Demographic parameters of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) in an urban forest remnant
David J. Sharpe A B C and Ross L. Goldingay A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia.
B Present address: SMEC Australia, PO Box 953, Nerang, Qld 4211, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: davidsharpe3@bigpond.com
Australian Journal of Zoology 65(3) 141-147 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO17004
Submitted: 7 February 2017 Accepted: 19 July 2017 Published: 4 September 2017
Abstract
The effective management of species requires detailed knowledge of key population parameters. A capture–mark–recapture study of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) was conducted in an urban forest remnant in Brisbane, south-east Queensland. A total of 187 adult gliders (96 females, 91 males) was captured 620 times, in 19 sessions over a 4-year period. A Cormack–Jolly–Seber model was employed to estimate adult survival and abundance. Factors that may affect survival (e.g. sex, year, season) were included in population models. The overall probability of annual apparent survival was 0.49 ± 0.08. The capture probability over the duration of the study was 0.38 ± 0.03. The size of the local population was highest in the first year of the study (70–113 individuals) but then declined and generally remained low in the last two years. Apparent survival may include an unknown component of dispersal. However, our study area was mostly surrounded by a hostile urban matrix, so the effect of dispersal may have been minimal. Further studies that assess the survival of squirrel gliders are needed to assess the extent to which this parameter varies among localities.
Additional keywords: AIC, population density, population model, program MARK, urban ecology.
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