Southern brown bandicoots, Isoodon obesulus obesulus, occupy the margins of artificial waterways, in preference to bushland remnants or roadside vegetation
Matthew J. Bruce
A * , David B. Bryant A , Michele Kohout A , Phoebe V. Macak A , Khorloo Batpurev A and Steve J. Sinclair A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084, Australia.
Wildlife Research 50(1) 68-75 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR21122
Submitted: 19 August 2021 Accepted: 29 April 2022 Published: 26 July 2022
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Many threatened species persist in modified landscapes. Species in these landscapes often inhabit vegetation strips adjacent to linear structures such as roads, railways and artificial waterways. These vegetation strips may act as refugia or provide resources, but the associated structures (e.g. roads) may also act as barriers to movement. The southern brown bandicoot (eastern subspecies) is listed as Endangered in Australia and is known to inhabit modified landscapes.
Aim: We aim to determine the extent of occupancy of southern brown bandicoots and the relative importance of different habitat types. Our data are intended to provide a baseline for future monitoring of changes to bandicoot populations, and to further our understanding of the relative importance of different habitat types for management and conservation.
Methods: We conducted a remote-camera survey of southern brown bandicoots, at 98 locations across a 60 000 ha region south-east of Melbourne. Bandicoots in this area inhabit patches of remnant habitat in reserves and remnant, modified or non-native vegetation strips along roadsides and artificial waterways created in the 19th century to drain swampland. These habitat fragments sit within a matrix of agricultural, residential and commercial land.
Key results: Our results suggest that bandicoot occupancy is higher along artificial waterways (0.76) than along roadsides (0.35) or within reserves (0.39).
Implications: Habitat along waterways is often different from remnants, with a mix of weedy and native vegetation. The implication of this is a potential conflict between habitat and vegetation management for bandicoots, weed control and maintenance of drains and associated levees.
Keywords: conservation, endangered species, habitat fragmentation, habitat modification, habitat preference, linear habitats, urban ecology, peri-urban landscapes.
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