Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > WR > WR04089
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(8)

Factors affecting the detection of possums by spotlighting in Western Australia

A. F. Wayne A C D , A. Cowling B , J. F. Rooney C , C. G. Ward C , I. B. Wheeler C , D. B. Lindenmayer A and C. F. Donnelly B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.

B Statistical Consulting Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.

C Science Division, Department of Conservation and Land Management, Locked Bag 2, Manjimup, WA 6258, Australia.

D Corresponding author: Email: adrianw@calm.wa.gov.au

Wildlife Research 32(8) 689-700 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR04089
Submitted: 6 October 2004  Accepted: 9 August 2005   Published: 20 December 2005

Abstract

This paper describes how environmental factors, survey method procedures and differences in forest structure resulting from logging relate to the detection of koomal (common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus) and ngwayir (western ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus occidentalis). A total of 169 vehicle-based spotlight surveys of possums within native jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest was conducted on three transects over eight years (1996–2003). Up to 5.7 koomal and up to 3.3 ngwayir were detected per kilometre per transect side. Only one ngwayir was detected during the eight surveys conducted between 2001 and 2003. More koomal were seen in spring and autumn (i.e. September–November and March–May respectively) and more ngwayir were seen between October and April. Although surveys were not conducted on very rainy or excessively windy nights, fewer possums were nonetheless seen on nights following rainy days and on cold nights. Cloud cover also affected sightings of koomal. The time taken to complete the surveys increased in conjunction with the number of possums detected, on account of the time required to record data. The importance of standardising travelling speed also is emphasised. Possum spotlight counts differed between recently logged and unlogged areas. However, these findings were not supported by complementary koomal abundance estimates derived from trapping, suggesting that vegetation structure may affect detectability. Factors such as the lunar cycle, wind speed and survey start time after sunset did not significantly affect detection rates of either species. On the basis of these findings, specific survey conditions can be selected to improve spotlight detection efficiency.


Acknowledgments

Brent Johnson, Keith Morris, Gordon Friend, Peter Orell and Mick Dillon were involved in the establishment and early surveys along the Northern and Southern transects. We are especially grateful to the large number of volunteers, including CALM staff in Manjimup, who collectively contributed over 1000 hours to assist with the spotlight surveys. Paul Davies assisted with the production of the study location map (Fig. 1). Neil Burrows, Ian Abbott, Matthew Williams, Lachlan McCaw, Mike Calver, Joern Fischer, Julia Northin, Margaret Starace and two anonymous referees kindly provided comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. This research was conducted with the approval of the Western Australian Government Department of Conservation and Land Management Animal Ethics Committee (CAEC 1993/2000/16), and funded by the Department of Conservation and Land Management.


References

Abbott, I. (2001). Aboriginal names of mammal species in south-west Western Australia. CALMScience 3, 433–486.
Bell D. J. (1981). Estimating the density of possums Trichosurus vulpecula. In ‘Proceedings of the First Symposium on Marsupials in New Zealand’. (Ed. B. D. Bell.) No. 74, pp. 177–182. (Zoology Publications from Victoria University: Wellington.)

Bennett, A. F. , Lumsden, L. F. , Alexander, J. S. A. , Duncan, P. E. , Johnson, P. G. , Robertson, P. , and Silveira, C. E. (1991). Habitat use by arboreal mammals along an environmental gradient in north-eastern Victoria. Wildlife Research 18, 125–146.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CALM (1995). Silvicultural guidelines 1/95: silvicultural practice in jarrah forest. Western Australian Government Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth.

Catling, P. C. , Burt, R. J. , and Kooyman, R. (1997). A comparison of techniques used in a survey of the ground-dwelling and arboreal mammals in forests in north-eastern New South Wales. Wildlife Research 24, 417–432.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Cowan P., and Clout M. (2000). Possums on the move: activity patterns, home ranges and dispersal. In ‘The Brushtail Possum: Biology, Impact, and Management of an Introduced Marsupial’. (Ed. T. L. Montague.) pp. 24–34. (Manaaki Whenua Press: Lincoln, New Zealand.)

Cunningham, R. B. , Lindenmayer, D. B. , and Nix, H. A. (1999). Quantifying observer heterogeneity in bird counts. Australian Journal of Ecology 24, 270–277.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Dell B., and Havel J. J. (1989). The jarrah forest, an introduction. In ‘The Jarrah Forest: A Complex Mediterranean System’. (Eds B. Dell, J. J. Havel and N. Malajczuk.) pp. 1–10. (Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht, The Netherlands.)

de Tores P. (2000). Review of the distribution and conservation status of the western ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus occidentalis, and recommendations for management. Unpublished report. Western Australian Government Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth.

