Small Mammals in a South-East Queensland Rainforest: the Effects of Soil Fertility and Past Logging Disturbance.

Abstract

Comparisons are reported of the small mammal fauna of three distinct rainforests of south-east Queensland, with emphasis on the faunal response to indirect effects of low soil fertility and past logging disturbance. Cooloola rainforest sites (on infertile podzol soils) supported significantly fewer small mammals than did those at Mt Glorious (on fertile krasnozem soils). This was particularly evident where past logging disturbance was high. However, small mammal species differed in their response to site according to their degree of specialization. The relative abundance of species within Mt Glorious rainforest was comparatively even. In contrast, the small mammal fauna of Cooloola rainforest showed a high dominance-diversity relation with more opportunistic species predominant. Rodent movements and possibly diurnal activity also increased within disturbed secondary Cooloola rainforest. It is proposed that soil infertility, a strong plant commitment to chemical defence against herbivory, and a history of early logging, combine to suppress the abundance and diversity of small mammals within Cooloola rainforests.