Microhabitat use and foraging behaviour of Sminthopsis youngsoni (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae) in arid central Australia
Adele S. HaythornthwaiteSchool of Biological Sciences and Institute of Wildlife Research,University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Email: ahaythor@bio.usyd.edu.au
Wildlife Research 32(7) 609-615 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR04126
Submitted: 22 December 2004 Accepted: 24 August 2005 Published: 24 November 2005
Abstract
In this study, fluorescent pigment tracking was used to determine the microhabitat use and foraging behaviour of a small insectivorous marsupial, Sminthopsis youngsoni (the lesser hairy-footed dunnart), in the dunefields of the Simpson Desert, south-western Queensland. In total, 25 successful trails were traced over the duration of this study, between March 1996 and April 1998. Nocturnal foraging trails were identified, then the distance travelled by the dunnart through each microhabitat type (nine in all) was measured and accumulated for each trail and compared with surrounding available microhabitats along control trails. This provided an index of selectivity of microhabitat use. Terrestrial invertebrates were collected from both actual and control trails to measure food availability. Dunnarts strongly selected open microhabitats when foraging, with the periphery of spinifex hummocks (up to 20 cm from the edge of a spinifex hummock) being favoured. Spinifex itself was avoided unless shelter was sought (i.e. immediately after release). Potential invertebrate prey captured along the actual trails travelled by dunnarts tended to occur in greater numbers and were larger than those captured along the control trails, indicating that dunnarts can accurately locate resource-rich areas in which to forage. Clearly, the foraging strategies used by this species enable it to successfully exploit patchy and unpredictable food resources, thereby ensuring its continued persistence and relative abundance in an unstable environment.
Acknowledgments
I thank D. and P. Smith for providing hospitality and access to the study site. Thanks are also due to Chris Dickman, Bobby Tamayo and Gayle McNaught for logistical and technical support and guidance. Many volunteers kindly and ably assisted with this project, which was funded by the Australian Research Council (to Dr C. R. Dickman).
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