Lizard distribution patterns in the Tumut Fragmentation "Natural Experiment" in south-eastern Australia

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

  • J. Fischer
  • David B. Lindenmayer
  • S. Barry
  • Emily Flowers

Lizard distribution patterns were examined in a fragmented plantation landscape in south-eastern Australia. Regression modelling was used to relate ecological variables to (1) lizard species richness, (2) lizard species composition, and (3) the presence or abundance of selected lizard species. Ecological variables covered four broad domains that affect animals: climate, space, shelter and food availability. Lizard species richness was highest at mid-elevation sites, and at locations with a large amount of native forest within 1000 m. A major change in lizard species composition was associated with elevation, the proportion of native forest within 1000 m of a site, and the abundance of springtails. The change in species composition coincided with a range of individualistic responses to environmental conditions by different lizard species. For example, with respect to shelter availability, old logs were related to the garden skink Lampropholis guichenoti, shrubs were related to the delicate skink L. delicata, and rocks were related to the red-throated skink Bassiana platynota. The garden skink was most abundant at low elevations, the delicate skink was most likely to occur at intermediate elevations, and the mountain log skink Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii was most likely to occur at high elevations. The garden skink was most abundant in areas surrounded by little native forest, whereas Maccoy's skink Nannoscincus maccoyi and Coventry's skink Niveoscincus coventryi were more abundant or likely to occur in areas whose context was dominated by native forest. Because animal species may respond individualistically to gradients of climate, space, shelter and food availability, continuum theory (as developed for plant ecology) may be a useful complement to fragmentation theory to explain distribution patterns. To maintain lizard diversity in the study area, it will be important to maintain maximum habitat heterogeneity at the landscape and microhabitat scales. For species otherwise threatened by plantation development, large, fairly undisturbed areas of eucalypt forest will be particularly important.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
ZeitschriftBiological Conservation
Jahrgang123
Ausgabenummer3
Seiten (von - bis)301-315
Anzahl der Seiten15
ISSN0006-3207
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 01.06.2005
Extern publiziertJa

    Fachgebiete

  • Biologie - Vertebrata , Reptilia, Oceania, Australia , Sauria, Geographic distribution, Habitat , Environmental protection, Ecological abundance, Biogeography, South Australia , Fragmentation, Landscape

DOI

Zuletzt angesehen

Publikationen

  1. How does collaborative freshwater governance affect legitimacy? Comparative analysis of 14 cases of collaboration in Aotearoa New Zealand between 2009 and 2017
  2. Article 66 CISG
  3. Das Pumpspeicherwerk in Geesthacht
  4. The challenge of managing multiple species at multiple scales
  5. Automation in Clinical Laboratories
  6. Risky Business
  7. What makes online professional development effective?
  8. Computing Consumer Sentiment in Germany via Social Media Data
  9. Entwicklung und realisierung eines computer-basierten lernprogramms zur GMP-schulung/Programm-entwicklung und benutzer-akzeptanz
  10. Introduction
  11. Wer wird subventioniert?
  12. The Incarnation of the Word and the "Concarnation" of the Spirit as Modes of Divine Activity
  13. Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Forming Zone in Dieless Wire Drawing Process of Thin Biometallic Wires
  14. Personal initiative at work
  15. Variation in gaze following across the life span
  16. The social dynamics of knowledge hiding
  17. Transformational ethics to bridge the void between facts and truths
  18. Can we represent future generations in myopic democracies?
  19. Shifting Competency Requirements for IT Professionals in the Digital Transformation: A Competency Transformation Process Model
  20. Diverse values and a common utopia
  21. Jeder Tag wie dieser
  22. Headway Control and Comfort in Vehicle Automation
  23. Effects of different video- or text-based reflection stimuli on pre-service teachers’ emotions, immersion, cognitive load and knowledge-based reasoning
  24. Predicting Travel Patterns of Senior Citizens
  25. Lagrangian analysis of long-term dynamics of turbulent superstructures
  26. An Advanced Double Column-Switching Technique (LC-LC) for Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Ionisation Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Fully Automated Analysis of Caspofungin
  27. Communicating effectively about CSR on Twitter
  28. Von "cool" zu Klärung
  29. National ecosystem restoration pledges are mismatched with social-ecological enabling conditions
  30. Morphometric differentiation in a specialised snail predatior