The status of non-volant mammals along a rainfall gradient in the south-west Kimberley, Western Australia
A. N. Start A D , A. A. Burbidge A B , M. C. McDowell C and N. L. McKenzie A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australian Wildlife Research Centre, PO Box 51, Wanneroo, WA 6946, Australia.
B Current address: 87 Rosedale Street, Floreat, WA 6014, Australia.
C School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, PO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: tonys@wn.com.au
Australian Mammalogy 34(1) 36-48 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM10026
Submitted: 5 August 2010 Accepted: 8 May 2011 Published: 7 October 2011
Abstract
To assess the current status of mammals in relation to mean annual rainfall and to improve knowledge of the original mammalian assemblages in tropical Western Australia, extant terrestrial mammals and subfossil mammalian remains were sought along a rainfall gradient in two parallel ranges in the Kimberley, Western Australia. As expected, extant mammal species richness decreased with decreasing rainfall. Data from other studies in higher-rainfall areas complemented this conclusion and a parallel decline in trap success implied an overall decline in abundance, although numbers of two rodents (Rattus tunneyi and Zyzomys argurus) were highly variable. Small rodents were rare. Subfossil deposits were biased by accumulation processes, with most attributable to tytonid owls. They largely consisted of rodent and, to a lesser extent, small dasyurid bones and there was a high level of consistency in the proportional composition of many common species across the rainfall gradient. Most deposits appear to predate the introduction of stock in the 1880s and some may be much older. All species persist in the study area except two Notomys spp. and three Pseudomys spp. Both the Notomys and one Pseudomys are apparently undescribed, extinct species. However, there were marked ratio differences between subfossil and modern assemblages. Although specimens of species larger than those taken by tytonid owls were scarce, their occurrences were broadly consistent with the modern understanding of distributions.
Additional keywords: barn owl, extant, subfossil, survey.
References
Abbott, I. (2002). Origin and spread of the cat, Felis catus, on mainland Australia, with a discussion of the magnitude of its early impact on native fauna. Wildlife Research 29, 51–74.| Origin and spread of the cat, Felis catus, on mainland Australia, with a discussion of the magnitude of its early impact on native fauna.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Aplin, K. P., Braithwaite, R. W., and Baverstock, P. R. (2008). Pale field-rat Rattus tunneyi. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 698–700. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Archer, M. (1974). New information about the Quaternary distribution of the Thylacine (Marsupialia, Thylacinidae) in Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 57, 43–50.
Augee, S. (2008). Short-beaked echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus (Shaw, 1792). In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 37–39. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Baird, R. F. (1991). The taphonomy of late Quaternary cave localities yielding vertebrate remains in Australia. In ‘Vertebrate Palaeontology of Australasia’. (Eds P. Vickers-Rich, J. M. Monaghan, R. F. Baird and T. H. Rich.) pp. 267–309. (Pioneer Design Studio: Melbourne.)
Barrett, G., Silcocks, A., Barry, S., Cunningham, R., and Poulter, R. (2003). ‘The New Atlas of Australian Birds.’ (Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union: Melbourne.)
Baynes, A., and Baird, R. F. (1992). The original mammal fauna and some information on the original bird fauna of Uluru National Park, Northern Territory. The Rangeland Journal 14, 92–106.
| The original mammal fauna and some information on the original bird fauna of Uluru National Park, Northern Territory.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bilney, R. J., Cooke, R., and White, J. G. (2010). Underestimated and severe: small mammal decline from the forests of south-eastern Australia since European settlement, as revealed by a top-order predator. Biological Conservation 143, 52–59.
| Underestimated and severe: small mammal decline from the forests of south-eastern Australia since European settlement, as revealed by a top-order predator.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Blakers, M., Davies, S. J. F., and Reilly, P. N. (1984). ‘The Atlas of Australian Birds.’ (Melbourne University Press: Melbourne.)
Bolton, G. C. (1952). A survey of the Kimberley pastoral industry from 1885 to present. M.Sc. Thesis. The University of Western Australia, Perth.
Bradley, A. J., Kemper, C. M., Kitchener, D. J., Humphreys, W. F., and How, R. A. (1987). Small mammals of the Mitchell Plateau region, Kimberley, Western Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 14, 397–413.
| Small mammals of the Mitchell Plateau region, Kimberley, Western Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Braithwaite, R. W., and Brady, P. (1993). The delicate mouse, Pseudomys delicatulus, a continuous breeder waiting for the good times. Australian Mammalogy 16, 93–96.
