The Value of Countryside Elements in the Conservation of the Threatened Arboreal Marsupial Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis in Agricultural Landscapes of South-eastern Australia - the Disproportional Value of Scattered Trees dataset, 2005
Abstract: Human activities, particularly agriculture, have transformed much of the world’s terrestrial environment. Within these anthropogenic landscapes, a variety of relictual and semi-natural habitats exist, which we term countryside elements. The habitat value of countryside elements (‘elements’) is increasingly recognised. In association with the Nanangroe Plot network in the South-West Slopes of New South Wales, we quantify the relative value of four kinds of such ‘elements’ (linear roadside remnants, native vegetation patches, scattered trees and tree plantings) used by a threatened Australian arboreal marsupial, the squirrel glider Petaurus norfolcensis. We examined relationships between home range size and the availability of each ‘element’ and whether the actual usage was relative to predicted levels of usage. The usage of ‘elements’ by gliders was largely explained by their availability, however there was a preference for native vegetation patches and scattered trees. We found home range size was significantly smaller with increasing area of scattered trees and a contrasting effect with increasing area of linear roadside remnants or native vegetation patches. Our work showed that each ‘element’ was used and as such had a role in the conservation of the squirrel glider, but their relative value varied. We illustrate the need to assess the conservation value of countryside elements so they can be incorporated into the holistic management of agricultural landscapes. This work demonstrates the disproportional value of scattered trees, underscoring the need to specifically incorporate and /or enhance the protection and recruitment of scattered trees in biodiversity conservation policy and management. (Crane, M.J., Lindenmayer, D.B., Cunningham, R.B., 2014. The Value of Countryside Elements in the Conservation of a Threatened Arboreal Marsupial Petaurus norfolcensis in Agricultural Landscapes of South-Eastern Australia—The Disproportional Value of Scattered Trees. PLOS One. 9(9): e107178 http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0107178).
Sampling method: Radio tracking data was collected between March and July 2005, mapping was developed in 2013 from 2005 SPOT5 imagery.
Study extent: Our investigation encompassed five study areas within the south-west slopes of New South Wales, Australia (Fig. 1). The region is the most extensively and intensively disturbed of the 13 botanical regions of NSW, with an estimated 85% of the original cover of native vegetation removed in the past 200 years (Benson, 2008). The five study areas were located in heavily modified agricultural landscapes, used predominantly for livestock grazing and dryland cropping. Study areas were approximately 3km x 3km. Woody vegetation occurred primarily as relictual scattered paddock trees, native vegetation plantings and remnant temperate Eucalyptus woodlands on private lands, road reserves and travelling stock reserves.
Type
collection
Title
The Value of Countryside Elements in the Conservation of the Threatened Arboreal Marsupial Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis in Agricultural Landscapes of South-eastern Australia - the Disproportional Value of Scattered Trees dataset, 2005
Brief Title
Nanangroe Plantation Plot Network, 2005
Collection Type
Dataset
Access Privileges
Long Term Ecological Research Network
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
10.25911/5c443a25a2e20
Metadata Language
English
Data Language
English
Brief Description
This work demonstrates the disproportional value of scattered trees, underscoring the need to specifically incorporate and /or enhance the protection and recruitment of scattered trees in biodiversity conservation policy and management. (Crane, M.J., Lindenmayer, D.B., Cunningham, R.B., 2014. The Value of Countryside Elements in the Conservation of a Threatened Arboreal Marsupial Petaurus norfolcensis in Agricultural Landscapes of South-Eastern Australia—The Disproportional Value of Scattered Trees. PLOS One. 9(9): e107178, http://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0107178).
Full Description
Abstract: Human activities, particularly agriculture, have transformed much of the world’s terrestrial environment. Within these anthropogenic landscapes, a variety of relictual and semi-natural habitats exist, which we term countryside elements. The habitat value of countryside elements (‘elements’) is increasingly recognised. In association with the Nanangroe Plot network in the South-West Slopes of New South Wales, we quantify the relative value of four kinds of such ‘elements’ (linear roadside remnants, native vegetation patches, scattered trees and tree plantings) used by a threatened Australian arboreal marsupial, the squirrel glider Petaurus norfolcensis. We examined relationships between home range size and the availability of each ‘element’ and whether the actual usage was relative to predicted levels of usage. The usage of ‘elements’ by gliders was largely explained by their availability, however there was a preference for native vegetation patches and scattered trees. We found home range size was significantly smaller with increasing area of scattered trees and a contrasting effect with increasing area of linear roadside remnants or native vegetation patches. Our work showed that each ‘element’ was used and as such had a role in the conservation of the squirrel glider, but their relative value varied. We illustrate the need to assess the conservation value of countryside elements so they can be incorporated into the holistic management of agricultural landscapes. This work demonstrates the disproportional value of scattered trees, underscoring the need to specifically incorporate and /or enhance the protection and recruitment of scattered trees in biodiversity conservation policy and management. (Crane, M.J., Lindenmayer, D.B., Cunningham, R.B., 2014. The Value of Countryside Elements in the Conservation of a Threatened Arboreal Marsupial Petaurus norfolcensis in Agricultural Landscapes of South-Eastern Australia—The Disproportional Value of Scattered Trees. PLOS One. 9(9): e107178 http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0107178).
Sampling method: Radio tracking data was collected between March and July 2005, mapping was developed in 2013 from 2005 SPOT5 imagery.
Study extent: Our investigation encompassed five study areas within the south-west slopes of New South Wales, Australia (Fig. 1). The region is the most extensively and intensively disturbed of the 13 botanical regions of NSW, with an estimated 85% of the original cover of native vegetation removed in the past 200 years (Benson, 2008). The five study areas were located in heavily modified agricultural landscapes, used predominantly for livestock grazing and dryland cropping. Study areas were approximately 3km x 3km. Woody vegetation occurred primarily as relictual scattered paddock trees, native vegetation plantings and remnant temperate Eucalyptus woodlands on private lands, road reserves and travelling stock reserves.