Dyne G. R., and Walton D. W. (Eds) (1987). ‘Fauna of Australia: Volume 1B, Mammalia.’ (Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.)

Ellis, M. , and Jones, B. (1992). Observations of captive and wild western ringtail possums Pseudocheirus occidentalis. Western Australian Naturalist 19, 1–10.
Eyre T. J. (2004). Distribution and conservation status of the possums and gliders of southern Queensland. In ‘The Biology of Australian Possums and Gliders’. (Eds R. L. Goldingay and S. M. Jackson.) pp. 1–25. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Eyre, T. J. , and Smith, A. P. (1997). Floristic and structural habitat preferences of yellow-bellied gliders (Petaurus australis) and selective logging impacts in southeast Queensland, Australia. Forest Ecology and Management 98, 281–295.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | GenStat (2003). ‘GenStat for Windows.’ 7th edn. (VSN International Ltd.: Hemel Hempstead, UK.)

Goldingay R. L. (1984). Photoperiodic control of diel activity in the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps). In ‘Possums and Gliders’. (Eds A. P. Smith and I. D. Hume.) pp. 385–391. (Australian Mammal Society: Sydney.)

Goldingay, R. L. , and Kavanagh, R. P. (1988). Detectability of the feathertail glider, Acrobates pygmaeus (Marsupialia: Burramyidae), in relation to measured weather variables. Australian Mammalogy 11, 67–70.
Goldingay R. L., and Sharpe D. J. (2004b). Spotlight versus nestboxes for detecting feathertail gliders in northeast New South Wales. In ‘The Biology of Australian Possums and Gliders’. (Eds R. L. Goldingay and S. M. Jackson) pp. 298–305. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Gursky, S. (2003). Lunar philia in a nocturnal primate. International Journal of Primatology 24, 351–367.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | How R. A. (1972). The ecology and management of Trichosurus species (Marsupialia) in New South Wales. Ph.D. thesis, University of New England.

How R. A. (1978). Population strategies of four species of Australian ‘possums’. In ‘Ecology of Arboreal Folivores’. (Ed. G. G. Montgomery.) pp. 305–313. (Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington.)

How, R. A. (1981). Population parameters of two congeneric possums, Trichosurus spp., in north-eastern New South Wales. Australian Journal of Zoology 29, 205–215.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | How R. A., and Kerle J. A. (1995). Common brushtail possum. In ‘The Australian Museum Complete Book of Australian Mammals’. (Ed. R. Strahan.) (Reed Books: Sydney.)

How T., Carthew S. M., and Tap P. (2004). A comparison of survey techniques for detecting possums and gliders in forest patches in southern Australia. In ‘The Biology of Australian Possums and Gliders’. (Eds R. L. Goldingay and S. M. Jackson.) pp. 564–578. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Jones B. (1995). Western ringtail possum. In ‘The Australian Museum Complete Book of Australian Mammals’. (Ed. R. Strahan.) pp. 252–254. (Reed Books: Sydney.)

Jones B. (2004). The possum fauna of Western Australia: decline, persistence and status. In ‘The Biology of Australian Possums and Gliders’. (Eds R. L. Goldingay and S. M. Jackson.) pp. 149–160. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Jones, B. A. , How, R. A. , and Kitchener, D. J. (1994a). A field study of Pseudocheirus occidentalis (Marsupialia: Petauridae). I. Distribution and habitat. Wildlife Research 21, 175–187.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Kavanagh R. P. (1984). Seasonal changes in habitat use by gliders and possums in south eastern New South Wales. In ‘Possums and Gliders’. (Eds A. P. Smith and I. D. Hume.) pp. 527–543. (Australian Mammal Society: Sydney.)

Kavanagh, R. P. (1988). The impact of predation by the powerful owl, Ninox strenua, on a population of the greater glider, Petauroides volans. Australian Journal of Ecology 13, 445–450.
Kerle J. A. (2001). ‘Possums: the Brushtails, Ringtails and Greater Glider.’ 1st edn. (University of New South Wales Press: Sydney.)

Kerle, J. A. , McKay, G. M. , and Sharman, G. B. (1991). A systematic analysis of the brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr, 1792) (Marsupialia, Phalangeridae). Australian Journal of Zoology 39, 313–331.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Lindenmayer D. B. (2002). ‘Gliders of Australia: A Natural History.’ (University of New South Wales Press Ltd: Sydney.)

Lindenmayer, D. B. , Cunningham, R. B. , Tanton, M. T. , and Nix, H. A. (1991). Aspects of the use of den trees by arboreal and scansorial marsupials inhabiting montane ash forests in Victoria. Australian Journal of Zoology 39, 57–65.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | MacLennan D. G. (1984). The feeding behaviour and activity patterns of the brushtail possums, Trichosurus vulpecula, in an open eucalypt woodland in southeast Queensland. In ‘Possums and Gliders’. (Eds A. P. Smith and I. D. Hume.) pp. 155–161. (Australian Mammal Society: Sydney.)

Maher M. (2001). Nocturnal and diurnal activity patterns of the western ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus occidentalis, and its relevance to the Western Shield Program. Unpublished Directed Environmental Research Project. University of Notre Dame.

Mattiske E. M., and Havel J. J. (1997). Review and integration of floristic classifications in the south-west forest region of Western Australia: a report to the Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments for the Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement. Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd, Perth.

Maxwell S., Burbidge A. A., and Morris K. (1996). ‘The 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes.’ Wildlife Australia – Endangered Species Program – IUCM/SSC Australasian Marsupial and Monotreme Specialist Group, Project No. 500, Perth.

McArthur W. M., and Clifton A. L. (1975). ‘Forestry and agriculture in relation to soils in the Pemberton area of Western Australia.’ Soils and Land Use Series No. 54. (CSIRO: Melbourne.)

Morris K., Johnson B., Rooney J., and Ward C. (2001). The short-term impacts of timber harvesting and associated activities on the abundance of medium-sized mammals in the jarrah forest of Western Australia. In ‘Nature Conservation 5: Conservation in the Production Environments: Managing the Matrix’. (Eds J. L. Craig, N. Mitchell and D. A. Saunders.) pp. 60–70. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Newell, G. R. (1999). Home range and habitat use by Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) within a rainforest fragment in north Queensland. Wildlife Research 26, 129–145.
Nowak R. M. (1999). ‘Walker’s Mammals of the World. Volume 1.’ 6th edn. (John Hopkins University Press: Baltimore.)

Owen, W. H. , and Thomson, J. A. (1965). Notes on the comparative ecology of the common brushtail possum and mountain possums in eastern Australia. Victorian Naturalist 82, 216–217.
Proctor-Gray E. (1984). Dietary ecology of the coppery brushtail possum, green ringtail possum and Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo in north Queensland. In ‘Possums and Gliders’. (Eds A. P. Smith and I. D. Hume.) pp. 129–135. (Australian Mammal Society: Sydney.)

Roberts, M. , Phillips, L. , and Kohn, F. (1990). Common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) as a management model for the Pseudocheiridae – reproductive scope, behavior, and biomedical values on a browse-free diet. Zoo Biology 9, 25–41.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Strelein G. J. (1988). Site classification in the southern jarrah forest of Western Australia. Western Australian Government Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth.

Thomson, J. A. , and Owen, W. H. (1964). A field study of the Australian ringtail possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus (Marsupialia: Phalangeridae). Ecological Monographs 34, 27–52.
Ward G. D. (1978). Habitat use and home range of radio-tagged opossums Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr) in New Zealand lowland forest. In ‘Ecology of Arboreal Folivores’. (Ed. G. G. Montgomery.) pp. 267–287. (Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, DC.)

Wayne A. F., Ward C., Rooney J., and Wheeler I. (2000). The immediate impacts of timber harvesting and associated activities on the ngwayir (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) in the jarrah forest of Kingston State Forest Block. Progress Report. Western Australian Government Department of Conservation and Land Management, Manjimup.

Wayne A. F., Rooney J., Ward C., Wheeler I., and Mellican A. (2001). Spotlight surveys to investigate the impacts of timber harvesting and associated activities within the jarrah forest of Kingston State Forest, with particular reference to the koomal (Trichosurus vulpecula) and ngwayir (Pseudocheirus occidentalis). Progress Report. Western Australian Government Department of Conservation and Land Management, Manjimup.

Wayne, A. F. , Ward, C. G. , Rooney, J. F. , Vellios, C. V. , and Lindenmayer, D. B. (2005a). The life history of Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus (Phalangeridae), within the southern jarrah forest, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 53, 265–278.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Wilde S. A., and Walker I. W. (1984). Pemberton–Irwin Inlet, Western Australia. Geological Survey Series Explanation Notes. Geological Survey of Western Australia, Perth.

Wilson R. (1999). Possums in the spotlight. Nature Australia Autumn, 34–41.