Braithwaite, R. W., and Griffiths, A. D. (1996). The paradox of Rattus tunneyi: endangerment of a native pest. Wildlife Research 23, 1–21.
| The paradox of Rattus tunneyi: endangerment of a native pest.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Braithwaite, R. W., and Muller, W. J. (1997). Rainfall, groundwater and refuges: predicting extinctions of Australian tropical mammal species. Australian Journal of Ecology 22, 57–67.
| Rainfall, groundwater and refuges: predicting extinctions of Australian tropical mammal species.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Breed, W. G. (2007). Spinifex hopping-mouse Notomys alexis. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 596–597. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Burbidge, A. A., and Johnson, P. M. (2008). Spectacled hare-wallaby Lagorchestes conspicillatus Gould 1842. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 314–316. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Burbidge, A. A., and McKenzie, N. L. (1989). Patterns in the modern decline of Western Australia’s vertebrate fauna: causes and conservation implications. Biological Conservation 50, 143–198.
| Patterns in the modern decline of Western Australia’s vertebrate fauna: causes and conservation implications.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Burbidge, A. A., McKenzie, N. L., Brennan, K. E. C., Woinarski, J. C. Z., Dickman, C. R., Baynes, A., Gordon, G., Menkhorst, P. W., and Robinson, A. C. (2008). Conservation status and biogeography of Australia’s terrestrial mammals. Australian Journal of Zoology 56, 411–422.
| Conservation status and biogeography of Australia’s terrestrial mammals.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Craig, A. B. (1997). A review of information on the effects of fire in relation to the management of rangelands in the Kimberley high-rainfall zone. Tropical Grasslands 31, 161–187.
Craig, A. B. (1999). Fire management of rangelands in the Kimberley low-rainfall zone: a review. The Rangeland Journal 21, 39–70.
| Fire management of rangelands in the Kimberley low-rainfall zone: a review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Derrick, G. M., and Playford, P. E. (1973). Lennard River, Western Australia, Sheet SE 58–8 International Index. 1 : 250 000 Geological Series Explanatory Notes. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
Douglas, A. M. (1967). The natural history of the ghost bat, Macroderma gigas (Microchiroptera, Megadermatidae), in Western Australia. The Western Australian Naturalist 10, 125–138.
Dyer, R., Jacklyn, P., Partridge, I., Russell-Smith, J., and Williams, D. (Eds.) (2001). ‘Savanna Burning: understanding and using fire in northern Australia.’ (Tropical Savannas Cooperative Research Centre: Darwin.)
Ford, F. (2008). Delicate mouse Pseudomys delicatulus. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 623–624. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Franklin, D. C. (1999). Evidence of disarray amongst granivorous bird assemblages in the savannas of northern Australia, a region of sparse human settlement. Biological Conservation 90, 53–68.
| Evidence of disarray amongst granivorous bird assemblages in the savannas of northern Australia, a region of sparse human settlement.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Heywood, M. R., and Pavey, C. R. (2002). Relative importance of plague rodents and dasyurids as prey of barn owls in central Australia. Wildlife Research 29, 203–207.
| Relative importance of plague rodents and dasyurids as prey of barn owls in central Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Higgins, P. J. (Ed.) (1999). ‘Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds. Volume 4. Parrots to Dollarbird.’ (Oxford University Press: Melbourne.)
How, R. A., Cooper, N. K., and Bannister, J. L. (2001). Checklist of the mammals of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 63, 91–98.
How, R., Schmitt, L., Teale, R., and Cowan, M. (2006). Appraising vertebrate diversity in Bonaparte Islands, Kimberley, Western Australia. The Western Australian Naturalist 25, 92–110.
Ingleby, S., and Gordon, G. (2008). Northern nailtail wallaby Onychogalea unguifera (Gould, 1841). In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 359–361. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Johnson, K. A. (2008). Bilby Macrotis lagotis (Reid, 1837). In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 191–193. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Johnstone, R. E., and Storr, G. M. (1998). ‘Handbook of Western Australian Birds. Volume 1 – Non-passerines (Emu to Dollarbird).’ (Western Australian Museum: Perth.)
Kemper, C. M., and Frith, R. C. S. (2008). Brush-tailed rabbit-rat Conilurus penicillatus (Gould, 1842). In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 579–580. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Kerle, J. A., and Ford, F. (2008). Central pebble-mouse Pseudomys johnsoni Kitchener, 1985. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 639–640. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Kitchener, D. J. (1978). Mammals of the Ord River area, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 6, 189–218.
Kitchener, D., Keller, L. E., Chapman, A., McKenzie, N. L., Start, A. N., and Kenneally, K. F. (1981). Observations on mammals on the Mitchell Plateau area, Kimberley, Western Australia. In ‘Biological Survey of Mitchell Plateau and Admiralty Gulf, Kimberley, Western Australia’. (Ed. anon.) pp. 123–169. (Western Australian Museum: Perth.)
