Influence of habitats, climate, grazing and mining on terrestrial vertebrates at Olympic Dam, South Australia.

Abstract

Small mammals, reptiles and amphibians were trapped in pitfalls in a range of habitats around the Olympic Dam Operations mine in central South Australia over a five year period (1987-91) to assess the impacts on these groups of climate, mining and grazing. Neobatrachus centralis, a frog, was the most abundant vertebrate in the region but was only recorded after heavy rains. Reptiles were both diverse and abundant in summer samples and in general maintained their population sizes during droughts. Mammals, however, exhibited considerable fluctuations in population size which were associated with climatic cycles. Sites within the mining lease consistently yielded higher species diversities and capture rates of reptiles than sites in pastoral land, but this could not be related directly to land use.