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 > WR05012
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 33(6)

The influence of snow cover on home range and activity of the bush-rat (Rattus fuscipes) and the dusky antechinus (Antechinus swainsonii)

Glenn M. Sanecki A E , Ken Green B , Helen Wood C , David Lindenmayer A and Karen L. Sanecki D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

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

B Department of Environment and Conservation (formerly New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, Snowy Mountains Region, PO Box 2228, Jindabyne, NSW 2627, Australia.

C School of Science and Technology, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia.

D Centre for Educational Development and Academic Methods, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.

E Corresponding author. Email: gsanecki@cres.anu.edu.au

Wildlife Research 33(6) 489-496 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR05012
Submitted: 31 January 2005  Accepted: 18 July 2006   Published: 4 October 2006

Abstract

Radio-telemetry was used to investigate changes in home-range sizes and activity patterns of Rattus fuscipes and Antechinus swainsonii in a subalpine heathland at Perisher Creek, Kosciuszko National Park, southern New South Wales, in response to the accumulation of snow during the winter. We estimated home-range area for each animal during the autumn and winter using two methods, minimum convex polygon and 95% and 50% utilisation contours using the kernel method. With both methods, the home ranges of R. fuscipes and A. swainsonii were significantly smaller (P < 0.001) during the winter than in the autumn. In winter, both species were restricted to areas of dense wet heath close to the main drainage line. R. fuscipes showed signs of social interaction during both seasons, as indicated by location fixes and gnawing damage to radio-collars, in contrast to A. swainsonii, which appeared to remain solitary. In winter, R. fuscipes apparently nested at a single location, whereas during autumn it appeared to use several nest sites. There was no significant change in daily activity patterns between autumn and winter in either species. R. fuscipes remained primarily nocturnal during both prenival and nival periods whereas A. swainsonii continued to be active throughout the diel cycle, although there was a slight shift in its peak activity time from around sunset in autumn to early morning in winter.


Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Department of Environment and Conservation (formerly New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service), which also allowed us to undertake this work within Kosciuszko National Park. Authority to conduct this research was provided by New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (Scientific Investigation Licence No. B1963). Ethics approval was granted by The Australian National University Animal Ethics Committee. The Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, The Australian National University, provided support and resources that permitted this work to be completed. Thanks go to Allan Longstaff and Brian Reeves for field assistance.


References

Aitchison, C. W. (1987). Review of winter trophic relations of soricine shrews. Mammal Review 17, 1–24.
Carron P. L. (1985). The ecology of three species of small mammals in subalpine habitat. Ph.D. Thesis, The Australian National University, Canberra.

Carron, P. L. , Happold, D. C. D. , and Bubela, T. M. (1990). Diet of two sympatric Australian subalpine rodents, Mastacomys fuscus and Rattus fuscipes. Australian Wildlife Research 17, 479–489.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Formozov A. N. (1946). ‘Snow Cover as an Integral Factor of the Environment and its Importance in the Ecology of Mammals and Birds.’ (Boreal Institute: Edmonton.)

Green K. (1988). A study of Antechinus swainsonii and Antechinus stuartii and their prey in the Snowy Mountains. Ph.D. Thesis, The Australian National University, Canberra.

Green, K. (1989). Altitudinal and seasonal differences in the diets of Antechinus swainsonii and A. stuartii (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) in relation to the availability of prey in the Snowy Mountains. Australian Wildlife Research 16, 581–592.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Green K., and Osborne W. S. (1994). ‘Wildlife of the Australian Snow Country.’ (Reed Books: Sydney.)

Green, K. , and Sanecki, G. M. (2006). Immediate and short-term responses of bird and mammal assemblages to a subalpine wildfire in the Snowy Mountains, Australia. Austral Ecology 31, 673–681.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Halfpenny J. C., and Ozanne R. D. (1989). ‘Winter: an Ecological Handbook.’ (Johnson Publishing Company: Boulder, CO.)