Kutt, A. S., and Kemp, J. E. (2006). Distribution, habitat and conservation status of Leggadina lakedownensis (Rodentia: Muridae) in Queensland. Australian Zoologist 33, 258–264.
Lee, A. K. (1995). ‘Action Plan for Australian Rodents.’ (Australian Nature Conservation Agency: Canberra.)
Legge, S., Murphy, S., Heathcote, J., Flaxman, E., Augusteyn, J., and Crossman, M. (2008). The short-term effects of an extensive and high-intensity fire on vertebrates in the tropical savannas of the central Kimberley, Western Australia. Wildlife Research 35, 33–43.
| The short-term effects of an extensive and high-intensity fire on vertebrates in the tropical savannas of the central Kimberley, Western Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lochman, J., and Lochman, M. (2003). Expressions of concern about the welfare of north-west Kimberley mammals. Wilderness News 163, 12–13.
McDowell, M. C., and Medlin, G. C. (2009a). The effects of drought on prey selection of the barn owl (Tyto alba) in the Strzelecki Regional Reserve, north-eastern South Australia. Australian Mammalogy 31, 47–55.
| The effects of drought on prey selection of the barn owl (Tyto alba) in the Strzelecki Regional Reserve, north-eastern South Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McDowell, M. C., and Medlin, G. C. (2009b). Using the diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) as an indicator of small vertebrate abundance in the Channel Country, south-western Queensland. Australian Mammalogy 31, 75–80.
| Using the diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) as an indicator of small vertebrate abundance in the Channel Country, south-western Queensland.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McDowell, M. C., and Medlin, G. C. (2010). Natural resource management implications of the pre-European non-volant mammal fauna of the southern tip of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. Australian Mammalogy 32, 87–93.
| Natural resource management implications of the pre-European non-volant mammal fauna of the southern tip of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McKenzie, N. L. (1981). Mammals of the Phanerozoic south-west Kimberley, Western Australia: biogeography and recent changes. Journal of Biogeography 8, 263–280.
| Mammals of the Phanerozoic south-west Kimberley, Western Australia: biogeography and recent changes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McKenzie, N. L. (1983). Part IV, Mammals. In ‘Wildlife of the Dampier Peninsula, South-west Kimberley, Western Australia’. (Ed. N. L. McKenzie.) pp. 40–53. Wildlife Research Bulletin, Western Australia No. 11. (Department of Fisheries and Wildlife: Perth.)
McKenzie, N. L., Chapman, A., and Youngson, K. (1975). Part V, Mammals. In ‘A Biological Survey of the Prince Regent River Reserve, North-west Kimberley, Western Australia’. (Eds J. M. Miles and A. A. Burbidge.) pp. 69–74. Wildlife Research Bulletin, Western Australia No. 3. (Department of Fisheries and Wildlife: Perth.)
McKenzie, N. L., Burbidge, A. A., Chapman, A., and Youngson, K. (1978). Part III, Mammals. In ‘The Islands of the North-west Kimberley’. (Eds A. A. Burbidge and N. L. McKenzie.) pp. 22–28. Wildlife Research Bulletin Western Australia No. 7. (Department of Fisheries and Wildlife: Perth.)
McKenzie, N. L., Johnston, R. B., and Kendrick, P. G. (Eds.) (1991). ‘Kimberley Rainforests of Australia’. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)
McKenzie, N. L., Burbidge, A. A., Baynes, A., Brereton, R. N., Dickman, C. R., Gordon, G., Gibson, L. A., Menkhorst, P. W., Robinson, A. C., Williams, M. R., and Woinarski, J. C. Z. (2006). Analysis of factors implicated in the recent decline of Australia’s mammal fauna. Journal of Biogeography 33, 1–15.
McKenzie, N. L., Morris, K. D., and Dickman, C. R. (2008). Golden bandicoot Isoodon auratus (Ramsay, 1887). In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 176–178. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
McNabb, E. G. (2002). Notes on the diet and observations of the southern boobook (Ninox novaeseelandiae) in southern Victoria. In ‘Ecology and Conservation of Owls’. (Eds I. Newton, R. Kavanagh, J. Olsen and I. Taylor.) pp. 192–200. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)
Mead, J. I., Coats, L. L., and Schubert, B. W. (2003). Late Pleistocene faunas from caves in the Eastern Grand Canyon, Arizona. In ‘Ice Age Cave Faunas of North America’. (Eds B. W. Schubert, J..I. Mead and R..W. Graham.) pp. 64–86. (Denver Museum of Nature and Science: Denver.)
