Journal article
Spatial and temporal drivers of small mammal distributions in a semi-arid environment: The role of rainfall, vegetation and life-history
LT Kelly, R Dayman, DG Nimmo, MF Clarke, AF Bennett
Austral Ecology | WILEY | Published : 2013
DOI: 10.1111/aec.12018
Abstract
A key task in ecology is to understand the drivers of animal distributions. In arid and semi-arid environments, this is challenging because animal populations show considerable spatial and temporal variation. An effective approach in such systems is to examine both broad-scale and long-term data. We used this approach to investigate the distribution of small mammal species in semi-arid 'mallee' vegetation in south-eastern Australia. First, we examined broad-scale data collected at 280 sites across the Murray Mallee region. We used generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) to examine four hypotheses concerning factors that influence the distribution of individual mammal species at this scale:..
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Funding Acknowledgements
Thanks to John Warren (New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS)) who provided invaluable assistance to RD over many years of surveys, and to Andrew Willson (NPWS) who contributed to the establishment of the Tarawi NR pitfall sites. Funding for the Mallee Fire and Biodiversity Project (MFBP) was provided by Land and Water Australia, Department for Environment and Heritage (South Australia), Parks Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment (Victoria), Mallee Catchment Management Authority, NPWS, Department of Environment and Climate Change (New South Wales), Lower Murray-Darling Catchment Management Authority, Natural Heritage Trust, Birds Australia, Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the Murray Mallee Partnership. We are grateful to the Doyle and Barnes families for access to Petro and Lethero Stations, respectively. Thanks to Lauren Brown, Kate Callister, Lisa Spence-Bailey and all members of the MFBP; the volunteers who assisted with fieldwork; and the organizers of the symposium 'The Greening of Arid Australia'.