Hall, S. (1980). Diel activity of three small mammals coexisting in forest in southern Victoria. Australian Mammalogy 3, 67–79.
Happold D. C. D. (1989). Small mammals in the Australian Alps. In ‘The Scientific Significance of the Australian Alps’. (Ed. R. Good.) pp. 221–239. (Australian Alps National Parks Liaison Committee: Canberra.)

Hooge P. N., and Eichenlaub B. (1997). Animal movement extension to Arcview. In ‘Alaska Science Centre – Biological Science Office’. (U.S. Geological Survey: Anchorage, AK.)

Jennrich, R. I. , and Turner, F. B. (1969). Measurement of non-circular home range. Journal of Theoretical Biology 22, 227–237.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Lance A. N., and Watson A. (1980). A comment on the use of radiotracking in ecological research. In ‘A Handbook on Biotelemetry and Radio Tracking’. (Eds C. J. Amlaner and D. W. Macdonald.) pp. 355–360. (Pergamon Press: New York.)

Madison D. M. (1984). Group nesting and its ecological and evolutionary significance in overwintering microtine rodents. In ‘Winter Ecology of Small Mammals’. Special publication No. 10. (Ed. J. F. Merritt.) pp. 267–274. (Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Pittsburgh, PA.)

Mansergh, I. (1985). A technique for trapping under the snow in alpine environments. Victorian Naturalist 102, 55–57.
Osborne W. S., Davis M. E., and Green K. (1998). Temporal and spatial variation in snow cover. In ‘Snow, a Natural History; an Uncertain Future’. (Ed. K. Green.) pp. 56–68. (Australian Alps Liaison Committee: Canberra.)

Pruitt, W. O., Jr (1960). Animals in the snow. Scientific American 202, 61–68.
| PubMed | Pruitt W. O., Jr (1984). Snow and small animals. In ‘Winter Ecology of Small Mammals’. Special publication No. 10. (Ed. J. F. Merritt.) pp. 1–8. (Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Pittsburgh, PA.)

Read, V. T. , Malafani, K. W. J. , and Myers, K. (1988). A comparison of grid and index-line trapping methods for small mammal surveys. Australian Wildlife Research 15, 673–687.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Ruddell A. (1998). The physical properties of snow. In ‘Snow, a Natural History; an Uncertain Future’. (Ed. K. Green.) pp. 35–55. (Australian Alps Liaison Committee: Canberra.)

Sanecki G. M. (1999). The effects of linear disturbances on the movement behaviour of small mammals in Kosciuszko National Park. B.Sc.(Honours) Thesis, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga.

Sanecki, G. M. , Cowling, A. , Green, K. , Wood, H. , and Lindenmayer, D. B. (2006a). Winter distribution of small mammals in relation to snow cover in the subalpine zone. Journal of Zoology 269, 99–110.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Stebbins L. L. (1984). Overwintering activity of Peromyscus maniculatus, Clethrionomys gapperi, C. rutilus, Eutamias amoenus and Microtus pennsylvanicus. In ‘Winter Ecology of Small Mammals’. (Ed. J. F. Merritt.) pp. 301–314. (Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Pittsburgh, PA.)

Swihart, R. K. , and Slade, N. A. (1985). Testing for independance of observations in animal movements. Ecology 66, 1176–1184.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | White G. C., and Garrott R. A. (1990). ‘Analysis of Wildlife Radio-tracking Data.’ (Academic Press: San Diego, CA.)

Wilson D. E., Cole F. R., Nichols J. D., Rudram R., and Foster M. S. (1996). ‘Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Mammals.’ (Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, DC.)

Wolton, R. J. (1985). The ranging and nesting behaviour of wood mice, Apodemus sylvaticus (Rodentia: Muridae), as revealed by radio tracking. Journal of Zoology 206, 203–224.
Woodside D. P. (1983). The role of social behaviour and spacing in populations of the bush rat, Rattus fuscipes. Ph.D. Thesis, The Australian National University, Canberra.

Worton, B. J. (1989). Kernel methods for estimating the utilization distribution in home-range studies. Ecology 70, 164–168.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |