from two pendulite samples collected from close to the ceiling where the highest water levels have reached reveal two main groundwater &amp;#8216;high-stand&amp;#8217; phases centred on ~67 and ~48 ka, coincident with Southern Hemisphere summer insolation maxima. This suggests that precession-driven southward migration of the ITCZ resulted in regular and persistent incursions of tropical air masses to the central Flinders Ranges. Trace element, stable isotope and growth-rate changes reveal that these orbitally controlled growth intervals are superimposed by regional climate responses to Dansgaard-Oeschger and Heinrich events. The results from Mairs Cave shed new light on the moisture history of central Australia, in particular the competing influences of tropical and middle-latitude circulation systems. This provides a precisely dated regional palaeoclimate template for reconstructing ecosystem changes, understanding human migration/dispersal patterns of the first Australians, and the progressive demise of megafauna. We also highlight the utility of subaqueous speleothems more generally as important archives for investigating arid-zone palaeoclimate.&lt;/p&gt;

Energy Expenditure in Reproductive Effort of Male and Female Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

The Auk ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne H. Brunton
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Mating Effort ◽  
Parental Effort ◽  
Nest Failure ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Charadrius Vociferus

Abstract The reproductive investment strategies of the sexes during the breeding season are detailed for Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), a monogamous plover. I measured the energy investments of the sexes in reproductive, mating, and parental effort. As predicted, males expend more mating effort than females; however, the sexes expend equal amounts of parental effort. Total energy expenditure in reproductive effort (mating and parental effort) during a successful nesting attempt was also equal for the sexes. However, early parental effort expenditures by females, early mating effort expenditures by males, and high rates of nest failure combine to result in female reproductive energy expenditures being significantly higher over the breeding season. This suggests that energy expenditure alone is not adequate for accurate comparisons of the relative investments of the sexes. Studies investigating male and female investments need to consider the degree and pattern of nest failures along with patterns of energy expenditure. The advantages to male and female Killdeer of sharing parental care is demonstrated using adult removal experiments. In general, a deserted parent expends more energy in parental effort than a bi-parental parent and has significantly lower reproductive success. However, males are able to hatch chicks, whereas females lose or abandon their nests within a few days of mate removal. Thus, monogamy in Killdeer appears to result from high nest failure rates, the necessity of two parents for any reproductive success, and the generalizable nature of Killdeer parental care.

scholarly journals How Many Baskets? Clutch Sizes That Maximize Annual Fecundity of Multiple-Brooded Birds

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 973-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
George L. Farnsworth ◽  
Theodore R. Simons ◽  
J. Brawn
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Season Length ◽  
Deterministic Models ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Theoretical Issues

Abstract We developed deterministic models on the basis of nest survival rates and renesting behavior capable of predicting annual fecundity in birds. The models calculate probabilities of fledging from one to four nests within a discrete breeding season. We used those models to address theoretical issues related to clutch size. In general, birds require at least one day to lay an egg, and many species delay incubation until their entire clutch is laid. Because it takes longer to complete a larger clutch, and fewer such clutches can fit into a limited breeding season, there exists a clutch size for which annual fecundity is maximized. We asked, for a given amount of reproductive effort (i.e. a set number of eggs), does the age-old maxim “don't put all your eggs in one basket” apply? If so, in how many “baskets” should a nesting bird place its eggs? The answer depends on both likelihood of nest predation and length of the breeding season. Those results are consistent with the observed increase in clutch size with latitude (shorter breeding season length) and larger clutch sizes characteristic of cavity-nesting species (with higher nest survival rates). The models also predict that the size of replacement clutches should decrease as the breeding season progresses, and that intraseasonal decline in clutch size should be more pronounced when the breeding season is short.

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