Habitat use by the eastern pygmy-possum in a coastal woodland–heathland mosaic
Ross L. Goldingay
A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia.
Australian Mammalogy 45(3) 275-284 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM22013
Submitted: 7 April 2022 Accepted: 15 March 2023 Published: 29 March 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Mammal Society.
Abstract
Understanding patterns of habitat use is required to conserve species and to manage their habitats. I used detections of 156 individual eastern pygmy-possums (Cercartetus nanus) within artificial cavities to investigate habitat use across 18 ha of a woodland–heathland mosaic. Detection of breeding females was highest in autumn (March to May) and winter, during the flowering period of Banksia ericifolia. Detection was over two times higher in woodland compared with heathland. This pattern was not influenced by variation in flowering or hollow abundance, which were equivalent across the two habitats. Protection from the weather may drive this pattern. Adult males were detected most frequently in autumn, coinciding with the beginning of female reproduction. They were detected equally in woodland and heathland. Why detection was lower in winter and spring is unclear but may arise from female aggression, forcing males to use natural shelters away from lactating females. Subadults were detected most frequently in spring and summer, coinciding with independence and dispersal. Subadults preferred woodland, reflecting where they were reared. This study has provided new insights into the behavioural ecology of this species, but further studies are needed to better understand how foraging and breeding influence shelter site use.
Keywords: age-sex classes, artificial cavity, Cercartetus nanus, nest box, pipe refuge, Royal National Park, shelter tube, tree cavity, tree hollow.
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