Three Parks Savanna Fire-effects Plot Network (Fauna): Nocturnal Spotlighting Survey, Nitmiluk National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, 2015

Abstract: These data are records of all nocturnal spotlighting observations during the 2015 Nitmiluk survey. A total of 220 permanent monitoring plots were established between 1994-2002 across three parks (Kakadu, Litchfield and Nitmiluk) in the Top End of the Northern Territory, representing the Three Parks Savanna Fire-effects Plot Network. A detailed flora and fauna survey has been conducted at each plot on a 5-6 year cycle to monitor biotic changes. Plots represent a variety of landforms and vegetation types. Nitmiluk National Park contains 46 plots, each with a paired plot located within 1 km of the primary plot. In 2015, 23 paired plots were surveyed for terrestrial vertebrate fauna using a range of survey methods. At each paired plot 2 x 15 minute surveys was conducted at night using head-torches, on any of the 4 nights available during the 4 day fauna survey period. The Spotlight survey area encompassed the standard 50 x 50 m trapping grid and an additional 25 m around all sides. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Three Park Savanna Fire-effects Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c35959d4530d Project funding: Between 2012 and 2018 this project was part of, and funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.
Type
collection
Title
Three Parks Savanna Fire-effects Plot Network (Fauna): Nocturnal Spotlighting Survey, Nitmiluk National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, 2015
Alternate Title
Three Parks Savanna Fire-effects - Fauna Plot Network: Nocturnal Spotlighting Kakadu, Litchfield, Nitmiluk, 2015
Collection Type
Dataset
Access Privileges
Long Term Ecological Research Network
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
10.25911/5c3ea6562c5fa
Metadata Language
English
Data Language
English
Brief Description
These data are records of all nocturnal spotlighting observations during the 2015 Nitmiluk survey. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Three Park Savanna Fire-effects Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c35959d4530d
Full Description
Abstract: These data are records of all nocturnal spotlighting observations during the 2015 Nitmiluk survey. A total of 220 permanent monitoring plots were established between 1994-2002 across three parks (Kakadu, Litchfield and Nitmiluk) in the Top End of the Northern Territory, representing the Three Parks Savanna Fire-effects Plot Network. A detailed flora and fauna survey has been conducted at each plot on a 5-6 year cycle to monitor biotic changes. Plots represent a variety of landforms and vegetation types. Nitmiluk National Park contains 46 plots, each with a paired plot located within 1 km of the primary plot. In 2015, 23 paired plots were surveyed for terrestrial vertebrate fauna using a range of survey methods. At each paired plot 2 x 15 minute surveys was conducted at night using head-torches, on any of the 4 nights available during the 4 day fauna survey period. The Spotlight survey area encompassed the standard 50 x 50 m trapping grid and an additional 25 m around all sides. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Three Park Savanna Fire-effects Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c35959d4530d Project funding: Between 2012 and 2018 this project was part of, and funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.
Methods
Plot set-up
1
Nitmiluk National Park contains 46 plots, each with a paired plot located within 1 km of the primary plot. In 2015, 23 paired plots were surveyed for terrestrial vertebrate fauna using a range of survey methods.
Data collection
2
Binoculars and GPS
Nitmiluk National Park contains 46 plots, each with a paired plot located within 1 km of the primary plot. In 2015, 23 paired plots were surveyed for terrestrial vertebrate fauna using a range of survey methods.
At each paired plot 2 x 15 minute surveys was conducted at night using head-torches, on any of the 4 nights available during the 4 day fauna survey period. Spotlighting survey area encompassed the standard 50 x 50 m trapping grid and an additional 25 m around all sides.
• Quadrats were actively searched for reptiles, amphibians, mammals, scats and other signs, especially arboreal mammals such as sugar gliders and possums, and nocturnal birds including owls, frogmouth and nightjars.
• The search involved moving rocks and logs, raking through leaf litter and vegetation, looking under bark or in rock crevices. Care was taken not to damage or destroy shelter sites (eg logs, bark, and vegetation) and any upturned rocks, logs etc were placed back in the same position.
• The number of individuals of each species seen was recorded on a data sheet along with the date and time of the survey.
File Descriptions
tpsn_fauna_nocturnal_spotlighting_2015_p343t560.csv
abundance
definitionSpecies abundance
ratio number typewhole
ratio standard unitnumber
common_name
definitionCommon name of observed species
nominal text definitionCharacter
date
date time formatYYYY-MM-DD
date time precision0
definitionDate of observation
id
definitionObservation identification number
nominal text definitionCharacter
number of records117
round
definitionThe number of times a site has been monitored. Entries are either 2 or 3, meaning the 2015 survey was either the second or third time sites had been surveyed.
ordinal text definitionCharacter
scientific_name
definitionScientific name of observed species
nominal text definitionCharacter
site
definitionSite identification number
nominal text definitionCharacter
species_id
definitionSpecies identification number
nominal text definitionCharacter
survey
definitionSurvey name
nominal enumeration codes
KAKADUKakadu National Park
LITCHFIELDLitchfield National Park
NITMILUKNitmiluk National Park
survey_site
definitionSurvey identification number
nominal text definitionCharacter
Contact Email
alaric.fisher@nt.gov.au
Contact Address
PO Box 496 Palmerston, Northern Territory, 0831 Australia
Contact Phone Number
+61 8 8995 5002; +61 478 404 546
Principal Investigator
Alaric Fisher
Supervisors
Alaric Fisher
Collaborators
Luke Einoder; John Woinarski; Graeme Gillespie; Northern Territory Government
Fields of Research
0502 - Environmental Science and Management; 0602 - Ecology; 0608 - Zoology
Keywords
GCMD:Earth Science > Biosphere > Terrestrial Ecosystems > Savannas; GCMD:Earth Science > Biological Classification > Animals/Vertebrates; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Birds; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Mammals; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Herpetofauna; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Invasive animals; keyword:Vertebrates; keyword:Spotlighting; Three Parks Savanna Fire-effects - Fauna; Kakadu, Litchfield, Nitmiluk; Nocturnal Spotlighting
Type of Research Activity
Strategic basic research
Date Coverage
2015
Geospatial Location
Nimiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park
text
northlimit = -13.81268; southlimit = -14.39819; westlimit = 132.16505; eastLimit = 132.74043
iso19139dcmiBox
Date of data creation
2017-07-31
Year of data publication
2017
Creator(s) for Citation
Fisher
Alaric
Publisher for Citation
The Australian National University Data Commons
Other Related Identifiers
MorphoId:ltern5.20; PackageId:343
Access Rights
Special Conditions: Users are required to contact the data provider (Graeme Gillespie) to discuss use of these data, including collaboration or co-authorship where appropriate. Users are also required to seek permission from Northern Territory Government Department of Land Resource to discuss use of all of these data packages, and Parks Australia prior to use of data packages from Kakadu National Park.
Access Rights Type
Open
Rights held in and over the data
Creative Commons Licence (CC BY- Attribution) is assigned to this data. Details of the licence can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Licence Type
CC-BY - Attribution (Version 4)
Licence
LTERN Deed: 47 Date of execution: 2017-05-12 Restrictions: Data collected prior to 2012 is to be published as mediated, except where explicitly stated otherwise by the Data Provider.
Data Location
https://datacommons.anu.edu.au
Retention Period
Indefinitely
Data Management Plan
No

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Number of files: 1

Size: 11.4 KB

Identifier: anudc:5848

Status: Published
Published to:
  • Australian National University
  • Australian National Data Service
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