Moro, D., and Kutt, A. S. (2008). Northern short-tailed mouse Leggadina lakedownensis Watts, 1976. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 583–584. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Morris, K. D., and Robinson, A. C. (2008). Shark Bay mouse Pseudomys fieldi (Waite, 1896). In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 627–628. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Morton, S. R., and Martin, A. A. (1979). Feeding biology of the barn owl, Tyto alba, in arid southern Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 6, 191–204.
| Feeding biology of the barn owl, Tyto alba, in arid southern Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
O’Connor, S., Aplin, K., and Collins, S. (2008). A small salvage excavation in Windjana Gorge, Kimberley, Western Australia. Archaeology in Oceania 43, 75–81.
Partridge, T. B. (2008). Fire and fauna in Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park, Kimberley, Western Australia.’ Ph.D. Thesis. Macquarie University, Sydney.
Penck, M., and Queale, L. F. (2002). The diet of southern boobooks in South Australia. Emu 102, 355–360.
| The diet of southern boobooks in South Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Playford, P. E., and Cockbain, A. E. (1989). Devonian reef complexes, Canning Basin, Western Australia: a review. Memoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologists 8, 401–412.
Playford, P. E., Hocking, R. M. and Cockbain, A. E. (2009). Devonian reef complexes of the Canning Basin, Western Australia. Geological Survey of Western Australia Bulletin 145. Department of Minerals and Energy, Perth.
Predavec, M., and Watts, C. H. S. (2008). Long-haired rat Rattus villosissimus. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 700–701. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Russell-Smith, J., Start, T., and Woinarski, J. (2001). Effects of fire in the landscape. In ‘Savanna Burning: Understanding and Using Fire in Northern Australia’. (Eds R. Dyer, P. Jacklyn, I. Partridge, J. Russell-Smith, and D. Williams.) pp. 29–49. (Tropical Savannas Cooperative Research Centre. Darwin.)
Singleton, G. R. (2008). House mouse Mus musculus. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’. 3rd edn. (Eds S. van Dyck, and R. Strahan.) pp. 702–703. (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)
Smith, J. D. B., and Cole, J. (1989). Diet of the barn owl, Tyto alba, in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory. Australian Wildlife Research 16, 611–624.
| Diet of the barn owl, Tyto alba, in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Start, A. N., Burbidge, A. A., McKenzie, N. L., and Palmer, C. (2007). The status of mammals in the North Kimberley, Western Australia. Australian Mammalogy 29, 1–16.
Thackway, R., and Cresswell, I. D. (Eds.) (1995). An interim bioregionalisation for Australia: A framework for setting priorities in the National Reserve System Cooperative Program. Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra.
Tidemann, C. R., Priddel, D. M., Nelson, J. E., and Pettigrew, J. D. (1985). Foraging behaviour of the Australian ghost bat, Macroderma gigas (Microchiroptera: Megadermatidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 33, 705–713.
| Foraging behaviour of the Australian ghost bat, Macroderma gigas (Microchiroptera: Megadermatidae).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Watts, C. H. S., and Aslin, H. J. (1981). ‘The Rodents of Australia.’ (Angus and Robertson: Sydney.)
Woinarski, J., Menkhorst, K., Gambold, N., and Braithwaite, R. (1992). Mammals of the Bungle Bungle area. In ‘A Survey of the Wildlife and Vegetation of Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park and Adjacent Area’. (Ed. J. C. Z. Woinarski.) pp. 53–67. Research Bulletin No. 6. (Department of Conservation and Land Management: Perth.)
Woinarski, J. C. Z., Milne, D. J., and Wanganeen, G. (2001). Changes in mammal populations in relatively intact landscapes of Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. Austral Ecology 26, 360–370.
| Changes in mammal populations in relatively intact landscapes of Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Woinarski, J. C. Z., Armstrong, M., Brennan, K., Fisher, A., Griffiths, A. D., Hill, B., Milne, D. J., Palmer, C., Ward, S., Watson, M., Winderlich, S., and Young, S. (2010). Monitoring indicates rapid and severe decline of native small mammals in Kakadu National Park, northern Australia. Wildlife Research 37, 116–126.
| Monitoring indicates rapid and severe decline of native small mammals in Kakadu National Park, northern Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Woolley, P.A. (2009). The Julia Creek dunnart and other prey of the barn owl in Mitchell grass downs of north-western Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum: Nature 55, 107–117.
Yom-Tov, Y. (1985). The reproductive rates of Australian rodents. Oecologia 66, 250–256.
Youngson, W. K., Henry, J., and McKenzie, N. L. (1981). Part III: Mammals. In ‘Wildlife of the Edgar Ranges Area, South-west Kimberley, Western Australia’. (Ed. N. L. McKenzie.) pp. 39–45. Wildlife Research Bulletin Western Australia No. 10. (Department of Fisheries and Wildlife: Perth.)