Methods
Data Collection (spatial data)
1
ArcGIS 9.2- Esri, SPOT5- Astrium GEO
The area of each countryside element available to an individual squirrel glider was calculated by measuring the total area of woody vegetation attributed to that ‘element’, within a 1000 m radius of the centre point of all fixes for each individual glider. A 1000 m radius was used, as 2000 m is approximately the maximum home range length that has been reported for this species (van der Ree and Bennett, 2003). The area of woody vegetation was measured using geographical information systems software (ArcGIS 9.2- Esri) to draw polygons over the canopy of woody vegetation interpreted from satellite imagery (SPOT5- Astrium GEO). Woody vegetation isolated by a gap distance of greater than 70 meters was considered unavailable to the glider (van der Ree et al., 2004).
Plot setup
2
Sites were selected on the basis of having squirrel gliders present and also to ensure we had 5 spatial independent sites, each encapsulating a number of different countryside elements.
Data collection (radio- tracking data)
3
single stage brass loop radio transmitter, weighing 4.5 grams (Sirtrack, New Zealand).
We captured gliders using drop-door, wire mesh cage traps (170 mm x 200 mm x 500 mm) over a three night period at each site in March 2005 (Crane et al., 2008). We fitted 32 gliders with a single stage brass loop radio transmitter, weighing 4.5 grams (Sirtrack, New Zealand). Gliders were radio-tracked to their diurnal denning site at least twice a week and to a nocturnal location at least 1-3 times a fortnight, over a 4-5 month period (Crane et al., 2008; Crane et al., 2012). For each fix, we recorded the countryside element in which the glider was located.
File Descriptions
Countryside elements in the conservation of the threatened arboreal marsupial Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis in agricultural landscapes of south-eastern Australia (P206T462)
| Animal |
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| description | Countryside elements in the conservation of the threatened arboreal marsupial Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis in agricultural landscapes of south-eastern Australia Data | ||||||||
| HOME RANGE 100%_est |
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| HOME RANGE 95%_est |
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| LRR_AvW |
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| LRR_DD |
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| LRR_N |
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| LRR_W |
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| number of records | 32 | ||||||||
| NVP_AvW |
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| NVP_DD |
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| NVP_N |
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| NVP_W |
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| Sex |
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| ST_AvW |
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| ST_DD |
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| ST_N |
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| ST_W |
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| Total number of fixes |
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| Total_AvW |
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| Total_W |
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| TP_AvW |
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| TP_DD |
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| TP_N |
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| TP_W |
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| Weight |
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Contact Email
david.lindenmayer@anu.edu.au;
mason.crane@anu.edu.au;
masoncrane@yahoo.com
Contact Address
Fenner School of Environment & Society
ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment
Frank Fenner Building 141
Linnaeus Way
CANBERRA, ACT, 0200
Australia
Contact Phone Number
+61 2 612 50654;
+61 427 770 594;
+61 427 770 593
Contact Fax Number
+61 2 6125 0746
Principal Investigator
David Lindenmayer
Supervisors
David Lindenmayer
Collaborators
Ross Cunningham;
Mason Crane
Fields of Research
0602 - Ecology
Keywords
GCMD:Earth Science > Biosphere > Vegetation;
LTERN Monitoring Theme:Vegetation structure;
keyword:Petaurus norfolcensis;
keyword:countryside elements;
keyword:home-range;
Nanangroe Plantation
Taxonomic Classification
norfolcensis (Squirrel glider)
Type of Research Activity
Strategic basic research
Date Coverage
2005
Geospatial Location
South-West Slopes of New South Wales, Australia
text
northlimit = -34.9758; southlimit = -36.0574; westlimit = 146.5718; eastLimit = 147.8947
iso19139dcmiBox
Date of data creation
2014-07-31
Year of data publication
2014
Creator(s) for Citation
Lindenmayer
David
Crane
Mason
Publisher for Citation
Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN), ANU Data Commons, The Australian National University
Publications
10.1371/journal.pone.0107178
Crane, M.J., Lindenmayer, D.B., Cunningham, R.B., 2014. The Value of Countryside Elements in the Conservation of a Threatened Arboreal Marsupial Petaurus norfolcensis in Agricultural Landscapes of South-Eastern Australia—The Disproportional Value of Scattered Trees. PLOS One. 9(9): e107178 http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0107178
The Value of Countryside Elements in the Conservation of a Threatened Arboreal Marsupial Petaurus norfolcensis in Agricultural Landscapes of South-Eastern Australia—The Disproportional Value of Scattered Trees
doi
Related Websites
ANU Open Research. Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) collection.
https://hdl.handle.net/1885/130861
Other Related Identifiers
MorphoId:ltern2.80;
PackageId:206
Access Rights Type
Open
Rights held in and over the data
Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-ND) is assigned to this data. Details of the licence can be found at http://creativecommons.org.au/licences.
Licence Type
CC-BY-ND - Attribution-NoDervis (Version 3.0)
Licence
LTERN Deed: 39
Date of execution: 2014-07-04
Licence: TERN-BY-ND-1_0
Retention Period
Indefinitely
Data Management Plan
No
Status: Published
Published to:
Published to:
- Australian National University
- Australian National Data Service
Related items
- hasAssociationWith:
Nanangroe Plantation Plot Network data packages, 1997-2018 [anudc:5551] - hasAssociationWith:
Mason Crane [anudc:5607] - hasAssociationWith:
Professor David Lindenmayer [anudc:5580] - hasAssociationWith:
Ross Cunningham [anudc:5620]