Distribution of Feeding Activity of the Tasmanian Bettong (Bettongia Gaimardi) in Relation to Vegetation Patterns.

Abstract

The Tasmanian bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) feeds by digging for the fruit-bodies of hypogeous ectomycorrhizal fungi in dry sclerophyll forest. This study examined variations in the density of food-diggings of B. gaimardi in relation to vegetation patterns in a 150-ha study area. Density of B. gaimardi diggings was highest in Eucalyptus tenuiramus [E. tenuiramis] forest with a high density of mature stems and little ground vegetation; this type of vegetation was found on soils of low fertility. Density of diggings also increased towards the dry end of a moisture gradient characterized by a transition from E. amygdalina to E. obliqua, and increased with the density of Acacia dealbata stems. High densities of A. dealbata probably indicate recent burning. Analysis of the fine-scale distribution of diggings showed that diggings were clustered around Eucalyptus and Acacia stems, but showed no pattern in relation to density of ground vegetation.